Deck 11: Education: What Are We Learning

Question 1

The statement "Popularity is learning how to be noticed and liked, and having everyone know who you are" most closely reflects:

A) Symbolic interaction theory
B) Conflict theory
C) Rational choice theory
D) Structural-functional theory

Answer 1

A

Question 2

__________ refers to hiring male teachers at higher pay levels than female teachers, having more male-dominated extracurricular activities, and increased vocational curricula.

A) The war against boys
B) Institutionalized patriarchy
C) Myth of the fragile girl
D) Masculinization of schools

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The statement "Educational opportunities are manipulated in ways that keep the sons and daughters of the upper class in positions of privilege" most closely reflects:

A) Symbolic interaction theory
B) Conflict theory
C) Functionalist theory
D) Rational choice theory

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following groups is most likely to be closely knit and egalitarian?

A) Peer classmates
B) Individuals in the same reading track
C) A group of male students
D) A group of female students

Question 5

Which of the following is a latent function of education?

A) Selecting and training individuals for positions in society
B) Keeping children off the streets until they can be absorbed into productive roles in society
C) Enhancing personal and social developments
D) Promoting change and innovation

Question 6

Ty is an eighth-grade music teacher. Ty must support and encourage his students, but he must also give them poor grades for not learning their music. This causes Ty to experience:

A) Role conflict
B) Deprofessionalism
C) Role strain
D) At-risk behavior

Question 7

Which of the following measures is used to determine educational quality?

A) Student-teacher ratio
B) Average textbook cost
C) Number of rooms a school has
D) Rate of illiteracy

Question 8

Jason always disrupts class by interjecting unnecessary comments or getting into trouble for skipping school and vandalizing school property. Jason is likely considered a(n):

A) At-risk student
B) Member of a peer culture
C) Member of a peer counterculture
D) Unprofessional student

Question 9

The statement "The educational system is not equally beneficial to all or even to the majority of citizens" most closely reflects:

A) Structural-functional theory
B) Rational choice theory
C) Conflict theory
D) Symbolic interaction theory

Question 10

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's model of schooling that most countries have adopted includes:

A) 6 years of primary school and 3 years of secondary school
B) 6 years of primary school with the option of secondary school
C) 8 years of primary school with 4 years of secondary school
D) 8 years of primary school with the option of secondary school

Question 11

According to symbolic interaction theorists, one manifestation of the differences children create and maintain in schools is:

A) Tracking
B) College attendance rates
C) Popularity
D) Literacy

Question 12

The statement "Formal and informal education serve certain crucial purposes in society, especially as societies modernize" most closely reflects:

A) Symbolic interaction theory
B) Conflict theory
C) Functionalist theory
D) Rational choice theory

Question 13

Which of the following statements supports the argument that education works to reproduce social class from one generation to the next?

A) Students from a lower socioeconomic position must obey authority.
B) Students from a lower socioeconomic position are taught to question the dominant ideology.
C) Student achievement, like test scores, plays a large role in determining how a student is tracked.
D) Students are encouraged to pursue any occupational path they find desirable.

Question 14

According to structural-functionalists, what is a manifest function of education?

A) Conferring status
B) Getting kids to go to college
C) Socialization
D) Encouraging children to wait to get married and start a family until they have graduated from high school

Question 15

The "cradle to prison pipeline" refers to:

A) The bullying that occurs in many schools
B) High dropout rates among African American boys that can lead to imprisonment
C) The lack of a quality education in poor neighborhoods
D) The expulsion rate of high school seniors

Question 16

Which of the following is not a latent function of education?

A) Fostering a youth culture
B) Promoting change and innovation
C) Keeping children off the streets until they can be absorbed into productive roles in society
D) Serving as a mate-selection market

Question 17

______________ of students in grades 7 through 12 have experienced harassment through electronic media.

A) Ten percent
B) Thirty percent
C) Fifty percent
D) Five percent

Question 18

__________ refers to learning skills such as reading and math in a building via systematic instruction by a trained professional.

