SES.

One’s socioeconomic status is depicted through the configuration of a number of components. These elements encompass the wealth, education and occupation of members of relation to the individual, (White, 1982). Socio-economic status is method of measurement which illustrates a position that an individual stands relative to society. In education, the individual being the student and the factors therefore centralising around the parental influence on the child. This consists of the income brought home by the guardian, the level of education of the parent as well as their career.

Students encounter these elements along their educational experiences. These components are dependent on the either ends of the scales, they can be a barrier for some students and mere resource for others. Socioeconomic status is a term that used predominately in education as reason for the gap between student achievements. The attainability of certain school resources for the child weighs heavily on the variant economic figures of the student’s guardian. Evidently, parental wealth plays a role in aid of a student’s academic work. Awareness of school routine, structure and the fundamental aspects of particular subjects by a parent, allows for an easy cross-section between home and class studies, (McLoyd, 1998). Parental education can influence the difference in comprehension and learning amongst students in the same class due to the lack of or additional reinforcement and discussion that revises content outside of the classroom.  The third element of the socio-economic status in education is parental occupation which overlays the grounds of parental wealth and education.

There are a number of classroom strategies that educators can utilise to cater for students of a low socioeconomic background and aid all students reach their full potential. One technique that assists students of a low socioeconomic background is through the implementation of events such as parent teaching nights and academic conferences. This strategy provides the extra time and attention for individual students and more importantly the guardian’s comprehension of the general subject idea as well as their child’s progress. The building of teacher and parent relationship allows for an ease of transmission from school to home study.

Some general strategies to overcome the pressures of a student’s socioeconomic background are through mere reward systems. An encouragement that may or may not be illustrated by guardians due to their hypothetical disinterest or lack of understanding can be enforced constructively in the classroom. The extrinsic motivation in the classroom is important as it can at times be the only source of motivation obtained by a particular student.

Resource:

Bourdieu, P. (1986). “The forms of capital”. In J. Richardson. (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education, New York: Greenwood Press. 

McLoyd, V. (1998). “Socioeconomic disadvantage and child development”. American Psychologist, 53(2), 185-204.

White, K. (1982). “The relation between socioeconomic status and academic achievement”. Psychological Bulletin, 91(3), 461-481.