2.10 - Impact of Cultural Factors on Attainment - notes

Understanding cultural deprivation theory

Cultural deprivation theory explains differences in educational achievement between social classes by focusing on aspects of working-class culture. This theory suggests that working-class children often underachieve in school because their home environment lacks certain cultural elements that support success. As a result, working-class culture is seen as deficient compared to middle-class culture, which is thought to better prepare children for school.

Cultural deprivation is defined as a lack of the norms, values, and attitudes needed for educational success.

Cultural deprivation theory identifies several key areas where working-class culture may fall short:

• Parental interest in education
• Language development
• Child-rearing practices

Feinstein's research on parental interest

• Background - Leon Feinstein conducted a study using data from two longitudinal surveys to explore class differences in educational achievement.

• Results - Found that class differences in achievement stemmed mainly from variations in parental interest and support. Working-class parents placed less value on education than middle-class parents, leading to lower aspirations for their children. These attitudes were transmitted during socialisation, leaving working-class children less prepared for school.

• Evaluation - The study relied on teachers' perceptions of parental interest, which could be biased. Teachers might stereotype working-class parents negatively while favouring middle-class parents who share similar backgrounds.

Gill Evans' study of working-class attitudes

• Background - Gill Evans used qualitative methods to investigate parental attitudes in a working-class community.

• Results - Found that working-class parents held very positive views towards education. She argued against cultural deprivation, proposing instead 'social variation' – the idea that working-class child-rearing methods are not deficient but simply different from middle-class ones.

Language codes and educational disadvantage

Basil Bernstein's research from 1970 introduced the idea of speech codes to explain this.

Bernstein's speech codes

• Elaborated code of speech - A complex form of language where details are explicitly stated and meanings are clear, often used in unfamiliar situations like classrooms.
• Restricted code of speech - A simpler, shorthand form of language used in familiar social settings where less explanation is needed.

Bernstein suggested that middle-class parents teach their children the elaborated code, preparing them for school environments. Working-class parents, however, primarily use the restricted code, leaving their children at a disadvantage. This occurs because school materials and teacher instructions rely on the elaborated code, which working-class children may struggle to understand.

Evaluating cultural deprivation theory

Policy influences of cultural deprivation theory

The theory shaped educational policies in the 1960s and 1970s in the UK and USA.

Impact on UK policy:

• Led to 'educational priority areas' in five deprived inner-city regions.
• These areas received extra funding for smaller classes, more teachers, and stronger parent-school links to compensate for perceived cultural deficiencies.
• The aim was positive discrimination – providing additional support to working-class pupils to level the playing field.

Criticisms from key researchers

Labov's research on language:

• Background - William Labov conducted social experiments in the USA to test ideas about language deprivation.

• Method - Used experiments to compare language use among young Black people in New York.

• Results - Found that working-class 'street language' could express complex ideas just as effectively as middle-class speech.

• Conclusions - Middle-class language is overrated; working-class forms are not inferior but capable of sophisticated communication.

Other key criticisms:

• Gaine and George's critique of Bernstein - They argued that Bernstein oversimplified class differences in speech patterns and provided little evidence that language codes are the main cause of underachievement.
• Nell Keddie's perspective - Keddie described cultural deprivation theory as ethnocentric – judging other cultures through a middle-class lens without recognising working-class strengths. She argued that cultures are different, not superior or inferior, and that the theory distracts from schools' own failings, such as inadequate teaching or resources.