A) Compulsory education
B) Schooling
C) Mass education
D) Informal education

Question 19

Because kindergarten teachers teach children to follow rules, cooperate with each other, and accept the teacher as the boss, Gracey suggests that we should view kindergarten as a(n):

A) Iron cage of bureaucracy
B) Academic boot camp
C) Glass ceiling
D) Hidden curriculum

Question 20

Carolina has been considering dropping out of school. However, she now realizes that attending school on a daily basis has a relatively low social cost, yet there are many rewards associated with graduation, so she has decided to stay in school. Which theoretical consideration most strongly influenced this decision?

A) Structural functionalism
B) Social conflict
C) Cultural capital
D) Rational choice

Question 21

Teacher satisfaction has declined dramatically since 2008.

Question 22

The authors argue that a syllabus in college classrooms represents part of:

A) An educational bureaucracy
B) The formal system of education
C) The hidden curriculum
D) An emotional climate

Question 23

Which of the following was a finding of the Coleman Report?

A) Minority students scored equally to white students on tests in grade school.
B) The majority of children studied attended segregated schools.
C) The majority of children had teachers of a different race than they were.
D) The socioeconomic makeup of the school made little difference in students' school achievement levels.

Question 24

A(n) __________ is a general social condition that characterizes an aspect of a school.

A) hidden curriculum
B) formal educational system
C) educational subculture
D) school climate

Question 25

Which of the following is a finding of early-childhood research?

A) Children's development occurs much faster after age 5 than before.
B) Although child-survival programs reduce infant mortality in developed countries, they have no other benefits.
C) The growth trajectory in learning, health, and emotional development for young children should not be interrupted.
D) Societies are generally addressing the needs of young children.

Question 26

Because of the importance of language in any culture, regardless of a nation's level of development, the literacy rate for the adult population will be 90% or higher.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about tracking is false?

A) Track placement is always a measure of a student's ability.
B) Over time, differences in children's achievement become reinforced.
C) Students from lower social classes are clustered in the lower tracks.
D) Language differences between teachers and students affect track placement.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is not a critique of the No Child Left Behind policy?

A) The policy sets high standards that all students must meet.
B) The policy overemphasizes testing.
C) The policy presents unrealistic timetables for schools to meet.
D) The policy will struggle to meet necessary funding mandates.

Question 29

Which of the following is not one of the strategies students use to cope with school pressures presented in the text?

A) Ritualism
B) Rejection
C) Innovation
D) Divergence

Question 30

Link completes all assigned homework to succeed in school. According to Robert Merton's goals-means taxonomy, Link is best described as a (n):

A) Innovator
B) Retreatist
C) Conformist
D) Rejector

Question 31

Which of the following most accurately describes education in complex societies?

A) The knowledge needed by the young becomes too complex to be taught by families.
B) More educated parents are less reliant on formal schooling to teach their children.
C) The relationship between the school and the military becomes closer.
D) Schools become less bureaucratically organized.

Question 32

The major recommendation made by the Coleman Report was to:

A) Integrate schools
B) Masculinize schools
C) Provide early-childhood education
D) Equalize per-pupil spending

Question 33

The school-to-work transition is most effectively defined by public policy in which of the following locations?

A) The United States
B) Asia
C) Europe and Russia
D) Australia

Question 34

Which of the following is a key feature of being a "professional"?

A) Being a meso-level intermediary
B) Autonomy on the job
C) Outside regulation
D) Competency testing

Question 35

Lani is very strong in language and writing classes. She aspires to be a journalist, and her teachers largely believe that she is capable of achieving this goal. However, Lani does not excel in her math or music courses and is in jeopardy of not graduating because of her poor grades in math and music. The emphasis on following a standard curriculum for all students best reflects which aspect of Weber's bureaucratic model?

A) An emphasis on rationality
B) A strong division of labor
C) Allowing individuals agency
D) An administrative hierarchy

Question 36

Eugene owns a house and land in a middle-class neighborhood. He is upset that the mayor has increased the sales tax to fund public school programs. As discussed in the text, Eugene should not be upset because:

A) Property tax provides only a small percentage of funding for education expenses.
B) School strengthens minority cultural norms.
C) Middle-class children benefit the most from a quality education.
D) Property values are increased when schools are of high quality.

Question 37

Gender gaps in educational attainment are narrowing worldwide.

