Sociology · May / June 2022 · Paper 22 · Question 2
0495
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Marxist, feminist and functionalist sociologists believe that schools have different functions. These include teaching social expectations, social control and socialisation. However, not all students 2 conform to school rules and some join anti-school sub-cultures. Factors such as social class, gender and ethnicity can also affect educational achievement.
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2(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘anti-school sub-culture’? One mark for a partial definition, e.g. not liking school. Two marks for a clear definition, e.g. a group of students who reject the norms and values of the school.
2(b)[4]
Describe two features of comprehensive schools. Possible answers:
area – they tend to cater for children from the local area;non-selective – they accept students of all abilities;social backgrounds and inclusivity – they accept people from different social groups and communities to break down social barriers;free – they are typically non fee paying and the education is instead paid for by the state;equality – they were introduced due to a belief that all children should be given the same chance to succeed and improve their life chances – in the UK they replaced the Tripartite system of education;meritocracy – for functionalists comprehensive schools are part of the system of meritocracy that believes that all children can be successful through hard work and effort;setting/streaming – most comprehensive schools cater for the needs of different ability students through internal systems of setting and streaming;any 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 schools teach social expectations to students. Possible answers:
formal education − through lessons, curriculum content, classroom rules and structures social expectations are taught;informal education − learning outside of the curriculum, extra-curricular activities and social interactions all teach social expectations such as the importance of punctuality, following instructions etc;hidden curriculum − social expectations regarding norms, values, attitudes, roles etc. are taught and reinforced e.g. punctuality;rewards − positive behaviour is encouraged through a system of rewards that aims to make students conform to social expectations;negative sanctions − systems of punishment exist within schools to ensure that bad behaviour is seen to not be tolerated − the punishments given discourage behaviour not in line with social expectations;teacher labelling – the way teachers treat students and the expectations they have of them (e.g. setting and streaming) can lead to students internalising these perceptions and acting accordingly;meritocracy − functionalists believe that social expectations are taught through the culture in school of ‘you get what you deserve’ − it is expected that you will work hard, behave, set goals and try your best;gender roles − feminists believe that gendered norms and values are taught in school so that we learn that there are different social expectations of men and women in society e.g. men being more dominant and powerful;Marxism – not questioning authority and being submissive (these social expectations) are taught as ‘normal’ within schools and this deference to authority benefits capitalism through the workplace;any 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 Marxist sociologists believe education is a form of social control. Possible answers:
common value system − education controls people to believe the ideologies of the ruling class through the indoctrination of the working classes that will ensure they are good workers for the capitalist system;false consciousness − the working classes are so controlled within and by education that they do not realise they are being used and exploited in preparation for the wider world;hidden curriculum − this teaches us to be obedient, submissive, do as we are told by those in positions of authority thus preparing us for future roles as ‘wage slaves’ for the ruling class;unquestioning − it’s not just our actions but also our thoughts that are controlled within education − we are discouraged from questioning or criticising and taught that there is one, dominant understanding of the world that is correct (and of course supports capitalism);types of school attended − the ruling and the working class send their children to different types of schools where different values are taught. Private education teaches the bourgeoisie that they are elite and helps them enter the ‘best’ universities − working class children in state education are not so privileged;myth of meritocracy − Marxists believe education controls us into conformity as we are taught that society is fair and we will get what we deserve therefore we don’t rebel or resist − they say this is untrue and that society is riddled with inequalities;any 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 ethnicity the main factor influencing educational achievement? Possible answers: Arguments for:
patterns of achievement − in many countries pupils from minority ethnic groups as a whole do not do as well as the average for the country;America − concern has been expressed and interventions implemented to try and improve the performance of African-American pupils;UK − pupils from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Roma and Afro-Caribbean backgrounds do less well than the country’s average whereas Indian and Chinese pupils typically do better;social class links − children from the minority ethnic groups that tend to do least well in education are often from working class backgrounds and live in poorer households;gender links − girls from some Asian backgrounds may be socialised into more traditional female roles and thus may have limited educational and workplace aspirations;racism and discrimination − if racism still exists in wider society then some minority ethnic pupils may be aware that their families are facing this and so ‘resist’ and rebel against the school’s authority;setting and streaming − evidence shows that minority ethnic group pupils are disproportionately found in the lower sets and streams within a school which then negatively impacts upon their educational achievement;teacher stereotypes − Becker ‘labelling’ theory − teachers may make assumptions about some minority ethnic groups and not expect them to achieve well, perhaps labelling them as ‘trouble-makers’;ethnocentric curriculum − what is taught in schools may treat the culture of the majority as more important than the minority e.g. in history lessons − this can cause minority ethnic group students to lose interest;peer group − if racism is not tackled efficiently within schools then there may be a culture of bullying and intimidation which is likely to negatively impact upon minority ethnic group students;lack of role models − education is traditionally perceived as a ‘white’ institution based on ‘white’ values − there are typically few minority ethnic group role models in positions of power within the educational system and this may de-motivate those students;cultural differences − if the values at home clash with those of the school this may hamper pupil progress e.g. dress, appearance, diet, religion, values, customs etc;language barriers − English may not be the first language for some minority ethnic group pupils − they may be code switching at home and thus find it harder to access the school’s curriculum;any other reasonable response. Arguments against:gender − is a better explanation for differences in student’s educational achievement (and all the arguments to support this);social class and material factors − offer better explanations for differences in student’s educational achievement (and all the arguments to support this);cultural deprivation − this offers a better explanation for differences in student’s educational achievement (and all the arguments to support this);type of school attended − this has more influence over student’s educational achievement than their ethnicity e.g. results are better in private than state education regardless of the ethnicity of the student;home and community factors − are thought by many sociologists to be more important in explaining differences in educational achievement than a student’s ethnicity e.g. language, capital (Bourdieu) etc.;peer group − the peer group a student is a member of is shown by research to be vital in influencing educational achievement e.g. anti- school sub-cultures (Willis) and pro-school sub-cultures;individual differences – interpretivist sociologists would argue that we cannot generalise reasons for patterns of educational achievement into a broad social factor such as ethnicity − it is the individual circumstances and context of each student that needs to be considered;pluralist approach − no one social factor can ever explain a person’s educational achievement e.g. ethnicity may well be important but needs to be combined with the gender and social class of the student i.e. lower class, male, Afro-Caribbeans in the UK do not typically do well in terms of educational achievement;any 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 commonsense 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 question 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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