Deck 16: Education

Question 1

Much of what is learned in school has nothing to do with the formal content of the lessons.The teaching of values,attitudes,and habits constitutes the:

A) tracking system
B) hidden curriculum
C) credentialism
D) formal curriculum
E) social transformation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Jonathan Kozol's (1991)study of American schools found that:

A) high levels of segregation within schools and great inequalities between them exist
B) schools around the country spend the same amount per pupil as a result of government funding
C) tracking is a successful practice
D) schools have no long-term effect on a person's success
E) computers have had little effect on the educational system

Answer 2

A

Question 3

As a process of assimilation,schooling and its focus on an "official" curriculum-common language and the facts of a common history and geography:

A) promote a sense of nationalism and an affinity among societal members
B) foster a commonsense way of thinking
C) promote a strong skill set to participate in the workforce
D) promote upward mobility
E) all of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The following country that has the largest number of foreign students attending its colleges and universities is:

A) the United States
B) the United Kingdom
C) China
D) Germany
E) Russia

Question 5

Education institutions are active participants in social reproduction because they:

A) reinforce the cultural advantages of upper- and middle-class families
B) increasingly offer classes on sexual reproduction and contraception
C) introduce new technologies and provide opportunities for poor people to learn middle-class values
D) were pioneers in the movement to provide a photocopy or reproduction of transcripts for students
E) none of the above; administrators work to avoid social reproduction at all levels of education

Question 6

According to Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis,the hierarchical authority relationships within schools parallel those of:

A) families
B) prisons
C) workplaces
D) democratic systems
E) utopia

Question 7

Maria's high school requires students to take Latin or Greek,classical art and music appreciation,English literature,and public speaking.The school believes that these courses instill particular values and tastes that students need for a successful future,which constitute:

A) hidden curriculum
B) hyperreality
C) culture industry
D) cultural capital
E) tracking

Question 8

As the global economy becomes more knowledge based,the likely outcome is that:

A) the knowledge economy is rapidly decreasing economic inequality between nations
B) the least-developed nations are rapidly adopting information technology
C) there will be no changes in the global economy
D) Internet access will become the new line of demarcation between the rich and the poor
E) people in Africa will soon have as much access to the Internet as do people in western Europe

Question 9

Supporters of international education suggest that more should be done to encourage foreign students to come to the United States because:

A) they often develop a sympathetic attitude toward the United States and carry that attitude into their leadership in their homelands
B) most are supported by their parents, not by financial aid
C) they put hundreds of millions of dollars into the U.S. economy
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 10

The Coleman (1966)studies and the Jencks (1972)research indicate two important points concerning education in our society state that:

A) educational and occupational attainment is governed by family background. On their own, educational reforms can produce only minor effects on social inequality.
B) cultural capital and family background play a role in social settings at school, but grades ultimately affect the school experience. Teachers' educational backgrounds play a prominent role in students' success.
C) tracking does not play a significant role in student success. Neighborhood aesthetics matter in how students feel about their schools.
D) education serves as an equalizer. Small schools tend to be more successful.
E) material resources play a major part in educational performance. Inequalities in the educational environment are different from those in adult life.

Question 11

formal systems of education developed in modern societies because:

A) mass education promoted nationalism, helping to integrate citizens from different regions and backgrounds into a national society
B) schools promoted the development of personality traits such as self-discipline and obedience, which employers needed in their employees
C) schools provided the credentials needed for a job, and credentialism reinforced the class structure in a society
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 12

Recall the story of Christine from the beginning of the text chapter.Her situation exemplifies the struggles of many students.She has goals and the initiative to attempt to go to school,but she lacks:

A) a support system that understands the situation that caused her to scale back her expectations
B) the economic resources, such as the bus fare to get to school
C) the textbooks and required course materials
D) the ability to get through science courses
E) the necessary academic prerequisites

Question 13

A sociological analysis of education would include:

A) the school as a socializing agent
B) the relationship between education and social inequality
C) the social functions that schools provide
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 14

Of the following,the part of the hidden curriculum in schools is:

A) offering business courses that are not publicized to students
B) another phrase for the foreign language curriculum
C) teaching students to respect authority
D) the fact that students may have to go to summer school in order to graduate because of classroom shortages
E) the unstated cost involved in organizing the athletic program

