Although Boudons distinction between primary and secondary effects, and its associated rational action models of inequality of educational opportunity, have been more influential in the field of social stratification and mobility than in the sociology of education, there is good reason to reconsider the theoretical and practical implications of…

Can an explanation of the origins of social disparities in educational achievement be assisted by a critical examination of Bernstein's sociology? This central question is approached by a consideration of the status of Bernstein's socio-linguistic thesis. The focus is on the nature of the explanations provided. The paper asks: What is the…

The existence of social differences in educational achievement as a social fact presents the sociology of education with a challenge to which it has responded with indifferent success. It is argued that contemporary explanations that dismiss the existence and relevance of differences in cognitive performance arising as a consequence of class…

Cites studies that show that environmental effects on ability test scores and school attainment are welcomed, while ability is regarded as a social construct. Asserts that an account of cognitive socialization based on the work of Bernstein and Vygotsky would represent an advance in explaining social differences in educational attainment.…

Two writers, Hickox and Hargreaves, who recently criticized Marxist sociology of education, largely misunderstand and misrepresent the work they criticize. Hickox attributes a position to Marxist sociologists of education which few hold. Hargreaves is insufficiently familiar with Marxist scholarship to grasp the nature of the Marxist project.…