Material Deprivation Is The Most Important Barrier To Educational Attainment
Material deprivation is a lack of money, which leads to disadvantages,
such as unhealthy diet and a lack of materials such as computer and
textbooks. J.W.B Douglas examined education of 5,362 British children
and grouped the children in terms of their ability, which was measured
by IQ tests. He then divided them into four social class groupings and
found significant variations between students of a similar ability but
who were from different social backgrounds.
Douglas believed that underachievement in education was related to a
number of factors. These were the students health, the size of the
students family and the quality of the school they attended. With
health, working class children tend to have a poor diet, which leads
to ill health. This in turn, leads to poor attendance and therefore
children cannot catch up on work missed and so underachieve in exams.
The size of the student's family is linked to underachievement because
there is less money to spend on material objects for example textbooks
and computers, and to an extent, personal tutors. There is also less
room at home to do homework, as they may have to share a room with
siblings, and so there is no-where quiet they can go to do homework.
The quality of school also matters, as working class children tend to
live in working class areas, and cannot afford to go to a good school
so attend a working class school. This is a poorer quality of school
than the middle class would attend, and so they underachieve in exams.
Douglas also believed that the degree of parent's interest in their
children's ed...
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...their pre-school years
and they possess the key to unlock the messages transmitted in the
classroom. This means that students from upper classes have a higher
success rate than the middle class students.
Bourdieu believes that a major role of the education system is
eliminating the working class from higher levels of education. This is
accomplished by examination failure and self-elimination. As they have
a relative lack of dominant culture, working class pupils are much
more likely to fail examinations which stops them from going into
higher education.
This leads me to believe that although material deprivation is an
explanation of low educational attainment, it is not the main barrier
to working class achieving at school. It is one of several factors
which all add up to working class underachieving at school.
parents may not have an education or language skills to help their child with their homework
At home they might have different distractions and take longer to do homework, while even procrastinating. With a study hall, they would be able to have a better understanding of the subject because they could take more time to ask questions and study for tests and quizzes in a school environment. When they were doing homework, they would be less likely to forget things because it would be fresh in their
Education holds power over determining one’s class. Knowledge and refinement can set one individual apart from another who lacks the qualities of successful individuals. Finances and opportunities distinguish class meaning the lower class has difficulty in obtaining the same conditions of the upper class. Education ultimately dictates success and power in society. Education is taken for granted and should be recognized for the significance it possesses.
Depending on whether a child leaners better in the morning or at night, the school process can be anytime during the day. Some home school families begin lessons each day promptly at 8 a.m., others start at 10 a.m. Each family sets its own schedule based on their activities and time clocks (Butler 44). Can learning in a cramped dull room be more select? Maybe a classic school room with a chalkboard, desk, and a map helps a child pay more attention to their teacher. Possibly, learning outside is the best surroundings to be educated. The best way to fulfil your child’s needs is to make an education to fit them – not the other way round (Mountney 48). Hence how important location is beneficiary for the child to be creative and learn promisingly.
The inequality in Australian education can be attributed to a history of low expectations and discrimination placed on Indigenous people by the government and society. Aboriginal children were denied the right to education until the 1970s due to the discrimitory views of the government and society. The Indigenous population were the sub-standard race of humanity with little to no chance of succeeding in life and these attitudes affected the educational choices offered to them (Ray & Poonwassie, 1992). As the superior race, the Anglo-Celtic Australians, considered themselves both intellectually and socio-culturally more advanced than their inferior Aboriginal neighbours (Foley, 2013). As a consequence of these racially and culturally motivated preconceptions, children of Aboriginal descent were considered unskilled outside of their own and were deemed incapable of excelling in ‘civilised’ white society (Foley, 2013). As a result, the Australian Government, in an effort to civilise and nurture politeness within the Aboriginal people, constructed “structured” (p 139) education training institutions in 1814. However, these problems only provided sufficient schooling for menial work: Aboriginal male children were prepared for agricultural employment, while girls were trained for domesticated services (Foley, 2013). Thus, as a direct consequence of low expectation for life success, Aboriginal children were offered minimal schooling ‘consistent with the perception about the limitations inherent in their race and their expected station in life at the lowest rung of white society’ (Beresford & Partington, 2003, p43). According to Foley (2013) this combination of low expectations and poor academic grounding meant that Indigenous children we...
