Difference And Inequality. On Teachers’ Beliefs Concerning Marginalised Students

Author(s):

Thorsten Hertel(presenting / submitting)Laura Fölker(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2016

Network:

05. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

05 SES 09, Paper Session

Paper Session

Time:

2016-08-25

13:30-15:00

Room:

OB-E0.01

Chair:

Benjamin Denecheau

Contribution

Urban residential segregation can be defined as “the degree to which two or more groups live separately from one another, in different parts of the urban environment” (Massey & Denton, 1988: 282). It exists in the majority of societies and its two main forms are social and ethnicsegregation, i.e. residential separation by social class and/or race. Both forms of segregation shape German cities to an extent, even though spatial separation by ethnic background appears to be less dominant here than, for example, in the USA (Musterd, 2005; Wacquant, 2008). However, recent studies indicate that social segregation is continually on the rise (Friedrichs & Triemer, 2009).

During the last decade, German educational science has made a concerted effort to understand the complex interrelationship between urban segregation and the educational system. Whereas a considerable number of studies focus on questions of school development and school effectiveness under conditions of urban marginality (Ackeren, 2008), others strive to explore the effects of educational segregation on urban segregation and vice versa. Studies from this research context highlight the crucial role of school policy decisions and local urban dynamics for the reproduction of educational inequality (Baur & Häussermann, 2009; Radtke & Stošić, 2009; Terpoorten, 2014). Further studies illustrate the impact of organisational routines on race, class and gender-related educational disparities. These findings underline the active role of schools as one important factor in producing inequality on all levels of qualification and within as well as without marginalised urban areas (Fölker & Hertel, 2015; Gomolla & Radtke, 2009; Mehan, 1992; Weber, 2003).

The aim of our study, conducted at the University of Goettingen between 2010-2012, was to obtain an insight into the practices and contextual factors of schooling in urban segregated areas. A further objective was to reconstruct the interplay of urban segregation on the one hand and the dynamics of educational inequality within individual schools on the other. To this end, two case studies looking at two separate schools, implementing qualitative empirical data collection approaches, were carried out.

Method

The data obtained consists of a large number of qualitative interviews and group discussions with students, teachers, the school management, social workers, parents, school administration and external cooperation partners (case study I: n = 84, case study II: n = 19). Furthermore, several live recordings of pedagogical interactions were made. The volume and range of the data provided a sound basis for the following analysis: We reconstructed the schools individual histories, the staff’s pedagogical orientations and working strategies, leadership practices and students´ learning opportunities (Fölker, 2013; Fölker, Hertel, & Pfaff, 2015). Data analysis was conducted by applying the documentary method of interpretation (Bohnsack, 2010). This method aims at the reconstruction of incorporated habitual knowledge, which gives orientation to practice within social groups sharing similar experiences. It links theoretical frameworks derived from Karl Mannheim’s sociology of knowledge (Mannheim, 1980) and Pierre Bourdieus’ theory on social practices (Bourdieu, 1974) as well as ethnomethodological concepts (Garfinkel, 1984).

Expected Outcomes

In both schools we observed several structural challenges, one of which consisted of the students’ disruptive and norm infringing behaviour. Despite almost similar preconditions, both schools enforced very different disciplinary and pedagogical measures, varying from rather strict and excluding practices on the one hand, to more compensatory and including pedagogical approaches on the other. The emphasis of our presentation is on the systematic reconstruction of teachers’ beliefs about their students and their families, as they appear to be a central element of both school cultures. These beliefs support and legitimate the highly divergent pedagogical approaches described above. Firstly, the images regarding marginalised students prevalent amongst the teachers will be illustrated. Secondly, we will highlight the relation of these images to school culture and pedagogical practices. Subsequently, we focus on the potential impact on the reproduction of educational inequality and urban segregation resulting from these pedagogical cultures.

