Deck 9: Education

Question 1

Davies and Guppy assert that ours is a schooled society, and one bit of evidence for this is that ______ of 18 to 24-year-olds are enrolled in college.

A) 30%
B) 40%
C) 67%
D) 75%

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Why is gaining post-secondary education seen as advantageous?

A) All manual labor jobs will be replaced by automation.
B) Educational attainment is positively correlated with higher salaries.
C) Educated people will resolve all existing social problems.
D) It is the only way to keep for-profit colleges in business.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Miguel is looking for a job after graduating college. Which job is least likely to be available due to shifting national priorities?

A) Service jobs, like hotel staff
B) Resource extraction jobs, like mining
C) Manufacturing jobs in factories
D) Idea-based jobs, like teaching

Answer 3

B

Question 4

As the primary sector has declined in the U.S. economy, so have jobs requiring ______.

A) little education
B) knowledge workers
C) a university degree
D) specialized training

Question 5

Modern schools are expected to handle ______ education, which was once done only by parents.

A) mathematical
B) sex
C) economic
D) historical

Question 6

Why would countries like the United States encourage people to work toward knowledge-based jobs rather than manual labor?

A) Governments feel knowledge jobs will increase national productivity.
B) Officials realized that most manual labor jobs are already filled.
C) Knowledge-based jobs usually pay more salary and less in taxes.
D) This kind of job helps to keep people from using government healthcare.

Question 7

The functions of school that are easy to see and identify are categorized as ______.

A) latent
B) socialization
C) manifest
D) overt

Question 8

Rhonda's school requires students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. This is an example of which function of education?

A) Legitimation
B) Selection
C) Manifest
D) Credentialing

Question 9

Mark took an aptitude test at school to see what jobs might be suited to his talents. This is an example of ______.

A) socialization
B) legitimation
C) selection
D) indoctrination

Question 10

Zoe learned in elementary school what it means to be a friend, a latent function of education known as ______.

A) legitimation
B) selection
C) indoctrination
D) socialization

Question 11

Part of early childhood education is learning how to get along and work with others. Schools perform this kind of ______ for society.

A) legitimation
B) selection
C) indoctrination
D) socialization

Question 12

Which sociological perspective is espoused by Durkheim?

A) Symbolic interactionism
B) Structural functionalism
C) Conflict theory
D) Feminist theory

Question 13

According to Durkheim, what is the function of education in society?

A) Training children to get along in society and for employment
B) Setting up bureaucracies that convey status and prestige
C) Preserving the status quo to benefit capitalists, not workers
D) Providing years of state-funded childcare for working parents

Question 14

Why did Durkheim assert that the education system must take charge of moral training for society?

A) Religions no longer teach about morals, only about prosperity.
B) In societies based on organic solidarity, public education is one of the few things all share.
C) It is very dangerous to allow people to make up their own moral codes.
D) Only educators are ethical enough to prepare students for society.

Question 15

According to Durkheim, how does the education system act as the glue holding society together?

A) It recreates society by teaching its norms and values to students.
B) Workers are trained to obey their bosses and to not complain.
C) The values of the ruling class are passed on to the new generation.
D) It supports societies based on mechanical solidarity.

Question 16

Stacey earns a token when she helps her classmates with clean up after recess in school. The school is ______ Stacey.

A) legitimizing
B) selecting
C) socializing
D) humanizing

Question 17

Why did Weber see the education system as a bureaucracy?

A) Students spend a lot of their time waiting for something to happen.
B) Most education is needlessly tedious and closed to comment.
C) Colleges provide specific, complex paths to degrees and training.
D) Administrators enjoy frustrating students and teachers alike.

Question 18

According to Weber's ideas about educational bureaucracy, what best demonstrates a college striving for student fairness?

A) Anyone who can afford it can enroll.
B) Tests are graded by student number, not names.
C) Roommates are assigned randomly.
D) Students can drop a class if they think a grade is unfair.

Question 19

Ron is in charge of hiring new employees for a local fast food restaurant. He checks every candidate's high school grades to see if they can be easily trained. In this way, schools help the ______ process for employment.

A) selection
B) socialization
C) legitimation
D) indoctrination

Question 20

What is the purpose of educational bureaucracies, according to Weber?