Question 38

Josh really wants to go to back to college, but after initially dropping out to pursue a job, he has little time to commute back and forth to campus or attend traditional classes. One option available to Josh is:

A) Buying a faster car in order to make the commute shorter
B) Learning the hidden curriculum
C) Attending a virtual university
D) Relying on credential inflation

Question 39

Jana is the athletic director at an area high school. Although she was previously employed as a math teacher and a soccer coach, Jana is now limited to scheduling athletic competitions. This resembles which of the following characteristics of Max Weber's bureaucratic model?

A) Specific rules and procedures
B) Division of labor
C) An emphasis on rationality
D) An emphasis on formalized relations

Question 40

According to the text, there are ____ million U.S. adults who cannot read.

A) 7
B) 17
C) 27
D) 32

Question 41

A latent function of education is that it weakens parental control over children.

Question 42

Providing an opportunity for peer cultures to develop is a manifest function of education.

Question 43

Racial inequalities in early schooling have little impact later in life.

Question 44

Boys experience "hostile hallways" in more physically and psychologically harmful ways than girls.

Question 45

Recent research findings indicate that boys have more struggles with self-esteem than girls do, especially in middle school.

Question 46

Dimensions of the informal system of schooling include the educational climate, the value climate, and coping strategies in the classroom.

Question 47

Rational choice theorists argue that students using cost-benefit analysis will always choose to stay in school when they consider dropping out because the life chances for a dropout are so poor.

Question 48

Conflict theorists see institutions like education as tools of powerful, affluent groups to ensure that their self-interests are met.

Question 49

According to functional theorists, the hidden curriculum is a social and economic agenda that is responsible for differentiating social classes.

Question 50

Research can be used to support the theory that both boys and girls are disadvantaged by practices of the educational system.

Question 51

According to conflict theory, the prosocial values and social competencies learned in academic boot camp are necessary for social cohesion.

Question 52

The informal system of schooling includes implicit norms of behavior.

Question 53

According to the conflict perspective, schools teach students from lower socioeconomic positions to obey authority and accept the dominant ideology.

Question 54

The hidden curriculum is part of the formal system of schooling.

Question 55

The school system in a local community is often the source of pride and the unifying symbol of identity in the community.

Question 56

One result of disillusion with education and lower high school graduation rates among males is that higher education is experienc?ing "feminization."

Question 57

The peer culture that children and teens participate in rarely influences their future roles in society.

Question 58

According to conflict theory, the educational system is equally beneficial to all citizens in society.

Question 59

Rational choice theorists explain teacher retention by looking at their perceptions of benefits.

Question 60

Asians have the highest high school completion rate.

Question 61

African American preschoolers are twice as likely as white preschoolers to be expelled.

Question 62

In some major U.S. inner cities, only a quarter of students graduate from high school.

Question 63

Discuss the various types of harassment that students face in the educational system. Who is more likely to experience harassment-boys or girls? Why do you think this is so?

Question 64

What is the hidden curriculum? Provide examples.

Question 65

Research shows that the Head Start program in the United States increases the likelihood that enrolled children stay in school.

Question 66

What is the value climate of schools? Provide examples.

Question 67

Overall, the United States spends more money per student on education than most other industrialized nations.

Question 68

The ways families stress the importance of education to their children are universal.

Question 69

Describe three latent functions of education and give examples not from the text.

Question 70

According to functional theorists, it is through the hidden curriculum that students learn the expectations, behaviors, and values necessary to succeed in school and society..

Question 71

Sociologists argue that family background is the single most important influence on children's school achievement.

Question 72

Because IQ tests measure innate intelligence, students' socioeconomic status rarely affects their scores on the tests.

Question 73

Research finds that tracking levels correlate directly with factors such as the child's background.

Question 74

The post-World War II period from 1950 to 1970 brought about a rapid decrease in education worldwide.

Question 75

Most communities welcome sex education in the schools because it relieves families and religious leaders of having to teach young children about sex.

Question 76

Compare and contrast the functionalist and conflict perspectives on education. Provide examples.

Question 77

Low achievement is linked to low expectations.

Question 78

A country's level of education is a key indicator of quality of life and placement in the global social world.

Question 79

What statuses influence students' friendship selection? What roles do friends play in the student peer culture?

Question 80

The first compulsory education was in a Lutheran monastery in Germany.