Cultural capital refers to non-financial social assets like education, knowledge, and speech patterns that promote social mobility. Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu theorized that cultural capital contributes to educational achievement, giving an advantage to students from the middle class whose culture and experiences are valued in schools. Studies have found that cultural capital transmitted in the home, like reading habits and museum visits, significantly impact students' exam results. However, critics note that a lack of material resources can also affect educational outcomes regardless of cultural capital. Additionally, not all working class students fail at school.

1. CULTURAL CAPITAL
DEFINITION OF CULTURAL CAPITAL
Non-financial social assets that promote social
mobility beyond economic means, such as
education, intellect, style of speech, dress, and
even physical appearance.

2. By the end of today’s lesson you
will be able to
• Define the term ‘cultural capital’.
• Explain how cultural capital affects educational
achievement between different classes.
• Define marketisation
• Demonstrate how social class impacts choice of
secondary schools

3. Theory:
• Pierre Bourdieu (1977)
• Cultural and material factors contribute to
educational achievement.
• Uses the concept of ‘capital’ to explain why
the middle class are more successful in
education.

4. What is cultural capital?

5. What is cultural capital?
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•
•
•
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Knowledge
Attitudes
Values
Language
Taste
Abilities
Of the middle class
• Therefore middle class culture is a type of capital.
(Like wealth, it gives an advantage to those who
possess it)

6. Definition of cultural capital:
• The values, knowledge or ideas that parents
can pass on to their children, which can then
influence their success at school and later in
life.
• Cultural reproduction.

7. Cultural capital and education achievement.
• The middle class are at an advantage in school
as these abilities/interests are valued and
rewarded.
• Working class pupils find that school devalues
and rejects their culture as ‘rough’ and
inferior.
• The lack of cultural capital for the working
class leads to exam failure.

8. Recent study:
• Sullivan (2001) applied Bourdieu’s theory.
• Looked at reading, music and TV viewing
habits & visits to art galleries and museums.
• Findings: Cultural capital was transmitted
within the home and had a significant effect
on achievement of GCSE.

10. Criticisms:
• Halsey (1980) found that material factors are
important. Lack of money may stop pupils
staying on at school/going to university.
• Not ALL working class students fail, even if
they don’t have cultural capital.

11. Gerwitz (1995)
Marketisation and Parental Choice

12. Gerwitz (1995)
The study identified THREE types of parents
1.Privileged Skilled choosers
2.Semi-skilled choosers
3.Disconnected Local choosers

13. Gerwitz(1995)
• The Education Reform Act 1988 introduced the idea that
parents could choose the school that their children went to,
instead of assuming that the they could just go the local
school.
• Gerwirtz studied class differences in parental choice of
secondary schools
• Her study of 14 London schools was based on interviews and
secondary data . She found out that economic and cultural
capital leads to class differences in how far parents can
choose a child’s secondary education.

14. Gewirtz: marketisation and
parental choice
• Activity
• You are going to conduct some ‘TV’ interviews
with parents about their choices of school.
• Half of you will be interviewers and half will
be parents

15. By the end of today’s lesson you
will be able to
• Define the term ‘cultural capital’.
• Explain how cultural capital affects educational
achievement between different classes.
• Define marketisation
• Demonstrate how social class impacts choice of
secondary schools