A) To confer status and prestige
B) To teach society's norms
C) To legitimize the dominant culture
D) To control behavior

Question 21

What is one drawback of educational bureaucracies, in Weber's view?

A) Most people are discouraged from finishing college.
B) The need for specialization reduces time for general education.
C) Increased status from degrees is not often compensated.
D) It encourages the creation of more bureaucracy.

Question 22

How could credentialing be seen as an element of conflict theory?

A) Those who give credentials have power over those seeking them.
B) The complexity of earning credentials causes many people to give up.
C) The arbitrary nature of credentialing frustrates people earning them.
D) Credentialing is an element of meritocracy allowing people to earn their due.

Question 23

Andrea wants to be a teacher, so she takes additional classes in her specialty after earning her bachelor's degree, and then must take several exams to prove her knowledge and obtain her license. This is an example of ______.

A) legitimation
B) credentialing
C) socialization
D) differentiation

Question 24

Schools teach critical thinking skills and habits of mind as a way of ______ these over other methods.

A) socializing
B) selecting
C) legitimizing
D) indoctrinating

Question 25

How did Marx describe the education system as supporting the ideals of the ruling class above those of the working class?

A) Critical thinking is aggressively encouraged in order to build stronger leaders,
B) School curricula are democratically selected by the vote of the masses.
C) The hidden curriculum teaches people to be submissive, docile, and on time.
D) Since schools are funded by corporations, they must cater to corporate needs.

Question 26

Fred is told by his teacher that capitalism is the only economic system that allows workers the freedom to choose which job is best for them. His teacher is ______ capitalism.

A) selecting
B) critiquing
C) legitimating
D) credentialing

Question 27

A school's hidden curriculum corresponds to its ______.

A) manifest content
B) mission
C) latent content
D) socialization

Question 28

What feature of education systems do all Western countries share?

A) A clear pattern of inequality that does not indicate a meritocracy.
B) They all emphasize math over all other subjects.
C) They feature full inclusion for students in special education programs.
D) The government fully dictates curriculum to schools.

Question 29

Given gender inequality, what is one unexpected result of the education system in the United States?

A) White men earn higher grades than all other demographics.
B) Women perform better in school than men on average.
C) Female students are given 20% lower grades than men for the same work.
D) Men and women earn equal grades for their work in schools.

Question 30

According to the Pell Institute, what is the most durable factor influencing educational outcomes?

A) Race
B) Gender
C) Social class
D) Work ethic

Question 31

Bert's family is among the top 25% of the wealthiest in the country, while Jordan was born in the lowest 10% in income. They are both first year college students, but who is more likely to obtain a bachelor's degree by the age of 25?

A) Bert is more than four times as likely as Jordan to get his degree.
B) Jordan is twice as likely to earn his bachelor's degree as Bert.
C) Bert and Jordan are equally as likely to earn their bachelor's degree.
D) It is most likely that both Jordan and Bert will drop out before graduation.

Question 32

Kendra was born into a family in poverty, and she may become the first one in her family to attend college, despite the fact that she had no role models or knowledge of which classes to take to impress college recruiters. What concept describes the challenges Kendra faces?

A) Differential preparation
B) Differential association
C) Different study habits
D) Different expectations

Question 33

Sidrah attends a private school with a class to teach her how to write a college entrance essay and to navigate various application systems. Sidrah enjoys which educational advantage?

A) Differential association
B) Different expectations
C) Differential preparation
D) Different class offerings

Question 34

Ashley's family has been mired in poverty for several generations. As a result, her parents think she should get a job right after high school rather than attending college so she can immediately begin earning money for the family. Ashley is facing what educational challenge?

A) Different expectations
B) Differential association
C) Differential preparation
D) Different attitudes

Question 35

What system places students of similar abilities together so that their needs can be addressed more efficiently by teachers?

A) Ableism
B) Tracking
C) Incentivizing
D) Cohorting

Question 36

What is one advantage of tracking in school courses for bright or gifted students?

A) It allows them more choices for electives to take art and gym classes.
B) Gifted students can take more vocational programs rather than college prep.
C) They can energize the teaching staff by becoming more engaged.
D) They will be more engaged because the pace of the class can be faster.

Question 37

When students are labeled as a lower-performing group, the stigma of that assignment could reduce performance in those students, a phenomenon known as ______.

