One alternative that may provoke disaffection and underachievement in education is the role of the individual. From an individualistic perspective, it could be argued that children are responsible for their own education. This viewpoint would insinuate that the individual holds the prime responsibility if they feel dissatisfied towards education and underachieve in it. Interestingly, Dr Rhodes Boyson suggested that it is a combination of the child and their surroundings. He proposed that society needed to provide the opportunity and “educational facilities” so that the individual can “choose for himself” whether he wants to learn. In contemporary times, this could be referenced to schools, which should provide this ideal environment for learning.
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Government statistics use the entitlement of free school meals (FSM) to determine and measure the performance of children from poorer backgrounds. Arguably, this is not a reliable method of identifying a child’s socio-economic background for many reasons. One example of this being not all children who are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds receive FSM, due to individual family preference, perhaps. In 2014 it was found that the FSM attainment gap has either stayed constant or diminished across all key stage 2 subjects. However, “FSM pupils continue to make less progress between [key stage 1] and [key stage 2] compared to their peers” (gov.uk, 2014, p.16). This research evidence implies that in terms of socio-economic background, working class students would be underachieving in comparison to students of the middle class. In a way, it could be stated that being economically disadvantaged is significant to underachievement, since regardless of gender and ethnicity FSM eligible children, as a whole, do less well in comparison to those who are not eligible. Ergo suggesting that socio-economic background may hold the main responsibility of underachievement in …show more content…
Cultural hegemony is a 20th century concept created by Gramsci, who was an Italian Marxist. The specific term hegemony is defined by Giddens as “shared ideas or beliefs, which serve to justify the interests of dominant groups” (1997, quoted in, Steinberg, 2009, p. 62). Hegemony could be an appropriate adjective for the current education system. Interestingly, a report from the Commission on Social Mobility (CSM) and Child Poverty Commission (CPC) explored whether Britain is elitist by “[analysing] the background of 4,000 leaders in politics, the media and other aspects of public life in the UK” (CSM and CPC, 2014, p.2). It is stated that “Britain aspires to be a land of opportunity, where hard work and fairness are rewarded,” which evokes a sense of meritocracy. In terms of education, if this were the case, it would mean that achievements and educational prospects would be based upon ability. However, the CSM and CPC research suggests that current society is more hegemonic than meritocratic. Furthermore, the report states that the elitism in Britain regarding top job positions is “so stark that it could be called ‘Social Engineering’,” (CSM and CPC, 2014,
Government statistics use the entitlement of free school meals (FSM) to determine and measure the performance of children from poorer backgrounds. Arguably, this is not a reliable method of identifying a child’s socio-economic background for many reasons. One example of this being not all children who are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds receive FSM, due to individual family preference, perhaps. In 2014 it was found that the FSM attainment gap has either stayed constant or diminished across all key stage 2 subjects. However, “FSM pupils continue to make less progress between [key stage 1] and [key stage 2] compared to their peers” (gov.uk, 2014, p.16). This research evidence implies that in terms of socio-economic background, working class students would be underachieving in comparison to students of the middle class. In a way, it could be stated that being economically disadvantaged is significant to underachievement, since regardless of gender and ethnicity FSM eligible children, as a whole, do less well in comparison to those who are not eligible. Ergo suggesting that socio-economic background may hold the main responsibility of underachievement in …show more content…
Cultural hegemony is a 20th century concept created by Gramsci, who was an Italian Marxist. The specific term hegemony is defined by Giddens as “shared ideas or beliefs, which serve to justify the interests of dominant groups” (1997, quoted in, Steinberg, 2009, p. 62). Hegemony could be an appropriate adjective for the current education system. Interestingly, a report from the Commission on Social Mobility (CSM) and Child Poverty Commission (CPC) explored whether Britain is elitist by “[analysing] the background of 4,000 leaders in politics, the media and other aspects of public life in the UK” (CSM and CPC, 2014, p.2). It is stated that “Britain aspires to be a land of opportunity, where hard work and fairness are rewarded,” which evokes a sense of meritocracy. In terms of education, if this were the case, it would mean that achievements and educational prospects would be based upon ability. However, the CSM and CPC research suggests that current society is more hegemonic than meritocratic. Furthermore, the report states that the elitism in Britain regarding top job positions is “so stark that it could be called ‘Social Engineering’,” (CSM and CPC, 2014,