What Is Educational Stratification And Internalization Of Failure

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Recommended: How social stratification affects education

Milli Koch
SOC 308
Spring 2016
Critical Memo 2:
Educational Stratification and its Effect on Internalization of Failure

Many schools in countries across the globe use educational stratification to “track” students into different categories based on their academic performance. This can start as early as kindergarten, and while tracking may provide some benefit for students placed in the higher tracks, it’s possible that it serves as a huge obstacle for students placed on lower tracks as these students tend to consequently label themselves as “stupid” and believe that they do not have the same ability to succeed as other students. Early education in particular plays a large role in determining a child’s future academic performance. Students react to the expectations their teachers have for them so …show more content…

First of all, tracking in schools causes students to blame themselves for poor school performance, leading them to believe that they are incapable of succeeding. Tracking can also hurt students socially due to low self-perception and lack of diversity. Students in more heterogeneous school environments potentially have a higher likelihood of forming more diverse and stronger friend groups, giving them an advantage over students with more homogeneous friend groups. Lastly, stratification may even have effects which can stay with students for the rest of their lives. When students fail to recognize their ability to succeed in school due to being placed in lower educational tracks, they fall behind in school and are often unable to move into a higher track which affects their options for college and a career. It is clear to me that students’ perceptions of their own intelligence affects their future achievements. Evidently, if we wish to provide the best for our students, we should turn away from stratification and promote educational achievement for every

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