A) self-fulfilling prophecy
B) confirmation bias
C) differential expectations
D) differential association

Question 38

Alicia was NOT assigned to the gifted math class. She felt left out and not as smart as her friends who were in that class. This led Alicia to reduce expectations of her own performance, and her grades suffered. This is an example of a ______.

A) differential association
B) defeatist attitude
C) self-fulfilling prophecy
D) depressive event

Question 39

How are the Thomas principle and the self-fulfilling prophecy similar?

A) Both emphasize how our perception of a situation, even if false, can influence behavior.
B) The Thomas principle is about latent arrogance, but the self-fulfilling prophecy is about manifest ignorance.
C) Self-fulfilling prophecies grow from positive experiences, the Thomas principle derives from negative events.
D) The Thomas principle focuses on the behavior of men, the self-fulfilling prophecy has no gender component.

Question 40

What is one potential problem with telling teachers which students are slower learners?

A) Teachers may spend too much time with struggling students and less with gifted ones.
B) Low expectations from teachers can reduce the performance of students.
C) Students will not be motivated to learn faster.
D) The parents of students in the lower level class will blame teachers if their kids do not drastically improve.

Question 41

How does tracking serve to reproduce inequalities in society?

A) Impoverished students get publicly-funded tutors to support their placement in gifted classes.
B) Inequalities are more obvious in younger grades, but it levels out as students show their capabilities.
C) Poor students frequently replace wealthier students in gifted classes as part of Affirmative Action.
D) Wealthy students are more likely to be placed in gifted classes, even if they haven't earned it.

Question 42

According to Annette Lareau's (2003) Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, high SES parents are most likely to encourage their children to ______.

A) enroll in tracked classes geared toward grade inflation
B) select classes geared toward college preparation
C) focus on sports instead of academic achievement
D) avoid challenging themselves academically

Question 43

Parents involved in parent teacher associations can get information on the best teachers and courses for their students to take. Those most likely to be involved in this way are ______.

A) of lower socio-economic status
B) of undocumented status
C) of upper socio-economic status
D) of lower middle-class status

Question 44

How did researchers surmise that being in lower level classes can reduce student performance?

A) The effect was proved by experiments that randomly assigned students to lower level classes and measuring the differences.
B) They measured performance enhancements from being in gifted classes and compared that with performance from lower level classes.
C) Interviews with family members and students were compared with standardized test results from students in both types of classes.
D) A longitudinal study was done to compare lifetime outcomes in terms of career advancement and educational attainment.

Question 45

How did researcher Robert Rosenthal construct an experiment to test the influence of teacher expectations on student performance?

A) He chose random students who were equal in intelligence and told the teacher the students were advanced, then compared their improvement to unlabeled students.
B) Students of equal intelligence were randomly assigned to either advanced or lower level classes for a year, and their performance was compared.
C) The improvement of highly capable students from a baseline was compared to the improvement shows by students thought to have less academic capability.
D) He compared the improvement of students with highly qualified teachers to the improvement of students with first year teachers.

Question 46

Why did Robert Rosenthal use deception in his experiment to test the self-fulfilling prophecy?

A) He did not want students to know that they were not expected to excel in school.
B) If teachers knew how he chose students, the teacher's behavior may have changed.
C) Parents of the labeled students may have called the experiment unethical.
D) When people know they are part of an academic study, they expect payment.

Question 47

What was one result of Robert Rosenthal's experiments on students in a San Francisco elementary school?

A) Students tended to perform better when teachers had higher expectations of them.
B) Students expected to perform better continued excelling throughout their academic lives.
C) Wealthy students almost always outperformed students from families in poverty.
D) Struggling students received more attention from teachers, and they improved faster.

Question 48

How is access to birth control pills related to the gender reversal in educational outcomes?

A) Using birth control allows for a safer release of sexual energy, allowing better focus and clarity for both sexes.
B) Birth control pills have a side effect that helps women focus on educational tasks longer and with less effort.
C) The pill allows women to have some control over whether they will get pregnant, so they can have more time for education.
D) The capacity of the frontal lobes of the brain is increased while a woman is on the pill, helping them make better educational decisions.

Question 49

One major reason why women are paid less than men is that ______.

A) women usually choose easier jobs
B) men tend to choose more dangerous jobs
C) women are uncommon in science and engineering
D) men choose college majors based on ability to fast-track degrees

Question 50

Jill has become a connoisseur of fine wines despite growing up in poverty. Her new passion can cause people to think she is from the upper class, and is an example of ______ capital.

