Question 1

While character education has been suggested for reducing bullying, one alternative is to focus on what?

Accepted Answer

Focusing on the social environment of the school includes examining the school culture, policies, and practices that may contribute to bullying. It also involves creating a positive and safe school climate that nurtures respectful behavior and positive relationships. This approach goes beyond targeting individual behavior to address the root causes of bullying. Affirmative action programs and stronger penalties may not address the underlying causes of bullying, and cultural diversity education does not necessarily address the specific issue of bullying.

Question 2

__________ theorists do not believe that public schools reduce social inequality in society; rather, they believe that schools often perpetuate class, racial/ethnic, and gender inequalities as some groups seek to maintain their privileged position at the expense of others.

Accepted Answer

Conflict theorists argue that schools perpetuate social inequality by reproducing and legitimizing the existing unequal social structure. They believe that schools are controlled by dominant groups in society who use their power to maintain their advantages over other groups. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are thus often unable to compete on an equal footing with students from more privileged backgrounds, perpetuating and exacerbating social inequalities. Functionalists, on the other hand, believe that schools play a crucial role in promoting social mobility and meritocracy. Symbolic interactionists focus on the subjective experiences of students and the meaning-making processes that occur within schools. Postmodernists tend to view schooling as a form of cultural production and constructivism, where knowledge is actively constructed and reproduced through discourse and power relationships.

Question 3

Although many factors, including intelligence, family income, motivation, and previous achievement are important in determining how much education a person will attain, __________ argue that access to quality education is closely related to social class.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although many factors, including intelligence, family income,...

Question 4

Students may learn information in school that contradicts beliefs held by their parents or their religion. Debates over the content of textbooks and library books typically center on information that parents deem unacceptable for their children. This illustrates the latent function of education known as __________.

Accepted Answer

The latent function of education known as the creation of a generation gap refers to the fact that young people may adopt attitudes, values, and beliefs that differ from those of their parents, potentially leading to conflict and a divide between generations. This is relevant in the context of students learning information in school that contradicts their parents’ beliefs or religious teachings.

Question 5

Through the __________, schools make working-class and poverty-level students aware that they will be expected to take orders from others, arrive at work punctually, follow bureaucratic rules, and experience high levels of boredom without complaining.

Accepted Answer

The hidden curriculum refers to the implicit lessons that are taught through the experiences and interactions within schools, including obedience, punctuality, and conformity to rules. These lessons are not explicitly taught but are woven into the fabric of the school culture and expectations. The other choices are not applicable in describing this specific phenomenon.

Question 6

Because schools bring together people of similar ages, social class, and race/ethnicity, young people often meet future marriage partners. This latent function of education results in __________.

Accepted Answer

The latent function of education that results in young people meeting future marriage partners is matchmaking and the production of social networks.

Question 7

Wesley Perkins has developed what kind of approach to preventing bullying?

Accepted Answer

Wesley Perkins has developed a social norms approach to preventing bullying. This approach focuses on correcting misperceptions about the prevalence and acceptability of bullying behavior by highlighting the actual positive social norms of students. This approach has been shown to be effective in reducing bullying behavior.

Question 8

Some __________ theorists argue that U.S. education is not promoting the high-level skills in reading, writing, science, and mathematics that are needed in the workplace and the global economy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some __________ theorists argue that U.S. education...

Question 9

As much as _____ of adults students that they bully others with some frequency during the school year.

Accepted Answer

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, approximately 25% of students report being bullied during the school year. Therefore, it can be inferred that a similar percentage of adult students also engage in bullying behaviors. Choices A and B are too low and unlikely, while choice D may be too high.

Question 10

__________ theorists believe that tracking seriously affects many students' educational performance and their overall academic accomplishments. In elementary schools, tracking is often referred to as "ability grouping" and is based on the assumption that it is easier to teach a group of students who have similar abilities.

Accepted Answer

Conflict theorists argue that tracking reinforces social inequality by perpetuating class, racial, and gender disparities. Students who are placed in lower tracks often receive a lower quality of education and lack the same opportunities as their higher-tracked peers. This can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, where students internalize the labels placed upon them and do not reach their full potential.

