Sociology · May / June 2021 · Paper 22 · Question 2

0495

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Patterns of educational achievement vary across social groups. This has led some sociologists to question how fair the education system is and to investigate the reasons for inequalities within 2 education. In their research sociologists consider factors such as the culture of masculinity, type of school attended and the importance of social conformity.

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2(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘social conformity’? One mark for partial definition, e.g. following the rules. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. fitting in with the social expectations for behaviour.
2(b)[4]
Describe two patterns of educational achievement. Candidates will be expected to describe two patterns of educational achievement. The answer is likely to focus on social factors such as gender, social class and ethnicity. Possible answers:
gender – in many developing countries boys are more likely to receive an education than girls meaning that they achieve better;
gender – in modern industrial societies girls typically achieve higher than boys in terms of the amount of qualifications gained and the grades/levels achieved;
gender – subject choice – educational achievement is dependent upon the subjects chosen for study e.g. in the UK sociology is dominated by females, PE by males;
gender – over time – in modern industrial societies pre-1990’s boys achieved better than girls;
gender – over time – both boys and girls achieve better today than in the past;
gender – university – in modern industrial societies more girls are going to university than boys and achieving highly;
ethnicity – ethnic minority groups in a country typically do less well e.g. in the USA African-American students do not achieve as well as white American students;
ethnicity – traveller children (Roma/gypsies) typically do not do well within education;
ethnicity – in the UK, Indian and Chinese students achieve the best;
social class – students eligible for free school meals do less well than those who don’t qualify for this support;
social class – the higher a students’ social class position, the better they are likely to do in education;
social class – students in private schools achieve higher than students in state/government schools (better resources etc.);
other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).
2(c)[6]
Explain how the culture of masculinity may affect the educational achievement of males. Candidates should discuss how the culture of masculinity may affect the educational achievement of males. Effects on educational achievement may be negative, positive or a combination of both. Possible answers:
boys may choose different subjects to girls e.g. PE, Design etc. as they feel they can do well in them;
boys’ leisure activities e.g. sports, video games may lead them to focus on activities not linked to school – this may negatively affect their educational achievement;
pressure to be masculine may lead some boys to join anti-school subcultures and so negatively affect their educational achievement e.g. Willis ‘the lads’;
aggressive masculine norms may mean that boys get into fights and arguments at school and so receive more sanctions, negatively affecting their educational achievement;
masculine behaviour e.g. toughness, street smartness etc. is not valued in education and so may result in teachers negatively labelling boys, thus leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of underachievement;
wanting to look ‘cool’ may mean that boys do not study as much as girls leading to them being placed into lower sets thus negatively affecting their educational achievement;
the culture of masculinity may attract boys to gangs meaning that they drop out of school and do not succeed in their exams;
the culture of masculinity in schools may suggest male dominance and success e.g. males in positions of authority – these male role models may encourage boys to do well in school;
culture of masculinity in wider society makes boys believe they are more powerful and dominant than girls therefore they do not feel that they need to try at school as they are already dominant;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. Responses may be short and un/underdeveloped. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will have clear and accurate explanation, showing good sociological knowledge and understanding. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected and explained. At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one point in a well-developed way or cover several points in less detail.
2(d)[8]
Explain why there are different types of schools. Candidates should discuss the reasons why there are different types of schools. It is likely that specific types of schools will be explicitly discussed. Possible answers:
marketisation of education – means there needs to be choice in place for parents and students to decide which school a child attends;
single sex schools – proven to get higher results than mixed sex schools so feminists may say this is empowering for females;
faith schools – in a secular society little religious education may be taught at schools, therefore faith schools allow for the teaching of particular religious beliefs, norms and values;
private schools – typically produce the best results in the education system so allow parents who can afford the tuition fees to send their children there (selective education;
comprehensive education – based on principles of equality (meritocracy) and allow any student to attend, so giving equal opportunities to all;
special schools – allow students with additional needs e.g. learning disabilities, to be specifically supported and catered for in their education;
primary schools – allows for a more generic curriculum to be taught to students that inculcates them with society’s norms and values;
secondary schools – allows for a more specialist and academic curriculum to be followed, building upon the foundations taught at the primary level;
technical schools – allows students to be best prepared for the world of work through vocational courses and qualifications;
Marxism – private schools maintain social inequalities through the creation of an elite education for the rich – needed to support capitalism and elitism;