A) social
B) cultural
C) political
D) educational

Question 51

The behaviors, knowledge and values that indicate one's social class are collectively referred to as ______ capital.

A) cultural
B) social
C) formative
D) personal

Question 52

Chad got a job in a prestigious company with the help of a fraternity brother who already worked there. Chad took advantage of ______.

A) nepotism
B) cultural capital
C) social capital
D) affiliation

Question 53

When people say that getting a certain job is mostly about who you know, rather than what you know, they are referring to ______.

A) financial capital
B) cultural capital
C) secret capital
D) social capital

Question 54

According to Karl Marx, why do children from the dominant class tend to do better in the educational system?

A) They already have the social and cultural skills the dominant class reinforces in education.
B) Children from the dominant class can afford tutors and other academic help.
C) Fraternities and sororities prefer members from the dominant class.
D) People in the non-dominant classes are actively and aggressively oppressed.

Question 55

According to the U.S. News Report, what level of education must women have to earn more than a man with a bachelor's degree in their lifetime?

A) Master's
B) Associates
C) PhD
D) Bachelor's

Question 56

Carlos is a Hispanic man with a master's degree. In order to earn about the same amount of money over his lifetime as Carlos, his friend Brad, a white man, would need to have ______.

A) a high school degree
B) a bachelor's degree
C) a master's degree
D) a PhD

Question 57

Why has college tuition increased so much in the United States in recent years?

A) Colleges are paying much higher salaries to professors.
B) Sports programs spend more money than they earn.
C) The government has drastically cut funding to public universities and colleges.
D) Research costs for college medical programs has skyrocketed.

Question 58

What is the general relationship between how much money a country spends on education and the rate at which its citizens earn degrees?

A) More money spent usually means more people with degrees.
B) The amount of money spent and degree attainment are not correlated.
C) Some countries spend little money and have a high attainment level.
D) Most countries spend a lot of money, but have low attainment levels.

Question 59

Why is the Korean government seen as a success story in education?

A) They spend the most per student of any other country.
B) A high percentage of Koreans have degrees despite lower per student funding.
C) More Koreans earn PhDs than any other nationality.
D) Korea spends less than the world average of its GDP on education.

Question 60

Why is student debt NOT a problem in countries like Germany?

A) Corporations sponsor students they plan to hire.
B) Students use social media to raise money.
C) University tuition is generally free in Germany.
D) Students get college credit for community service.

Question 61

Schools are more likely to teach media literacy and money management today than in the past.

Question 62

People with college degrees are less likely to be unemployed than people who have NOT finished high school.

Question 63

Drug and alcohol awareness are unlikely to be taught in modern schools.

Question 64

Latent functions of schools are those that are NOT easily apparent, like legitimation.

Question 65

Durkheim saw education as a way to unite society.

Question 66

The hidden curriculum consists of secondary or unintentionally messages provided by schools.

Question 67

The United States is a TRUE meritocracy.

Question 68

Socio-economic status is the most consistent predictor of educational success.

Question 69

Differential preparation experienced by some lower SES students has little impact on educational outcomes.

Question 70

A false strongly held belief can have a profound influence on behavior related to learning.

Question 71

Social capital is a non-monetary asset that can acquired through the education system.

Question 72

Women and most racial minorities need more academic attainment to match the earner power of white men with lower degrees.

Question 73

The United States spends more than any other country on education.

Question 74

College is generally free in Germany.

Question 75

The amount of government spending on education is typically positively correlated to the rate of people earning college degrees.

Question 76

Describe and explain the three main reasons provided by Davies and Guppy for why we live in a schooled society. Do you find all their contentions convincing? Why or why NOT?

Question 77

Compare and contrast the views of Durkheim, Weber, and Marx on education. Be sure to discuss how each views the purpose of education, which sociological perspective they support, and provide details and examples for each.

Question 78

Why do students from higher socio-economic classes perform better in school than people from lower classes? Be sure to include different expectations, differential association, and differential preparation in your answer.

Question 79

Describe a fictional situation in which a person uses cultural and social capital to get a job and why people from higher socio-economic classes have more access to these than others.

Question 80

Many countries are struggling with high student loan debt, but not Germany. What can you infer about Germany from its educational funding policies?