Interactionist Approach to EducationInteractionist Approach to Education

Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist approaches to understanding the purpose of approaches to understanding the purpose of education are said to be deterministiceducation are said to be deterministic

Determinism means a person’s behaviour is Determinism means a person’s behaviour is controlled by an external force or forcescontrolled by an external force or forces

The external force for Marxists is capitalism The external force for Marxists is capitalism and the external force for Feminism is and the external force for Feminism is patriarchypatriarchy

Interactionist Approach to EducationInteractionist Approach to Education

However not all sociologists believe that However not all sociologists believe that human behaviour is determined or human behaviour is determined or controlled by external forces and these controlled by external forces and these sociologists are known as interactionistssociologists are known as interactionists

Interactionism is where individuals choose Interactionism is where individuals choose how they want to behave (think of the how they want to behave (think of the puppet controlling the strings) because of puppet controlling the strings) because of the way they perceive themselves from the the way they perceive themselves from the interaction with other peopleinteraction with other people

Hargreaves and interactionismHargreaves and interactionism One of the most important aspects of the One of the most important aspects of the

interactionsist theory of education concerns interactionsist theory of education concerns the ways in which teachers make sense and the ways in which teachers make sense and respond to the behaviour of their pupilsrespond to the behaviour of their pupils

In his research called ‘Deviance in In his research called ‘Deviance in Classrooms’ David Hargreaves researched Classrooms’ David Hargreaves researched how teachers classified pupilshow teachers classified pupils

Hargreaves and the other researchers in Hargreaves and the other researchers in this presentation used interpretivist research this presentation used interpretivist research methodsmethods

ActivityActivity

Identify several categories Identify several categories that teachers’ might place that teachers’ might place their pupils astheir pupils as

Hargreaves’ research found Hargreaves’ research found teachers initially categorized teachers initially categorized

students by:students by: Their appearanceTheir appearance Their ability and enthusiasm for workTheir ability and enthusiasm for work How likeable they wereHow likeable they were Their personalityTheir personality Their relationship with other studentsTheir relationship with other students Whether they deviantWhether they deviant How far they conformed to disciplineHow far they conformed to discipline

The Halo EffectThe Halo Effect

Hargreaves found that from this initial phase Hargreaves found that from this initial phase of categorizing teachers’ eventually end up of categorizing teachers’ eventually end up categorising their pupilscategorising their pupils

It is important to note that these categories It is important to note that these categories are non-academicare non-academic

These categories stereotyping a pupilThese categories stereotyping a pupil This is known as the halo effect, where This is known as the halo effect, where

pupils are stereotyped on earlier non-pupils are stereotyped on earlier non-academic impressionsacademic impressions

ActivityActivity

Can you think of any incidents in your Can you think of any incidents in your school career whereby a teacher or school career whereby a teacher or teachers have labelled a student/pupil in teachers have labelled a student/pupil in someway?someway?

Do you know of any instances where Do you know of any instances where teachers’ have regularly labelled a student teachers’ have regularly labelled a student as being thick or deviant?as being thick or deviant?

Labelling and the self-fulfilling Labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecyprophecy

Cicourel & Kitsuse research found that Cicourel & Kitsuse research found that labelling is a real phenomenon in schoolslabelling is a real phenomenon in schools

Labelling is where teachers attach a ‘label’ Labelling is where teachers attach a ‘label’ to their pupils as being, thick or bright, to their pupils as being, thick or bright, hardworking or lazyhardworking or lazy

This classification by the teacher affects the This classification by the teacher affects the way a pupil perceives themselves and way a pupil perceives themselves and consequently behavesconsequently behaves

They found social class played a significant They found social class played a significant role in classificationrole in classification

Rosenthal & JacobsonRosenthal & Jacobson

Research by Rosenthal & Jacobson found that Research by Rosenthal & Jacobson found that when teachers labelled students as bright and when teachers labelled students as bright and praised them, the pupil reacts in a positive way praised them, the pupil reacts in a positive way and the original prediction is fulfilled – a self-and the original prediction is fulfilled – a self-fulfilling prophecyfulfilling prophecy

Conversely they found that when teachers labelled Conversely they found that when teachers labelled students as thick and ignored them, the pupil students as thick and ignored them, the pupil reacts in a negative way and the original prediction reacts in a negative way and the original prediction is fulfilled – a self-fulfilling prophecyis fulfilled – a self-fulfilling prophecy