Question 11

According to conflict theorists, the __________ is the transmission of cultural values and attitudes, such as conformity and obedience to authority, through implied demands found in the rules, routines, and regulations of schools.

Accepted Answer

The hidden curriculum is the transmission of cultural values and attitudes that are not overtly taught, but instead are implied in the rules, routines, and regulations of schools. Conflict theorists argue that this hidden curriculum reinforces social inequality by perpetuating the dominant culture's values and norms, such as conformity and obedience to authority. Tracking systems are also part of the hidden curriculum, but they refer specifically to the way schools sort students into different academic programs based on perceived ability or achievement. Educational indoctrination is not a widely used term in sociology and is not a commonly accepted concept. The latent function of education refers to the unintended consequences of education, such as socialization and network building, which may not be immediately visible.

Question 12

__________ refers to the practice of assigning students to specific curriculum groups and courses on the basis of their test scores, previous grades, or other criteria.

Accepted Answer

Tracking refers to the practice of assigning students to specific curriculum groups and courses on the basis of their test scores, previous grades, or other criteria. Age grading refers to the process of grouping students by age, while intelligence grouping and ability segregation refer to grouping students based on perceived intelligence or ability, which may not necessarily be supported by evidence.

Question 13

Clearly, test scores are subject to a variety of interpretations; however, for most __________ analysts, lagging test scores are a sign that problems exist in the nation's educational systems. Accordingly, improvements will occur only when more stringent academic requirements are implemented for students.

Accepted Answer

The use of "functionalist" suggests a focus on how education is serving its intended purpose (i.e. providing a quality education), and how lagging test scores indicate that function is not being fulfilled. The other options do not align as well with this interpretation.

Question 14

Standardized tests that are used to group students by ability and to assign them to classes often measure students' __________ rather than their "natural" intelligence or aptitude.

Accepted Answer

Standardized tests are often biased towards the cultural background of the students. Therefore, the tests may be measuring the students' cultural capital, which refers to the knowledge, skills, and cultural experiences that students acquire from their family background and cultural upbringing, rather than their "natural" intelligence or aptitude.

Question 15

__________ involves "proper" attitudes toward education, socially approved dress and manners, and knowledge about books, art, music, and other forms of high and popular culture.

Accepted Answer

The term "cultural capital" is used to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and cultural assets that give a person a higher status in society. This can include education, dress and manners, and knowledge about high and popular culture. It is a form of symbolic capital that can be used to gain advantages in social and economic interactions.

Question 16

Education keeps students off the street and out of the full-time job market for a number of years, thus helping keep unemployment within reasonable bounds. This illustrates the latent function of education referred to as __________.

Accepted Answer

The latent function of education referred to as "restricting some activities" involves keeping students engaged in schooling, which delays their entry into the full-time job market and helps manage unemployment rates.

Question 17

Some social scientists believe that __________ is one of the most obvious mechanisms through which students of color and those from low-income families receive a diluted academic program, making it much more likely that they will fall even further behind their white, middle-class counterparts.

Accepted Answer

Tracking is the practice of separating students by academic ability into different classes or programs. This can result in students of color and those from low-income families being placed in lower-level classes with less rigorous curriculum, while their white, middle-class counterparts are placed in higher-level classes with more challenging material. This can perpetuate achievement gaps and result in further disparities in education outcomes.

Question 18

Studies reveal that anywhere from _____ to _____ of U.S. students are bullied during the school year.

Accepted Answer

Studies indicate that approximately 15% to 25% of U.S. students experience bullying during the school year.

Question 19

According to French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, students from diverse class backgrounds come to school with different amounts of __________, which refers to social assets that include values, beliefs, attitudes, and competencies in language and culture.

Accepted Answer

Pierre Bourdieu identified cultural capital as the social assets that include values, beliefs, attitudes, and competencies in language and culture. This term refers to the knowledge, skills, and cultural practices that individuals from different social class backgrounds bring with them to school.

Question 20

Which of the following statement relating to bullying is false?

Accepted Answer

Bullying is often repeated and can happen to the same victim multiple times. Research has shown that about 20% of students report being bullied, and approximately one-third of those students report being bullied at least once or twice a month. Therefore, statement B is false.

Quiz 12: Education and Religion.