Question 15

The benefit of the exchange of international students is that it:

A) plays a vital role in globalization
B) enhances cross-national understandings
C) reduces xenophobic and isolationist attitudes
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 16

The cycle of social reproduction is created within the school because:

A) blue-collar children are often uncomfortable in a middle-class school environment, so they rebel and are thereby limited to blue-collar jobs when they leave school
B) middle-class children are more accepting of the rules in school than their blue-collar peers and are therefore more apt to succeed
C) working-class children increasingly see the school as not operating in their best interests; therefore, they are eager to get to work and earn money rather than continuing with schooling
D) in many ways, working-class children have a more perceptive attitude toward the organization of the school than do middle-class children, but the latter group sees the school as a vehicle for upward mobility
E) All of the above.

Question 17

To the extent that schools help perpetuate social and economic inequalities across generations,they are part of the process of:

A) social reproduction
B) social transformation
C) social revolution
D) tracking
E) hidden curriculum

Question 18

Some consider the internationalization of education to be problematic because

A) foreign students could deprive Americans of slots in competitive programs
B) some foreign students receive financial aid and scholarships, taking money that might otherwise go to Americans
C) foreign students are likely to return to their home countries and not contribute to U.S. society
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 19

The credentialism approach in understanding sociology and education advocates that:

A) the content of education is its most important component
B) the credential implies having training and skills necessary to do a job and is equal in importance to the content
C) the credential is valid only if it stems from quality content and a common cultural environment in the classroom
D) the creation of a common culture in educational environments
E) the content is much less important than the diploma or credential itself

Question 20

John is from an upper-middle-class home and has the benefit of extracurricular activities and the latest technology.He is a good student but does not have an exemplary record.Clorista is a bright and energetic student who loves math and science.Her grades are strong,but they would be better if she had more time and resources.She has limited access to a computer and often has to care for her younger siblings while her mother is at work.John and Clorista both applied for positions on the Yearbook Committee.John was appointed,and Clorista was offered membership in the "Day of the Dead" committee,which is headed by the Spanish teacher.She is unable to accept because of her commitments at home.Sociologically speaking,in comparison to Clorista,John possess more :

A) gender socialization
B) generational equity
C) cultural capital
D) cultural dependency
E) focused interaction

Question 21

In 1990,Jeannie Oakes found that students placed in the "low-achieving" group-mostly African American,Latino,and poor students-as a result received an education that was:

A) somewhat better than their "high-achieving" peers
B) equal to their "high-achieving" peers
C) poorer than their "high-achieving" peers
D) much better than their "high-achieving" peers
E) none of the above; she found no effect at all

Question 22

In The Bell Curve,Richard J.Herrnstein and Charles Murray argue that the significant differences in IQ between various races and ethnic groups are explained by:

A) unequal opportunities
B) oppressive social conditions
C) genetic inheritance
D) poor-quality schools
E) lack of quality after-school programs

Question 23

In the book The Bell Curve,Richard J.Herrnstein and Charles Murray present their findings regarding the relationship between IQ and other social factors.Their conclusions were controversial because:

A) when a psychologist and sociologist collaborate on a research project, the results naturally will be controversial because each scholar approaches the problem differently
B) the authors drew conclusions about the intelligence of all North Americans on their findings from studying the intelligence of Native Americans and Native Canadians
C) the authors contended that blacks in the United States have higher intelligence than whites, which would be apparent if the IQ tests were changed to accurately measure intelligence
D) the authors focused strictly on the sociological factors that influence IQ and ignored the biological or hereditary factors
E) the authors proclaimed that black Americans had an inferior intelligence because of genetic differences between black and white Americans.

