Labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy
- Labelling: teachers may judge pupils (for example, as bright or troublesome) based on class, gender or ethnicity rather than ability.
- The self-fulfilling prophecy: pupils live up (or down) to the label, so the prediction comes true.
- Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) told teachers some randomly chosen pupils were about to "spurt" academically. These pupils made greater gains, suggesting teachers' expectations affected them.
Streaming and setting
- Streaming puts pupils in ability groups for all subjects; setting groups them by ability in individual subjects.
- Ball's study of "Beachside Comprehensive" found that pupils in lower bands were often working class, and that teachers expected less of them, leading to anti-school attitudes.
Pupil subcultures
- Pro-school subcultures value education and follow school rules.
- Anti-school subcultures reject school values. Willis's study "Learning to Labour" (1977) followed a group of working-class boys ("the lads") who rejected school, which prepared them for manual work.
- Subcultures can form as a reaction to labelling and low-set placement.
Key terms
- Labelling
- Attaching a name or description to someone that affects how they are treated.
- Self-fulfilling prophecy
- When a prediction comes true because people act on it.
- Streaming
- Grouping pupils by ability for all subjects.
- Setting
- Grouping pupils by ability in individual subjects.
- Pupil subculture
- A group of pupils with its own norms and values.
- Anti-school subculture
- A group that rejects school values.