Question 1

What is one drawback of educational bureaucracies, in Weber's view?

Accepted Answer

Weber believed that the specialization required in bureaucracies often limits the time and resources available for a broader, general education, which can be a drawback.

Question 2

How could credentialing be seen as an element of conflict theory?

Accepted Answer

Credentialing can be seen as an element of conflict theory because it represents a form of power that those who grant credentials hold over those who are seeking them, reflecting a dynamic of inequality and control that is central to conflict theory.

Question 3

Andrea wants to be a teacher, so she takes additional classes in her specialty after earning her bachelor's degree, and then must take several exams to prove her knowledge and obtain her license. This is an example of ______.

Accepted Answer

Credentialing refers to the process of obtaining, verifying, and assessing the qualifications of a practitioner. In Andrea's case, taking additional classes and exams to prove her knowledge and obtain her license to teach is an example of credentialing, as it involves verifying her qualifications for the profession.

Question 4

Schools teach critical thinking skills and habits of mind as a way of ______ these over other methods.

Accepted Answer

Schools teach critical thinking skills to legitimize these methods as valuable and effective ways of thinking and problem-solving, distinguishing them from other less rigorous methods.

Question 5

How did Marx describe the education system as supporting the ideals of the ruling class above those of the working class?

Accepted Answer

Marx argued that the education system, through its hidden curriculum, teaches values such as submissiveness, docility, and punctuality, which serve to reproduce the existing class structure by preparing students to accept their roles within it.

Question 6

Fred is told by his teacher that capitalism is the only economic system that allows workers the freedom to choose which job is best for them. His teacher is ______ capitalism.

Accepted Answer

The teacher is legitimating capitalism by presenting it in a positive light, emphasizing its benefits such as the freedom for workers to choose their jobs.

Question 7

A school's hidden curriculum corresponds to its ______.

Accepted Answer

The hidden curriculum refers to the lessons that are not explicitly taught but are learned through the school's culture and environment, such as social norms and values. This aligns with the concept of latent content, which encompasses the underlying, often unintended messages or lessons.

Question 8

What feature of education systems do all Western countries share?

Accepted Answer

Western education systems often exhibit clear patterns of inequality, challenging the notion of a pure meritocracy. This is a common critique, acknowledging that factors such as socioeconomic status can influence educational outcomes.

Question 9

Given gender inequality, what is one unexpected result of the education system in the United States?

Accepted Answer

Women, on average, perform better academically than men in the United States education system, a trend that has been observed across various levels of education. This outcome is somewhat unexpected given the broader context of gender inequality in society.

Question 10

According to the Pell Institute, what is the most durable factor influencing educational outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Social class is considered the most durable factor influencing educational outcomes, according to the Pell Institute. This is because socioeconomic status encompasses a range of factors including income, parental education levels, and access to resources, all of which significantly impact educational opportunities and achievements.

Question 11

Bert's family is among the top 25% of the wealthiest in the country, while Jordan was born in the lowest 10% in income. They are both first year college students, but who is more likely to obtain a bachelor's degree by the age of 25?

Accepted Answer

Statistically, individuals from higher income families are significantly more likely to complete their bachelor's degree by the age of 25 compared to those from lower income families. This is due to a variety of factors including access to resources, educational opportunities, and financial stability.

Question 12

Kendra was born into a family in poverty, and she may become the first one in her family to attend college, despite the fact that she had no role models or knowledge of which classes to take to impress college recruiters. What concept describes the challenges Kendra faces?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Kendra was born into a family in...

Question 13

Sidrah attends a private school with a class to teach her how to write a college entrance essay and to navigate various application systems. Sidrah enjoys which educational advantage?

Accepted Answer

Sidrah enjoys the educational advantage of differential preparation, as she is receiving specialized training to enhance her skills in writing college entrance essays and understanding application systems, which directly prepares her for college admission processes.

Question 14

Ashley's family has been mired in poverty for several generations. As a result, her parents think she should get a job right after high school rather than attending college so she can immediately begin earning money for the family. Ashley is facing what educational challenge?

Accepted Answer

Ashley is facing "Different expectations" because her family's expectation for her to start working immediately after high school, rather than pursuing higher education, is influenced by their economic situation and generational experience with poverty.

Question 15

What system places students of similar abilities together so that their needs can be addressed more efficiently by teachers?

Accepted Answer

Tracking is the educational practice of grouping students according to their abilities or achievement levels, allowing for instruction tailored to their specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses.

Question 16

What is one advantage of tracking in school courses for bright or gifted students?

Accepted Answer

Tracking for bright or gifted students allows for a curriculum that is paced appropriately to their learning speed and complexity, which can lead to higher engagement and better learning outcomes.

Question 17

When students are labeled as a lower-performing group, the stigma of that assignment could reduce performance in those students, a phenomenon known as ______.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A) self-fulfilling prophecy. This term refers to the phenomenon where a belief or expectation, once established, causes actions that lead to its fulfillment, even if the belief was initially inaccurate. In this context, labeling students as lower-performing can lead to reduced performance because the students might internalize that label and act in ways that confirm it.

Question 18

Alicia was NOT assigned to the gifted math class. She felt left out and not as smart as her friends who were in that class. This led Alicia to reduce expectations of her own performance, and her grades suffered. This is an example of a ______.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, where Alicia's belief about her own abilities, influenced by not being placed in the gifted class, leads her to perform in a manner that confirms her beliefs, thus her grades suffer as she expected.

Question 19

How are the Thomas principle and the self-fulfilling prophecy similar?

Accepted Answer

Both concepts illustrate how individuals' perceptions and beliefs about a situation, regardless of their accuracy, can lead to behaviors that cause the perceived situation to become a reality.

Question 20

What is one potential problem with telling teachers which students are slower learners?

Accepted Answer

Low expectations from teachers can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy where students perform poorly because they are expected to, affecting their motivation and learning outcomes.

Quiz 9: Education