Causes of Inequality in Educational Opportunities

Extract

[...] He thus neglects a form of individual freedom and would encourage mechanisms of cheating or corruption with the teaching staff, based solely on the value of the note. His return on the Gros-Bourdieu report does not seem sufficient in the end to explain the persistence and reproduction of educational inequalities, as major subjects such as habitus, the role of the reference group or the status of public organizations have been evaded. To conclude, Boudon remains an important figure in the study of educational inequalities. In his study on the main causes, he returns to the lack of perception and valuation of educational opportunities by different social milieus. [...]

[...] The inequality of opportunities at school remains a difficult variable to measure due to its extreme sensitivity depending on social origins or previous academic success of parental models. He confirms that children from a more privileged social background have a higher probability of success in higher education than others from more modest backgrounds. It is also an event that lasts and reproduces over time despite the efforts and investments made by educational policies. The author's main thesis revolves around the different value that social backgrounds place on education. [...]

[...] In addition, there is also the cognitive and cultural impact that depends on social origin. After a rapid simulation, Boudon concludes that it is mainly the first factor that penalizes individuals and induces the reproduction of educational inequalities. In fact, this difference in appreciation has an amplifying effect over time, which leads to a succession of education choices during the school curriculum and therefore to self-selection of individuals according to their social origin. The aspirations of families on school play a greater role in the orientation of the individual than any other factor, even with the presence of a dedicated guidance counselor. [...]

[...] He encourages individual reappropriation of success elements by focusing on success through results. However, his individual approach does not explain the social and societal determinants that play a role in decision-making and the effective skills of individuals to succeed in school and face the competition of other social milieus, motivations and more consistent investments. Interactions and educational policies that punctuate the school career of individuals would also be judicious indicators of research to grasp this future success. [...]

[...] Thus, the combination of these different parameters justifies the universal, reproductive, and intense nature of educational inequalities that punctuate contemporary societies. Furthermore, he notes that inequality of opportunity at the educational level goes beyond apparent success since orientation towards the most favorable streams also relates to social origin. Thus, the perception of the future and orientation by the social background of origin will have an impact on the long-term effectiveness of the school on the individual's success. For Boudon, it is the addition of both social and psychological elements that explains this difference. [...]