SOCIOLOGY - EDUCATION
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS
Define the term 'educational triage' (2 marks) -
correct answer- Educational triage is a term
coined by Gillborn & Youdell. It is the process of sorting
students into one of three categories: those who will pass
anyway, borderline passes and hopeless cases. The
category they are triaged into will determine the amount
of time and resources they are allocated by teachers. It is
usually heavily based on stereotypes and presumptions of
teachers.
Define the term 'immediate gratification' (2 marks) -
correct answer- Immediate gratification is a
feature of working-class subculture, it is when someone
would rather take something pleasant now, rather than
wait longer to get something that is even better. This can
be detrimental in education which requires deferred
gratification to be able to study multiple years for an
exam to get the reward of a good grade at the end.
, Explain the difference between differentiation and
polarisation - correct answer- Differentiation is
the process of teachers categorising pupils based on their
perceived ability, attitude and behaviour. An example of
differentiation is streaming. On the other hand,
polarisation is the process of students responding by
moving to one of two opposite extremes. An example of
polarisation is students forming anti-school or pro-school
subcultures.
Explain the difference between labelling and the self-
fulfilling prophecy - correct answer- Labelling
someone is the idea of attaching a meaning or definition
to them. However, the self-fulfilling prophecy is when a
student actually lives up to this label and it comes true
simply but the fact the label was put on the child in the
first place.
Explain what is meant by 'habitus' - correct
answer- Habitus is the learned and taken for
granted ways of thinking and acting that are shared by a
social class. It includes their tastes and preferences for
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH 100%
CORRECT ANSWERS
Define the term 'educational triage' (2 marks) -
correct answer- Educational triage is a term
coined by Gillborn & Youdell. It is the process of sorting
students into one of three categories: those who will pass
anyway, borderline passes and hopeless cases. The
category they are triaged into will determine the amount
of time and resources they are allocated by teachers. It is
usually heavily based on stereotypes and presumptions of
teachers.
Define the term 'immediate gratification' (2 marks) -
correct answer- Immediate gratification is a
feature of working-class subculture, it is when someone
would rather take something pleasant now, rather than
wait longer to get something that is even better. This can
be detrimental in education which requires deferred
gratification to be able to study multiple years for an
exam to get the reward of a good grade at the end.
, Explain the difference between differentiation and
polarisation - correct answer- Differentiation is
the process of teachers categorising pupils based on their
perceived ability, attitude and behaviour. An example of
differentiation is streaming. On the other hand,
polarisation is the process of students responding by
moving to one of two opposite extremes. An example of
polarisation is students forming anti-school or pro-school
subcultures.
Explain the difference between labelling and the self-
fulfilling prophecy - correct answer- Labelling
someone is the idea of attaching a meaning or definition
to them. However, the self-fulfilling prophecy is when a
student actually lives up to this label and it comes true
simply but the fact the label was put on the child in the
first place.
Explain what is meant by 'habitus' - correct
answer- Habitus is the learned and taken for
granted ways of thinking and acting that are shared by a
social class. It includes their tastes and preferences for