Question 24

James Coleman's research on segregated schools,which provoked much opposition,some of which was violent,resulted in the policy of:

A) hidden curriculum
B) credentialism
C) savage inequalities
D) busing
E) tracking

Question 25

The one of the following that is NOT considered to be a reason for the reversal of the gender gap in education is:

A) the introduction of gender-neutral learning materials
B) the encouragement of girls to study "male" subjects
C) that there are more stay-at-home father role models
D) a decline in traditionally male jobs in the economy
E) the women's movement, which discourages gender stereotyping

Question 26

The group that benefits from student tracking according to abilities is composed of:

A) low-achieving students because they can receive more individualized attention
B) high-achieving students because teachers do not have to spend time working with slow learners
C) all students because it allows teachers to help each group according to its abilities
D) average students because in mixed classes they are usually ignored as teachers concentrate on slow learners and high achievers
E) African American, Latino, and economically disadvantaged students

Question 27

Within developed countries:

A) access to computers is widespread
B) computer use and skills are nearly universal
C) most sociologists think that information technology is responsible for increasing social equality
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 28

According to the leading research findings on academic achievement,the following that has the greatest influence on a student's success in school is the:

A) parents' socioeconomic status
B) quality of teachers
C) number of students in a class
D) number of extracurricular activities available to students
E) educational background of the school administration

Question 29

The Berkeley team of sociologists who critically analyzed The Bell Curve found that:

A) racial differences in intelligence are not biologically determined
B) racial differences in intelligence are socially caused
C) inequities in intelligence can be removed by implementing good social policies
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 30

George,who is African American,gets nervous when taking tests in his college class because he assumes that his professors will think he cheats on his tests because he is African American.This is an example of:

A) a stereotype threat
B) racism
C) test anxiety
D) an abstract attitude
E) a concrete attitude

Question 31

A major legacy of colonialism in the developing world is the high level of:

A) literacy
B) illiteracy
C) primary education
D) income
E) wealth

Question 32

In a counterargument to the claims made in The Bell Curve,a team of sociologists from the University of California-Berkeley asserted that the factor that is more important than intelligence in determining how well people do in life is:

A) one's parents' socioeconomic status
B) the number of students per classroom
C) the success of busing
D) one's SAT score
E) none of the above

Question 33

Evidence that social advantage results in higher IQ scores _______________ Richard J.Herrnstein and Charles Murray's view on intelligence.

A) supports
B) refutes
C) proves
D) neither supports nor refutes
E) none of the above; no such evidence exists

Question 34

The practice of dividing students into groups that receive different instruction on the basis of assumed similarities in their ability or attainment is called:

A) tracking
B) dividing
C) assimilating
D) the hidden curriculum
E) credentialism

Question 35

Scores on IQ tests correlate highly with:

A) academic performance
B) economic differences
C) ethnic differences
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 36

A stereotype threat occurs:

A) within groups that suffer from negative stereotypes
B) within groups that benefit from positive stereotypes
C) when people believe they are being judged not as individuals but as members of a group
D) when the media project negative images of a particular group of people
E) when negative stereotypes overwhelm positive stereotypes within a particular group

Question 37

Claude Steele's influential work on differential outcomes for African Americans in educational settings deals with:

A) genetic influences
B) social transformations
C) hidden curriculum
D) the generalized other
E) stereotype threat

Question 38

The sociologists who reexamined the data in Richard J.Herrnstein and Charles Murray's Bell Curve reiterated that race and intelligence are best understood:

A) using an interactionist approach that involves both biology and social forces
B) in terms of IQ tests, which should be standardized so that scientists can make claims about groups
C) from social as opposed to biological causes
D) in terms of genetics, which explains approximately 80% of IQ test results
E) as a function of heredity with little or no socioeconomic impact

Question 39

Gaby is a successful student in college even though she has many family responsibilities because she lives with her parents and commutes to college near her family home.She made the most of her high school experience and worked hard because she placed a high value on academic achievement.At the same time,she believes that the strong support network that her family provides has also been responsible for her success in college.According to Prudence Carter,Gaby:

A) lacks the concrete attitude to be successful after college
B) is less likely to graduate than students who live on campus
C) is not acting "white" enough
D) is not getting the benefits of cultural capital because she lives at home, not in the dorms like other students
E) is a cultural navigator

Question 40

An unintended consequence of school busing is that:

A) tracking in schools became more problematical as school diversity increased
B) literacy rates increased in urban areas as poor students worked to keep up with wealthier ones
C) racial divisions, particularly in center-city urban communities in the United States, were erased
D) white families fled from the city into suburban areas, leaving the center cities to decay
E) All of the above.

