Success and Failure at School (EDUC90634)

In all OECD countries, student achievement displays marked social patterns. These tend to persist over time, even while changing in form. A major question for educational research and policy is to understand how these patterns arise and why they persist. This subject provides an introduction to theories of social inequality in education. It draws on writings from a wide range of contexts, both geographical and historical, to capture differences in approach and developments over time. The aim is to see how researchers have sought to explain and interpret social patterns in achievement at different stages of schooling and tertiary education and in different national contexts, and thus to help evaluate policies aimed at reducing inequality.