SOSC 103D Social Inequality in HK Lecture 20: Persistent Inequality in Education

L20: Educational Inequality in HK Composition of University Students in 1981 and 2001 (David Post, 2003 p.558)

L20: Education and Social Inequality Social OriginSocial Destination Education 32 1

L20: Educational inequality?! Poorer grades  Less likely to get into university The class differences in school performance or examination grades 1.Genetic Effects a.Class differences in IQ b.Lack of endowment for educational success

L20: Educational inequality?! (cont’) 2. Income effects a.Direct: buying assistance with education b.Indirect: general living condition Lower income  Less facilities and assistance  Poorer grades and performance  Less likely to get into university

L20: Other cultural factors 3. Cultural effects on school performance –Use of language (Basil Bernstein)

L20: Other cultural factors Importance of acquiring the right culture (Cultural Capital): Newspaper reading Type of music Leisure activities: museum, galleries, travel Educational standards reflect the unequal structure Transform the economic advantages to cultural Capital

L20: Is school grades the only criteria?! Role of cultural capital in HK’s educational system: –School Admission –Cultural advantages

L20: Educational Inequality Reproduction of labour and class –‘correspondence principle’ (Bowles and Gintis) –reproduce the occupational division –focus on the structure of social relationships in education relationships of authority relate the levels of education to occupational levels

L20: Suggested Readings: Ball, Stephen (1986) Education, London: Longman, ch. 4 & 5