Assignment Sociology(In what ways may primary socialization have an impact on children’s achievement

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In what ways may primary socialization have an impact on children’s achievement at

school?

Points to develop

 What is achievement (educational achievement)

 What is failure

 Child rearing practice

 Different background (financial, ethnicity, parents occupation, language, values

and beliefs)

 Types of families

 Cultural capital

 Difference between social classes

 Difference between rural and urban areas

What is achievement?

It is difficult to measure potential as distinct from actual ability. Vernon in has pointed out

that we must “reject the notion that any tests can reveal the innate component of mental

aptitudes, for these are non-observable and non-measurable” (Banks, 1976 pp.69)

The relationship between social-class background and educational achievement, and many

different aspects of that background have been suggested as casual factors in the link

between home and school. Home environment or background is very complex and

researchers tried to break it into child-rearing practices, speech and thought patterns,

and fundamental value orientation. (Banks, 1976 pp.68)

Background of family

Extreme poverty, whether this is due to low wages, unemployment, large family or

loss of a breadwinner can affect a child’s achievement at school. For instance, poverty

can lead to the child having frequent school absences through illness, neglected

homework and inability to pay fees for materials, exams and any other activities

organized by the school. For example, this can impede the child’s homework as he or

she may lack some physical amenities for the completion of homework and studies.

Additionally, parents are less willing to keep a child at school as they have difficulty

in affording books, copybooks, and any other equipment to help their children to

learn properly. Parents can also enforce their children to stay at home which can

make the whole family strained and unhappy.

Another aspect to consider is that material deprivation leads to cultural deprivation.

Hyman argues that the value system of lower class people, their attitudes, their

mentality, choice, family atmosphere may create a self- imposed barrier which

prevents educational success. For example, lower class value system is characterized by

the following: school is irrelevant; qualifications are not important, security and immediate

economic stratification (reward) of priorities. Effort and sacrifice are worthless; investment

in education is a waste of time and money, a strong sense of ‘resignation’, fatalism and

powerlessness. Such a value system becomes an obstacle which the poor themselves have

imposed in their way to success. Thus failure and early dropout become very common

among lower class children.

However, researches of Floud and Halsey showed that “income and good housing;

material environment of the home was less important on success but the education,

attitudes and ambitions of parents do have an impact. Therefore, educational

deprivation is not mainly the effect of poverty and that parental attitude and maternal care

are more important than the level of needs.

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In what ways may primary socialization have an impact on children’s achievement at school? Points to develop What is achievement (educational achievement) What is failure Child rearing practice Different background (financial, ethnicity, parents occupation, language, values and beliefs) Types of families Cultural capital Difference between social classes Difference between rural and urban areas What is achievement? It is difficult to measure potential as distinct from actual ability. Vernon in has pointed out that we must “reject the notion that any tests can reveal the innate component of mental aptitudes, for these are non-observable and non-measurable” (Banks, 1976 pp.69) The relationship between social-class background and educational achievement, and many different aspects of that background have been suggested as casual factors in the link between home and school. Home environment or background is very complex and researchers tried to break it into child-rearing practices, speech and thought patterns, and fundamental value orientation. (Banks, 1976 pp.68) Background of family Extreme poverty, whether this is due to low wages, unemployment, large family or loss of a breadwinner can affect a child’s achievement at school. For instance, poverty can lead to the child having frequent school absences through illness, neglected homework and inability to pay fees for materials, exams and any other activities organized by the school. For example, this ca ...
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