choice – different types of schools mean that everyone’s needs are catered for (postmodernism) in a diverse society;
parental attitudes and beliefs – Montessori schools are thought by some to be a more natural and enjoyable way for children to learn that help students develop the social, emotional, and intellectual skills they need for long-term success in school and in life;
IQ – different types of schools exist in order to cater for different ability levels of students e.g. the tripartite system, academic vs vocational schools etc.;
other reasonable response Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–3 marks] Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of the question. A tendency to description is likely. Responses may be short and undeveloped and points stated without explanation. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 [4–6 marks] Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed/explained. Band 3 [7–8 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding and will be well-developed and explained. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately overall. Answers will be well-focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.
2(e)[15]
To what extent is the education system fair? Candidates should consider the ways in which the education system can be seen to be fair. In evaluation, the reasons why it is not so fair or not fair for everyone should be discussed. Possible answers: FOR
functionalism – the education system is meritocratic;
everyone has the same opportunities to be successful;
equality legislation – this ensures that all social groups are given the right to education and that they cannot be discriminated against by teachers;
option subjects – these allow students to choose their own curriculum path that best suits their own talents and interests – this is clearly fair;
national curriculum – this ensures that all students study the same core subjects so that everyone has the same basic grounding;
setting and streaming – students are put into classes that best suit their needs and abilities – this gives everyone the best chance of being educationally successful;
both vocational and academic educational qualifications are available to students – this allows them to make the best choice for themselves;
scholarships – fee paying schools offer scholarships and bursaries to ensure that money does not prevent bright students from receiving a top education;
selective role – education acts as a filtering system (functionalism) to ensure that the brightest students are stretched and challenged to achieve highly and the weaker students are offered courses and levels that better suit their needs;
comprehensive schools – anyone can attend this type of school, regardless of educational ability or social factors, so making the system fair;
parental choice – in a lot of countries, parents have free choice to decide where to apply for their child’s schooling, making the system fair;
other reasonable response. AGAINST
private education (Marxism) – fee paying private schools get better exam results on average than state schools, meaning that those students who can afford to attend are likely to do better due to factors such as higher expectations, smaller class sizes and better schools resources;
ethnocentric curriculum – if the curriculum is biased towards the majority group in society and marginalises other ethnic and cultural experiences then this cannot be fair;
gendered subject choice – feminists believe that students subject choices remain gendered and that this is often encouraged by teachers and careers advisors – this can limit certain fields of high status/high paying employment later in life;
role modelling – positions of authority in schools are said to be dominated by white males – this implies that other social groups are less likely to be successful which is not fair;
cultural capital (Bourdieu) – middle class children arrive at school with the norms and values that are inherent in an academic education, this makes school an easier and more enjoyable experience for them;
material deprivation – those students across all schools who can afford private tutoring, revision resources and study supports are likely to do better than those who cannot – this isn’t fair;
funding – schools in different areas, even within the same country, are funded at different levels per pupil meaning that some schools have more opportunities than others to offer more extra-curricular activities, smaller teacher-pupil ratios and more specialist equipment and teachers;
teacher labelling – this has been proven to disadvantage certain groups of students in schools who are stereotyped to be ‘troublemakers’ or ‘less bright’ – this is not fair;
other reasonable response. Band 0 [0 marks] No creditworthy response. Band 1 [1–4 marks] Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of the debate. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one- sided. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points and provide a weak definition of key terms in the question. Band 2 [5–8 marks] In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of the debate. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. There may be limited/some use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two- sided or only cover one side of the debate. Lower in the band, the response may be rather narrow in the points covered and there may be some development. Higher in the band, more points are likely to be covered with some development. Alternatively, a list-like answer with some development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 [9–12 marks] Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of the debate. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well-developed, focused on the questions and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two-sided response but it may lack range on one side. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of developed points and clear focus on the question. Band 4 [13–15 marks] Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of the debate. There will be a strong grasp of the arguments as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well-developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Responses will be two-sided and have a range of points on each side. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion.

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