Question 41

One of the goals of providing universal access to education is to help reduce inequalities in wealth and power.

Question 42

The gender gap in education has remained relatively unchanged in the last 20 years.

Question 43

Jonathan Kozol's best-selling book,Savage Inequalities,exposes the effects of the barbaric behavior of today's students.

Question 44

The achievement gap is primarily related to differences in IQ.

Question 45

Given the social structure in which computer technology is developing,the one of the following will likely reinforce material deprivation that already exists in some areas is:

A) the information superhighway
B) information poverty
C) hyperreality
D) the classroom without walls
E) the hidden curriculum

Question 46

Schools originally arose:

A) to meet the popular demand for education
B) as part of the administrative apparatus of the modern state with a hidden curriculum to ensure discipline and control according to Michel foucault
C) largely as a result of the development of printing and the ensuing need for broader literacy
D) a and b
E) b and c

Question 47

The increasing use of computer technology in education may result in:

A) the transformation of the existing curriculum
B) the development of a classroom without walls
C) the reengineering of schools similar to the way businesses have been transformed by computer technology
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 48

Lisa can read at a fourth-grade level,which means that she is functionally literate.

Question 49

Access to the Internet will soon define the demarcation line between the rich and the poor.

Question 50

Burakumin are genetically the same as other Japanese but have lower IQ scores because of social inequalities.

Question 51

How are the development and expansion of public education tied to the needs of an industrializing and urbanizing society?

Question 52

Active,curious social actors who can derive insights from multiple sources,not merely institutional settings,are known as:

A) literate
B) learners
C) students
D) adults
E) high achievers

Question 53

Currently more than 23% of the world's population is illiterate.

Question 54

Sociological research has found that tracking in all instances has entirely negative effects.

Question 55

The "place" formed by the global network of computers where Internet interaction occurs is called:

A) Yahoo!
B) MSNBC
C) AOL
D) http
E) cyberspace

Question 56

Scientists have agreed on a simple measure of intelligence: the ability to solve abstract mathematical puzzles.

Question 57

According to Roslyn Mickelson,African American students had both concrete and abstract attitudes that were consistent with mainstream attitudes toward education.

Question 58

New information technologies and the growth of the knowledge economy will affect education by:

A) undermining and ultimately destroying education as a formal institution
B) shifting the emphasis toward active, lifelong learning in diverse settings
C) further confining teaching and learning to traditional schools and colleges where the technology is located
D) transferring educational activities entirely to cyberspace
E) limiting educational access to the younger, more tech-savvy generation

Question 59

The mass media are important because they affect our attitudes and experiences and:

A) provide most of our entertainment
B) give us something to do with our free time
C) give us moral guidance
D) provide access to knowledge
E) mean that we are literate

Question 60

Intelligence is only one factor that determines how well you will do in life.

Question 61

What impact has the Internet had on education? What are the implications,both domestically and globally,of the so-called digital divide for social inequalities?

Question 62

Does education reduce or maintain inequality in society? Justify your answer with data and theories discussed in this chapter.

Question 63

Discuss why you agree or disagree with the common cultural tenet in the United States that "education is the great equalizer."

Question 64

What is information poverty? Provide concrete examples to support your answer.

Question 65

Why are private corporations and their investors interested in privatizing education? What are the implications of this development for the ultimate goals of education?

Question 66

Explain the "acting white thesis" presented by John Ogbu and Signithia fordham (1986)to explain educational inequalities.How is this thesis challenged by Roslyn Mickelson's research on the abstract and concrete attitudes toward education and Prudence Carter's concept of cultural navigators?

Question 67

Discuss the concept of intelligence and some of the attempts to measure it.Summarize the debate over the idea that IQ is genetically determined.

Question 68

Discuss how Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital and habitus explain middle-class and upper middle-class students' success in a school setting.

Question 69

Explain how technology has always been connected with education and how technological change has led to changes in education.

Question 70

The text suggests that the idea of education as a formal institution is being replaced by the notion of lifelong learning.How does this fit with the traditional humanistic ideals of education? How will you personally be affected by these developments?