Causes of Inequality in Education - Essay Example

?Explaining Educational Inequalities Explaining Educational Inequalities “Education is not received. It is achieved”. Indeed, when Albert Einstein said these words, he was very likely to be in favor of the ideal that academic success is based on how well the individual performs, and is a factor that is not dependent on external influences. The reasons, therefore, for inequalities that lie within the educational sphere are based on individual choices, hard work and opportunities. Sociological theory, however, may choose to disagree with Einstein. Sociology explains all inequalities as a result of social inequality, i.e, differences in social class are the root cause for all the disparities that exist within society. Antoine defines this phenomena as “a situation in which individual groups in a society do not have equal social status, social class, and social circle.” (THE INEQUALITY PROJECT). Such social stratification is known to exist in the form of income groups and cultural backgrounds. Research and case studies provide further evidence to the sociologist’s claim that social class has an impact on educational opportunity. The disadvantage that a student faces as compared to other students can be explained as an extension of the disadvantages he or she may face as a result of belonging to a certain social group. Thus, a strong positive relationship can be drawn between social class and educational opportunity – the higher the social class is, the higher the quality of education achieved, and vice versa. Based on credible research and scholarly work, educational inequalities can be explained through the social economic and cultural background of the individual, making the attainment of education a process highly influenced by social factors. To understand educational inequality, it is important to first look into the factors that cause such inequalities to exist in the first place. Sociologists identify three main influences in this respect, namely, the income, gender and ethnicity group an individual belongs to. The correlation between poor income households and poor education has been proven through multiple researches. A Research report by Michael Holzman titled “A Rotting Apple” focuses on educational inequalities in New York City. It reveals that districts with high rates of poverty have a generally low quality of education, with teachers that are less experienced and schools having limited access to resources such as computers and internet as compared to schools in high income localities (SCHOTT FOUNDATION, 2012). This may be explained by the fact that households belonging to low income strata of the society may be not be able to afford sending their children to schools that offer better education with skilled teachers. As a result, the children in these low income area schools, when compared to those from high income areas, achieve less academic success. This supports the point that educational inequality is caused by differences in the income levels of the household the students belong to. Another factor that influences educational inequality is the cultural advantage students for middle class households have as compared to those from working class families. Basil Bernstein explains how children from varying backgrounds develop different codes, or forms of speech, during their early lives, which affect their subsequent school experience.” (GIDDENS, 1996) Bernstein classified the speech of working class families and middle class families as represented by a restricted code and elaborated code respectively. Working class parents are most likely to instruct or explain values and lessons to their children using the minimum of words, and assuming that certain things are understood. On the other hand, middle class parents are most likely to explain and instruct their children by giving them elaborate explanations and reasons about why something is good or bad (BERNSTEIN,1977). In schools, teachers use the elaborated code, which gives student belonging to middle class families an advantage in the school environment, and are most likely to do well academically. Working class children, however, suffer a disadvantage in school environments since their cultural upbringing makes the use of extensive vocabulary alien to their understanding, affecting their chances of academic success. Social stratification based on gender creates another source of educational inequality. Research conducted by Jerry A. Jacobs concludes that while women have better access to higher education than men, their college experience is less likely to be better off than that of men (JACOBS, 1996). He gives statistics that reveal that in the United States, a greater proportion of women are likely to enroll in college than men. For example, in 1992, 65.4% of women were enrolled compared to 59.7% of men. By 1982, the number of women who had successfully been awarded a bachelors degree surpassed the number of men who had been awarded the same. Such results prove that women have access to higher education, and are not at a gendered disadvantage in this respect. On the other hand, Jacobs gives evidence for the fact that despite having a higher access to tertiary education, women are less likely to perform well in college. Once the trends between gender and educational inequality have been identified, it is crucial however to explain the reasons that underlie the trends as well. Women may be enrolled in colleges in America, however, the top tier colleges have a greater proportion of men enrolled as compared to women. Ghez and Becker explains this as a result of parents’ rational decision to invest less in their daughters than their sons, since women usually earn less than their male counterparts (GHEZ, 1975). Thus, gender differences affect educational inequalities. Educational inequalities can also be explained as a result the social differences between ethnic groups. Sociologists have researched into the relationship between ethnicity and educational achievement, and have collected considerable data. In Britain, a country where multiple ethnic minorities have been living and studying alongside the native English for decades, such research is not only relevant but also useful. In 