Online event. Please register via the link below to receive further details.

This event is part of the School of Education's Bristol Conversations in Education research seminar series. These seminars are free and open to the public.

Speaker: Professor Chris Brown, Professor in Education, Durham University

The educational attainment gap illustrates the differences in academic outcomes attained by economically advantaged and disadvantaged children. The gap is evident when children begin school and reaches 19.3 months by the end of secondary school. The gap illustrates the importance of intervening early to attend to the learning needs of disadvantaged students. One possible avenue for such an intervention relates to the access to social and cultural capital provided by one’s interpersonal connections and social environments. Adopting a ‘capital shortage’ lens spotlights that children from disadvantaged backgrounds may perform less well in school because the social and cultural capital they acquire through their families/social contacts and experiences can fall short, or stand in tension with, what they require to succeed. With this in mind, the purpose of the presentation is to show how capital and network theory, when used to explore the social and cultural capital accessed by advantaged and disadvantaged children, highlights the divergences that appear to exist between these two groups. Furthermore, it will illustrate the impact these capital differences might have for key skills, knowledge and behaviours. Finally, it will explore how access to different network types, or how changes in children’s position within networks, can improve the capital available to them.

This event is hosted by the Centre for Psychological Approaches for Studying Education (PASE)

 

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