References

Ackeren, I. v. (2008). Schulentwicklung in benachteiligten Regionen. Eine exemplarische Bestandsaufnahme von Forschungsbefunden und Steuerungsstrategien. In W. Lohfeld (Ed.), Gute Schulen in schlechter Gesellschaft (pp. 47-58). Wiesbaden: VS-Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Baur, C., & Häussermann, H. (2009). Ethnische Segregation in deutschen Schulen. Leviathan, 37(3), 353-366. Bohnsack, R. (2010). Documentary Method and Group Discussion. In R. Bohnsack, N. Pfaff & W. Weller (Eds.), Qualitative Analysis and Documentary Method in International Educational Research (pp. 99-124). Opladen / Farmington Hills: Barbara Budrich Publishers. Bourdieu, P. (1974). Der Habitus als Vermittlung zwischen Struktur und Praxis. Frankfurt a. M.: Suhrkamp. Fölker, L. (2013). "Da ist einfach 'ne gewisse Leistungs- und auch Schulentwicklungsgrenze erreicht!" Schulfusionen als zusätzliche Reformimpulse im Zuge der Integration von Haupt- und Realschulbildungsgängen. Die Deutsche Schule (DDS), 13. Beiheft: Steuerung und Umstrukturierung von Schulen, 254-274. Fölker, L., & Hertel, T. (2015). Differenz und Defizit. Rekonstruktionen zu pädagogischen Orientierungen und Praktiken der Klientelkonstruktion an zwei segregierten Großstadtschulen. In L. Fölker, T. Hertel & N. Pfaff (Eds.), Brennpunkt(-)Schule. Zum Verhältnis von Schule, Bildung und urbaner Segregation (pp. 105-122). Opladen [u.a.]: Verlag Barbara Budrich. Fölker, L., Hertel, T., & Pfaff, N. (Eds.). (2015). Brennpunkt(-)Schule. Zum Verhältnis von Schule, Bildung und urbaner Segregation. Opladen/Berlin/Toronto: Verlag Barbara Budrich. Friedrichs, J., & Triemer, S. (2009). Gespaltene Städte? Soziale und ethnische Segregation in deutschen Großstädten. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften: Wiesbaden. Garfinkel, H. (1984). Studies in Ethnomethodology. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Gomolla, M., & Radtke, F.-O. (2009). Institutionelle Diskriminierung. Die Herstellung ethnischer Differenz in der Schule. Wiesbaden: VS-Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Mannheim, K. (1980). Strukturen des Denkens. Herausgegeben von David Kettler, Volker Meja und Nico Stehr. Frankfurt a. M.: Suhrkamp. Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (1988). The Dimensions of Residential Segregation. Social Forces, 67(2), 281-315. Mehan, H. (1992). Understanding Inequality in Schools: The Contribution of Interpretive Studies. Sociology of Education, 65(1), 1-20. Musterd, S. (2005). Musterd, Saco (2005): Social and Ethnic Segregation in Europe: Levels, Causes, and Effects. Journal of Urban Affairs, 27(3), 331-348. Radtke, F.-O., & Stošić, P. (2009). Lokale Bildungsräume: Ansatzpunkte für eine integrative Schulentwicklung. Geographische Revue, 11(1), 34-51. Terpoorten, T. (2014). Räumliche Konfigurationen der Bildungschancen. Segregation und Bildungsdisparitäten am Übergang in die weiterführenden Schulen im Agglomerationsraum Ruhrgebiet. ZEFIR-Materialien, Band 3. Bochum: ZEFIR. Wacquant, L. J. D. (2008). Urban outcasts: a comparative sociology of advanced marginality. Cambridge / Malden, MA: Polity. Weber, M. (2003). Heterogenität im Schulalltag: Konstruktion ethnischer und geschlechtlicher Unterschiede. Opladen: Leske + Budrich.

Author Information

Thorsten Hertel (presenting / submitting)

University of Duisburg-Essen

Faculty of Educational Science

Essen

Laura Fölker (presenting)

University of Duisburg-Essen

Department of Educational Science