Education has been historically considered as an equalizer of society in America, allowing the opportunity for even the disadvantaged to reach success. Race was once the strongest factor in determining future achievement, but today Stanford Sociologist, Sean F. Reardon, says income level has become more consequential (Tavernise). President Barack Obama was one of the lucky few able to overcome the obstacles he faced growing up being both African American and underprivileged, but most children are not as lucky (Rampton , Nawaguna). In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, the Lacks family lived in poverty and struggled to perform well in school, resulting in many of them dropping out even before high school (Skloot). The success gap between high and low income students in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years (McGlynn). The educational achievement of students is significantly affected by their home life, and those living in poverty are much more likely to fall behind academically than children coming from affluent families.
...heir families at home. Lessons in the classroom would relate to daily activities and skills, and wherever possible personalized to family’s culture and interests. From my experience working in a public elementary school in Virginia, I have met a number of teachers who use the interactive homework strategy to promote learning at home. It results in families being more aware of their child’s activities and progress in school and increases their communication level with the teachers.
Inequality between male and female existed from the beginning of human civilization and still not be solved in today’s modern society. Discrimination is coming from social classes, and people always look down upon others in lower level. Although women are doing well in education and schooling, they are still facing inequality in work and society. So women will be in lower classes and be discriminated. The government and women still need work on this.
“Malnourished children are 20% less literate than those with a healthier diet, says UK charity Save the Children” (The Information Daily). When parents become victims of poverty it can have some very unpleasing long and short term effects to their children. Parents in poverty have a lot on their plate and buying the best quality food or affording enough food can be a tumultuous task. Quality nutrition is essential for the development of the brain. At a young age, poor nutrition or not enough nutrition can seriously hinder “the brain 's development, a child’s ability to learn and has a devastating impact on a child’s future”(The Information Daily). “Malnutrition in the early developmental stages of the brain, by restricting the children’s cognitive growth, can lower a child 's IQ has much has 20 points”(The Information Daily). Long term effects of malnutrition leave permanent damage to the brain, however, malnutrition has short term effects as well. Malnourishment can greatly compromise a child’s immune system, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. “Low counts of zinc, iron and vitamin A are commonly associated with weakened immune function” (Orphan Nutrition). A deadly infection can have a huge impact on a poverty stricken family leading to less affordability. Malnutrition negatively affects a student throughout their educational
Living in poverty exposes children to disadvantages that influence many aspects in their life that are linked to their ability to do well in school. In the United States of America there are an estimated 16.4 million children under the age of 18 living in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). “The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower the educational attainment” (Kerbo, 2012). Children who are raised in low-income households are at risk of failing out before graduating high school (Black & Engle, 2008). U.S. children living in poverty face obstacles that interfere with their educational achievement. Recognizing the problems of living in poverty can help people reduce the consequences that prevent children from reaching their educational potential.
Strange, M. (March 01, 2011). Finding Fairness for Rural Students. Phi Delta Kappan,92, 6, 8-
There are many different factors that affect education. One such factor is, socioeconomic status. Children who attend school in a wealthier community receive a better education than those students in poor communities. In poor communities, student’s education is not only affected by a lack of resources, but also from teaching methods and philosophies. Urban and poor schools’ students do not receive as equal of an education as their more affluent and suburban counterparts do.
Socioeconomic status can be defined in terms of family wealth and assets as well as educational background. For this reason, many comparisons can be made between socioeconomic status and education. Furthermore, academic achievement and the level of education reached by an individual, is determined by socioeconomic status. Research has shown that environmental circumstances and family issues greatly influence a child's future because the impact of the socioeconomic status depends on the level to which an individual becomes successful in life. Research also shows that family conditions can impact a child’s education and their quality of life. For example, being raised in a high-economic culture increases the chances that a child will attend
Obtaining a good education is probably one of the most sought out dreams in America. Although education is free for all American citizens, there are several obstacles that impact the population from receiving equal education benefits. Two groups that experience a difference when receiving an education are the rich and the poor. Inequality among different social classes in America can make it extremely difficult for the poor to receive the same type of education as the wealthy. These inequalities can lower the chance of individuals living in poverty stricken communities from receiving a reasonable education. Education can be impacted by location, wealth, and state funding. Each factor plays an important part in the education citizens across