Which sociologists argue that teachers’ assessments tend to reflect their views of what middle-class students should be capable of, rather than their actual performance?

Which sociologists argue that teachers’ assessments tend to reflect their views of what middle-class students should be capable of, rather than their actual performance?

• A. Gillborn & Youdell
• B. Pierre Bourdieu
• C. Plowden
• D. Parsons

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is that teachers’ judgments in assessment are not neutral; they’re shaped by expectations tied to social class. Gillborn and Youdell argue that teachers often evaluate pupils through a lens that reflects what middle-class students are assumed to be capable of, rather than basing marks and streams strictly on what the pupil has actually shown. In their work on streaming and the distribution of grades (the so‑called “A-C economy”), teachers’ beliefs about a pupil’s potential—grounded in classed norms—can lead to higher assessments for those deemed to fit middle-class expectations and lower ones for others, regardless of demonstrated performance. This highlights how classroom grading and tracking can reproduce social inequalities by aligning with middle-class cultural capital. While Pierre Bourdieu also explains how schools reproduce class through cultural capital, the question’s phrasing—specifically about assessments reflecting middle-class expectations over actual performance—tracks most directly to Gillborn and Youdell’s focus on teachers’ expectations in grading and streaming. The Plowden report emphasizes child-centered pedagogy, and Parsons presents a functionalist view of education as meritocratic, not the bias in everyday assessment this item targets.

The idea being tested is that teachers’ judgments in assessment are not neutral; they’re shaped by expectations tied to social class. Gillborn and Youdell argue that teachers often evaluate pupils through a lens that reflects what middle-class students are assumed to be capable of, rather than basing marks and streams strictly on what the pupil has actually shown. In their work on streaming and the distribution of grades (the so‑called “A-C economy”), teachers’ beliefs about a pupil’s potential—grounded in classed norms—can lead to higher assessments for those deemed to fit middle-class expectations and lower ones for others, regardless of demonstrated performance. This highlights how classroom grading and tracking can reproduce social inequalities by aligning with middle-class cultural capital.

While Pierre Bourdieu also explains how schools reproduce class through cultural capital, the question’s phrasing—specifically about assessments reflecting middle-class expectations over actual performance—tracks most directly to Gillborn and Youdell’s focus on teachers’ expectations in grading and streaming. The Plowden report emphasizes child-centered pedagogy, and Parsons presents a functionalist view of education as meritocratic, not the bias in everyday assessment this item targets.