SociologyExchange.co.uk Shared Resource

Lesson Objectives

Understand the process through which teachers labels students

Examine some of the implications for a student of being labelled

Watch this clip....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_MyAs4t5Z8

How does this link to

education??

What makes the

ideal student?

How might a teacher label a student, e.g. What facts and acts

and influences?

Labelling of a “Geek”

Labelling theory

Interactionalist sociology

To attach a meaning or definition to a student, e.g. They’re thick, smart, hardworking

Some pupils are labelled positively, others negatively

I’m working

class and

clever

I’m middle class but

struggle in class

I’m working class and am not that bright

I’m middle class and clever

I’m middle class and struggling

Which pupil would be most positively labelled?

Rank in order, 1 being most positive, 5 being least positive.

Why do you

think this?

Key sociologists in labelling ...

Becker (1971)

Hargreaves, Hester and Mellor (1975)

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)

Cicourel and Kitsuse (1963)

Inconsistencies in how teachers assessed students suitability for courses

Judged on social class and race

Students with similar grades- more likely to label M/C students as having college potential and to place them on higher level courses

Labelling starts from the outset of a child’s educational career....

Rist (1970)- American kindergarten Used info about children’s home

background and appearance to place them into diff groups

Tigers- fast learners, M/C and neat/clean in appearance, placed nearest to her and showed them greatest encouragement

Clown and Cardinals- W/C, lower level books to read, fewer opportunities to demonstrate their abilities

A class divided

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BrFHq-t2VY

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

Prediction that comes true simply by virtue of it having been made

If a teacher believes a child to be a failure, they can actually make him a failure

“ what people believe to be true will have real effects- even if the original belief was not true originally!”

But...

Self refuting prophecy= some pupils try to detach themselves from the label and prove the teacher wrong!

What would the key

theorists think of labelling?