Sociology · Oct / Nov 2024 · Paper 22 · Question 2
0495
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Schools are an important agency of socialisation. Students from some social classes achieve better examination results than students from other social classes. Sociologists debate whether this is an example of educational inequality. There are different types of schools and some use IQ tests. 2
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2(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘IQ tests’? One mark for partial definition e.g. testing intelligence. Two marks for clear definition e.g. participants answer questions that are then used to measure how intelligent someone is.
2(b)[4]
Describe two types of schools that select their students. Possible answers:
faith schools – select their pupils based on the family’s religious beliefs and faith, e.g. Catholic schools;private/independent schools – pupils are selected based on whether their parents can afford the fees and/or the student’s ability (sometimes this is also accompanied by a selection test/interview/IQ test);grammar school – students must sit and pass an 11+ entrance exam that allows the school to select students based on ability;single-sex school – schools select students based upon their sex e.g. all boys or all girls;any other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to a maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).2(c)[6]
Explain how schools socialise students. Possible answers:
rewards – teach students to follow the rules and be obedient, students soon learn that if they do ‘the right thing’ they will be rewarded, encouraging them to do it more;sanctions – students are punished if they do not follow norms and rules and so are socialised into conformity;hierarchy – students have to do as they are told by those in higher status positions i.e. the teacher is the centre of attention at the front of the classroom, this socialises them for life after school;the hidden curriculum – this informal education is delivered through teacher actions and attitudes, socialising students to understand cultural norms, values and expectations;the formal curriculum – this socialises students into certain ideologies and ways of thinking e.g. the ethnocentric curriculum/the patriarchal curriculum etc.;setting and streaming – students learn in schools that some students are ‘brighter’ than others, socialising them to accept their place in the hierarchy;peer group – school-based peer groups socialise students into accepting a particular set of norms and values e.g. pro-school sub-cultures and anti- school sub-cultures;competition – sports and tests socialise students to see that doing better than others is more important than cooperating with them;punctuality – being on time is highly valued in schools, socialising students to understand that your time is not your own and you must be in a certain place at a certain time – social expectations;functionalism – socialisation helps schools fulfil their functions by providing skills and attitudes essential for the smooth running of society and the individual’s own future;Marxism – schools teach the lower class to be controlled by the ruling class through ideology, e.g. working class children learn not to have high expectations of work or life and become passive conformers to capitalism, accepting being bored as normal;feminism – the school curriculum socialises students into ideas about gender and gender roles to students, e.g. different uniforms, subject choice, teacher expectations etc., thus encouraging conformity to traditional gender stereotypes that reinforce patriarchy;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 students from some social classes achieve better examination results than students from other social classes. Possible answers:
private schools – these fee-paying schools typically achieve the best results (better facilities/small class sizes etc.) and are dominated by students from the higher social classes;material deprivation – lower social classes may not be able to afford a nutritious diet, may not have a quiet place to study, may not be able to afford additional resources and are unlikely to have private tuition this will negatively impact exam results;part-time jobs – students in lower social classes are more likely to have part-time jobs and therefore have to balance their time between study and employment which is likely to negatively affect their examination results;pre-school education – those in the lower social classes are less likely to have been able to afford to attend pre-school and therefore enter education already behind their higher class peers which is likely to negatively affect their exam results;area – attending a disadvantaged school in a poor area with a culture that does not value education (lower social classes), is unlikely to offer as good an education as a school in a prosperous area where education is valued (higher social classes);fatalism – working class students may have lower aspirations and believe that they cannot change their life cycle which may lead to them putting less effort in at school and so achieving worse exam results than a student in the higher social classes;immediate gratification – the need for immediate success and benefits is associated with the working class and may help to explain why more working class students leave school early and do not perform as well as higher social classes in exam results;role models – an absence of educationally successful/university attending role models in the family may mean working class students do not see education as important and thus do not strive to do well – so negatively affecting exam results;cultural capital – working class parents may lack this (higher class students will have this) and so their children don’t have the advantages of an environment of books and reading, of going to the theatre, visiting art galleries, foreign travel etc., which is thought to negatively affect exam results;linguistics – working class students are likely to be less familiar with the elaborated code than middle class students and therefore will find the language of education more difficult (Bourdieu) which in turn will negatively affect exam results;teacher labelling – working class students are less likely to fit the stereotype of the ‘ideal pupil’ (Becker) and therefore may be judged as less bright or troublesome by their teachers resulting in them being placed into lower sets and so doing less well in exams;anti-school subcultures – working class students are more likely to join these groups and resist the values of school and so underachieve (‘The Lads’, Willis) in their examinations;pro-school subcultures – middle class students typically dominate these peer groups where the culture encourages hard work, effort and academic achievement which leads to better exam results;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 maybe 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 functionalist view of education correct? Possible answers: FOR:
socialisation – schools pass on the norms and values of society from one generation to the next, continuing the work started by the family in primary socialisation;shared values – schools transmit a shared message and values to students and thus it is important in making individuals believe that they belong to society due to shared interests and beliefs, e.g. singing the national anthem;universal standards – schools learn the importance of individual achievement because at school status is achieved and performance is judged by universal standards through examinations;sifting and sorting – role allocation is performed in schools to ensure the right people are in the right future roles/jobs in order to support the economy;skills – schools teach individuals important skills needed to fully function in society e.g. communication, resilience, teamwork, cooperation etc.;preparation for the workplace – functionalists see schools as a transition into adulthood where individuals are prepared for working life, e.g. compliance, deference to authority, respect for the hierarchy etc.;meritocratic – schools are seen by functionalists as being fair institutions as everybody is given the same opportunities for success;social control – schools are important in ensuring adherence to social norms through systems of sanctions and rewards that try and ensure conformity;social mobility – equality of opportunity in schools, e.g. through a national curriculum, means that individuals will move up or down the hierarchy based upon their own merits and efforts;any other reasonable response. AGAINST:no shared values – in multicultural, global societies shared values are a myth and therefore education cannot ensure any sense of belonging;school and work – critics of functionalism claim that there are few links between schools and workplaces with many employers claiming school leavers lack the essential literacy and numeracy skills needed for work;selection for jobs – this is often not about talent, ability or grades but about social networks or social factors such as gender, social class and ethnicity;gendered curriculum – feminism – subject choices reveal that despite national curriculums in many countries, girls and boys are still studying different subjects that affect their future roles and jobs, e.g. girls are channelled into textiles/childcare, boys into science and maths;teacher expectations – some sociologists claim that teachers do not have the same expectations of boys and girls, encouraging boys to aim for careers and presuming females are destined for marriage and motherhood;gender role models – vertical segregation still typically dominates in schools whereby most senior and head teachers are male;this socialises children to believe that males are more dominant and are better suited to leadership and management roles – not the equality of opportunity espoused by the functionalists;
ruling class ideology – Marxism – there is no shared value system operating in schools, instead the ruling class impose their beliefs and needs on to others;hidden curriculum – Marxism – expectations and values transmitted to students through the hidden curriculum indoctrinates them into a mentality that benefits capitalism, e.g. punctuality, passivity, conformity etc.;type of school – other sociologists claim that as not all children attend the same type of school and therefore some are more privileged than others in their education, e.g. private/independent schools;lack of social mobility – other perspectives challenge the functionalist notion that education allows for social mobility, claiming instead that social factors are more influential, e.g. in reality few working class children achieve real upward social mobility;myth of meritocracy – Marxists claim that functionalists are not correct in their claim that the education system is meritocratic;they believe class background is the determining factor, e.g. wealthier parents can afford private tutors, better resources etc.;
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 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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