Lesson 4 Education and the Process of Stratification • Analyse and elaborate on

• Attempts to Achieve Equality of the concepts of stratification

Educational Opportunity and inequalities in education
• Conceptualise more
examples of educational
stratification in the context of
one’s own educational
environment.
• Analyse and relate the
concepts learnt to actual life
contexts and the context of
Malaysian schools.

Why This Lesson

This lesson identifies and discusses in more detail the inequalities that exist within the system of education. These
occurrences give insights into social issues such as the growing and persistent inequality that exists in the
education system. The lesson facilitates students to examine in greater detail the occurrences in education as a
social institution that has practices organised around inequality. For the advantaged person, schooling provides
a path to a good job and a good future. For others, schools only reproduce the inequalities that are pervasive
throughout society, leaving many children with less opportunity for success.

This lesson also includes critical thinking questions (Questions for analysis, reflection, and critical thinking) to help
students think further about the implications of the concepts they have learnt and relate them to their own
context.

Education and the Process of Stratification

Conflict theory underlines that education perpetuates social inequality and is highly affected by social
stratification. (Ballantine & Hammack, 2012). Education plays a very salient role in implementing the stratification
system and leading to the unequal distribution of wealth. Like other social systems, schools reflect stratification
and sometimes can be a cause of it. Children attend schools that can have an enormous and profound influence
on their future lives.

© UNITAR International University 1 Prepared by: Azian Abdul Kadir

 1. How does social stratification affect students in schools?

Directly, individuals from higher social classes are more likely to have the means to attend more prestigious
and well-equipped schools and are therefore more likely to receive a higher quality education. Indirectly,
individuals who benefit from such higher-quality education have the affinity to land prestigious jobs, and in
turn, receive higher salaries. The fulfillment of one’s education is closely linked to social class. Students of low
socioeconomic status are not afforded the same opportunities as students of higher status, no matter how
great their academic ability or desire to learn.

2. What does it mean to say that education reflects social stratification?

The higher a person's education, the more it will benefit the community. This phenomenon will lead to the
layering of society which will differentiate one's position in a vertical hierarchy. Differentiating one's position
in society is called social stratification.

Watch this video to give you a better understanding of inequality and stratification in education:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-JVpKku5SI

3. What are examples of educational stratification?

Tracking is the practice of placing pupils in different school streams during secondary school, to create
learning environments suitable to the ability level of each pupil. However, this supposedly positive purpose
does not usually have the desired effects on students. One example in the US was quoted by conflict theorists
which involve the function of social placement. When most schools begin tracking their students in grade
school, the students thought to be clever are placed in the faster tracks (especially in reading and
arithmetic), while the slower students are placed in the slower tracks. Conflict theorists say that tracking helps
to maintain social inequality by forcing students into faster and lower tracks. What is worse is that studies show
that students’ social class and ethnicity influence the track into which they are placed, even though their
intellectual achievement and academic potential should be the only things that matter. Conflict theorists
stress that tracking perpetuates social inequality based on social class, race, and ethnicity (Ansalone, 2010).

Standardised Tests Conflict theorists add that standardised tests are culturally biased and thus also help
perpetuate social and educational inequality. According to this criticism, these tests are made to especially
favour white, middle-class students whose socio-economic status and other elements of their backgrounds
and culture have given them various experiences and advantages that assist them in answering questions
on the tests.

Differences between schools in US schools differ greatly in their physical and academic resources, and
learning conditions, all of which affect how much students can learn in them. Thus, considering these facts,
schools are unequal, and their very inequality has a profound effect on inequality in the larger society.
Children going to the worst schools in urban areas face many more learning obstacles than those going to
well-funded and equipped schools in suburban areas. Their difficulty in learning helps ensure they remain
ensnared in the vicious cycle of poverty and its related problems.

© UNITAR International University 2 Prepared by: Azian Abdul Kadir

Attempts to Achieve Equality of Educational Opportunity

1. How can education be related to equality of opportunity?

Equality of opportunity for achieving one’s social status considers the importance of education. Achieving
merit, and economic and social stability is possible through education. Education has been seen as a means
of equalisation, as it will help decrease disparities of wealth and power by providing young people with
knowledge and skills to enable them to find a valued place in society.

Education does not guarantee the high status and positions to all people. However, it plays an important role
in giving equal opportunities in three ways (Gore, 1994):
a) By making it accessible to all those who want to be educated and have the ability to benefit from
that facility.
b) By developing a type of education that encourages the development of a scientific and objective
outlook.
c) By promoting a social environment of mutual tolerance based on religion, language, caste, and class,
and providing equal opportunities for self-improvement and social mobility to all individuals in society.

2. Attempts have been made to achieve equality of educational opportunities.

What is equality of educational opportunities? It is the notion that there should be equality of opportunity in
education, where everyone has fair and equal access to a good quality education regardless of social
background, race, gender, or religion, and where people achieve success in education according to their
own merits, efforts, and ability, free of any form of discrimination.

Equality of opportunity is the view that formal rules that refer to personal characteristics should not be
obstacles to achieving certain goals. Such characteristics include race, socio-economic class, gender,
religion, and sexuality.

To promote equality and diversity in school, the following should be considered:

a) Challenging negative attitudes amongst students.
b) Avoiding stereotypes in curricular resources and examples.
c) Setting clear rules regarding how people should treat each other.

© UNITAR International University 3 Prepared by: Azian Abdul Kadir

 d) Treating all students and staff equally and fairly.

Questions for analysis, reflection and critical thinking. In groups of four, discuss and answer these questions:
Present your answers to the class

1. Education has been seen as a means of equalisation. How far has education been successful in
achieving this goal?
2. Can you think of more examples of educational stratification other than those given in the lesson? You
can relate the examples to your context.
3. Does equality of educational opportunities exist in the Malaysian System of Education? What are your
thoughts? Refer to actual examples in your discussion.

References:
Ansalone, 92010). Tracking: Educational differentiation or defective strategy. Educational Research
Quarterly, 34(2)
https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/education-social-stratification-and-inequality/31374
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334290183_Equal_Rights_and_Opportunities_in_Education

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© UNITAR International University 4 Prepared by: Azian Abdul Kadir