About the lecture

In the lecture, we think about patterns of differential educational attainment along class, gender and ethnic lines, and their causes, focusing in particular on: (i) cultural factors, such as attitudes towards school, as outlined by Functionalists and the New Right, as well as Marxists like Pierre Bourdieu; (ii) material factors, centred around students’ access to the resources needed to achieve in school; (iii) factors within schools, notably teacher labelling and school subcultures, which can both motivate students or discourage them from achieving highly.

About the lecturer

Matthew Cole is Teaching Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Birmingham. He is a historian of modern Britain with a particular interest in twentieth century constitutional and party politics, and local history.