1985, the British Government sponsored a report of the Swann Committee, titled “Education for All” (GREAT BRITAIN, 1985). The report gives evidence of differing levels of educational achievement amongst different ethnic groups. For example, Black Caribbean students were most likely to perform the worst in schools, while Asian children, despite belonging to lower income groups than their white counterparts, performed as well as them. These results indicate that ethnic backgrounds must have an influence on one’s academic success in school. This correlation can be explained by a number of factors. Firstly, the poor performance of Black Caribbean can be explained by the fact that this ethnic minority is also often a low income group. This disadvantages the group since they have limited access to high quality resources and skilled teachers in their own localities. The success of the Asian children, despite their belonging to low income backgrounds as well, can be explained by the cultural influence the Asian families have with regard to education. Most Asian parents are very serious about their children doing well at school, and try their best to accommodate educational achievement despite their educational resources. Such an attitude is missing in the Black Caribbean as well the Whites. In addition to differences in attitudes towards education, a student’s ethnicity may also affect the expectation that teachers may have from him or her. Research reveals how ethnicity, along with gender, is crucial in forming the impression a teacher has towards students. This in turn affects the degree of expectation the teacher has from that particular student in terms of academic achievement and behavior. Study conducted in Canada to view the effect of ethnicity on teachers’ expectation gives results that not only show that a student’s ethnic background does indeed affect what expectations a teacher has from the pupil, but that these expectations also have a correlation with academic performance (CLIFTON, 1986). Teachers, for example, have low expectations from Black Caribbean children, who in turn, fulfill the expectations through their poor academic performance. These children are thus at a disadvantage since they are inherently seen as poor students just because of their ethnic backgrounds, which influences their chances of performing well at school. Thus, ethnic differences influence educational inequalities. The existence of educational inequalities cannot be ignored in a society where multiculturalism thrives. Social stratification, especially in terms of income, gender and ethnicity determines whether individuals are at an advantage or a disadvantage in the educational arena. A significant amount of scholarly research points to trends that identify strong correlations between low income and poor academic performance, gender differences and poor academic performance and also ethnic minorities and poor academic performance. While it is extremely useful to look at case studies and academic research that sets out such trends, it is also important to look at such claims with caution. Poor academic success cannot simply be explained as a result of a child being born in a socially disadvantaged group. Intelligence and ability to learn is what differentiates children within the classroom, not one’s family background. A research conducted by Ohio State University gives evidence to the fact that schools, instead of encouraging social disparities, actually eliminate them (DOWNEY, 2004). It is within the classroom that an individual is tested and judged according to his or her abilities, and not according to the rules of social stratification. The research claims, for example, that any differences in learning abilities amongst children belonging to different groups are enhanced during the summer vacations – a time when they are away from school. During the school term, however, all such differences shrink exponentially. Income, gender and ethnic differences therefore, no longer matter within the confines of the classroom, where all students are seen through the same lens. Moreover, how well one does academically may have little impact on how important it is in predicting one’s success in later life. While educational achievement does make an individual more likely to be successful in his or her career, other factors may also influence this. A musician who was a poor student can be as successful in life as the top scoring child of his class. Thus, it would be unfair to explain educational inequalities purely on the basis of social and cultural background of the pupil. Bibliography Top of Form BERNSTEIN, B. B. (1977). Class codes and control. Vol 1, Theoretical studies towards a sociology of language. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul. Bottom of Form CLIFTON, R. A., PERRY, R. P., PARSONSON, K., & HRYNIUK, S. (1986). Effects of Ethnicity and Sex on Teachers' Expectations of Junior High School Students. Sociology of Education. 59, 58-67. DOWNEY, D. B., VON HIPPEL, P. T., & BROH, B. A. (2004). Are Schools the Great Equalizer? Cognitive Inequality during the Summer Months and the School Year.AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW. 69, 613-635. Top of Form GIDDENS, A. (1996). Introduction to sociology. New York, W.W. Norton. Top of Form GHEZ, G. R., & BECKER, G. S. (1975). The allocation of time and goods over the life cycle. New York, National Bureau of Economic Research : distributed by Columbia University Press. Top of Form GREAT BRITAIN, & SWANN, M. S. (1985). Education for all: the report. London, H.M.S.O. JACOBS, J. A. (1996). Gender Inequality and Higher Education. Annual Review of Sociology. 22, 153-185. Top of Form QUOTATIONS, T. (1950) quotes. [online] Available at: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/education_is_not_received-it_is_achieved/259705.html [Accessed: 20 Apr 2013]. Top of Form SCHOTT FOUNDATION. 2012. A Rotting Apple: Education Redlining in New York City. [ONLINE] Available at:http://schottfoundation.org/drupal/docs/redlining-full-report.pdf. [Accessed 20 April 13]. THE INEQUALITY PROJECT (n.d.) Inequality in Education. [online] Available at: http://inequalityproject.wordpress.com/inequality-in-education/ [Accessed: 20 Apr 2013]. Bottom of Form Read More