Lesson Objectives
• Examine the different types of school
subculture identified by sociologists
• Outline studies which investigate subcultures
within school
• Consider explanations of anti-school
subcultures.
Anti-school subcultures
1. What will there attitude of school be?
2. What set would they be in?
3. How would they behave in school?
4. What would their status be in school?
Role play time....
You have 3 minutes to come
up with a sketch which you
think depicts a pro-social or
anti-social school subculture
Anti-social subculture
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Low streams
Working class
Failure=
Low self esteem- school has undermined
them, reinforcing inferior status
So what impact do subcultures have
within school?
Creates
• inequalities
• Class differences
• Achievement differences
• Self fulfilling prophecy
Anti-social subculture
• Inverting school values of hard work,
obedience and punctuality
• “sabotage the system”
• Form anti-social subculture to gain status
Pro-school subculture
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High streamed
Middle class
High status- successful
Committed to values of the school
Asian and Indian minorities
David Hargreaves (1967)
• Interviewed boys in secondary modern
schools
• Subculture formed due to triple failures=
 failing 11+
Low streams
Labelled worthless louts
• Found high status went to those who flouted
the school rules!
AO2 critique
• Functionalists argue that school helps to
establish shared culture and shared values
• Hargreaves suggests that this is incorrect. His
research suggests processes within school
create sub-cultures.
Paul Willis (1977)
• Participant observation in comprehensive in
small industrial town in West Midlands
• Detailed ethnographic study of working class
sub-culture of 12 ‘lads’ in school
• Concluded that subculture was a deliberate
resistance to capitalist system of oppression .
They chose to be anti-school which sealed
their fate as working-class labourers.
AO2 Critique
• How can we criticise Willis’ study?
• Is this study still relevant today? In 1977 ‘lads’
went straight into labouring jobs. These are not
available today.
• However Archer and Yamashati (2003) found
laddish behaviour still strong in year 10 in London
Comprehensive. They valued ‘bad boy’ image and
felt education was ‘soft’
• Do all working class kids fail?
• What about working class girls?
Girl sub-cultures
• Shain (2003) Asian girls – using interviews she
identified four groups.
• Asian gang girls – resisted racism – anti-school
• Survivors – conformed and ignored racism
• Rebels – pro-school – rebelled against parents
• Jackson (2006) Ladettes – White working class
and masculine norms e.g disruptive, rude,
smoking, swearing, open sexuality.
AO2 Critique
• This shows that not all girls are conforming
• However not all working class girls are antischool.
• The rise of masculine behaviour in girls could
be linked to rise of feminism. Female violence
and crime is also rising!
Ethnicity and sub-cultures
• Tony Sewell (2000) studied African-Caribbean
subcultures.
• Not all were anti-school
• Conformists – Pro-school
• Innovators – Pro-education but anti-school.
• Retreatists – non confrontational but antischool
• Rebels – formed a ‘posse’ anti-school.
AO2 critique
• Is it that schools are institutionally racist or is
it related to African-Caribbean culture?
• Tony Sewell – said racism is not the main
issue. He identified problem as black culture
of anti-school masculinity
• Lone parenthood in black families leading to
gang cultures and peer pressure to be
masculine.
Explanations of anti-school
subcultures.
• Collective response to teacher/school
labelling- streaming/11+ etc Hargreaves
(1967)
• Collective resistance to inequalities of
capitalism. Willis (1977)
• Rise of Feminism- crisis of masculinity (Archer
and Yamashati (2003) Jackson (2006))
• Culture differences and/or racism in schools
Sewell (2000).
Objectives:
1. Identify areas for improvement in essay
writing skills.
2. Set appropriate individual targets to apply to
an exam answer.
3. Consider further improvements.
Identify your main areas for
improvement in your essays
• Mark statements on your handout with:-
• Lovin’ it
It’s OK
Needs attention
• Finally pick one which you will aim to improve on
today.
Outline and Explain reasons why
anti-school sub-cultures develop.(20)
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Intro – Shared culture (Functionalism) OR Sub-cultures (Inequality, Hargreaves). Not all students join subcultures and not all sub-cultures are anti-school.
P.
Collective response to teacher labelling & self-fulfilling
E.
Hargreaves suggests sub-cultures response to triple failure and streaming
A/E.
Suggests schools are to blame. However students can reject label (Shain’s Survivors.
P.
Social Class – Marxism and resistance to exploitation
E.
Paul Willis Learning to labour
A/E.
Suggests sub-cultures are collective response to inequalities in capitalism. However not all
working class students end up in low-paid jobs.
P.
Gender - Crisis of Masculinity
E.
Archer and Yamashati suggest boys feel education is feminised. Wilkinsons ‘genderquake’,
Jackson identified growing ‘ladette’ culture.
A/E.
Suggests boys view education as effeminate so re-create masculine culture as anti-education.
However middle class boys ok.
P.
Ethnicity – Cultural differences
E.
Tony Sewell , African Caribbean street culture is anti-school, black single mothers (Hackney)
A/E.
Suggests reason is outside of school. However could be cultural clash with teachers and some were
conformists. Indian and Chinese have different culture but are pro-school.
Conclusion Brief summary of reasons. Anti-school subcultures develop for reasons related to labelling,
class, ethnicity and gender. However not all students who are working class or male are anti-school. Also
not all ethnic minorities are anti-school.
Outline and Explain reasons why
anti-school sub-cultures develop.(20)
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Intro – Shared culture (Functionalism) OR Sub-cultures (Inequality, Hargreaves). Not
all students join sub-cultures and not all sub-cultures are anti-school.
P.
Collective response to teacher labelling & self-fulfilling
E.
Becker, Rosenthal and Jacobson, Cicourel and Kitsuse (streaming)
A/E.
Suggests schools are to blame. However students can reject label (Mirza)
P.
Social Class – Marxism and resistance to exploitation
E.
Paul Willis Learning to labour
A/E.
Suggests sub-cultures are collective response to inequalities in capitalism.
However not all working class students end up in low-paid jobs.
P.
Gender - Crisis of Masculinity
E.
Wilkinsons ‘genderquake’, Faludi and Bly, Laddish culture.
A/E.
Suggests boys view education as effeminate so re-create masculine culture
as anti-education. However middle class boys ok.
P.
Ethnicity – Cultural differences
E.
Tony Sewell , African Caribbean street culture is anti-school, black single
mothers (Hackney)
A/E.
Suggests reason is outside of school. However could be cultural clash with
teachers (lack cultural capital) Indian and Chinese(Modood)
Conclusion Brief summary of reasons.
Peer Assess
• Write a comment about how well they met their
target for today and any other areas of
improvement.
• Award AO1 /12 and AO2 marks /8
• 16 = A
• 14 = B
• 12 = C
• 10 = D
• 8=E