Roy Nash – författare

Inequalities in educational opportunity have been a persistent feature of all school systems for generations, with conventional explanations of differences in educational attainment tending to be reduced to either quantitative or non-quantitative 'list' theories. In this groundbreaking book, Roy Nash argues that a realist framework for the sociological explanation of educational group differences can, and must be, constructed. A move to such an explanatory framework will allow us to take into account the social influences of early childhood development, the later emergence of social identities, and the nature of the social class impact of educational and career decision-making. By building on the critical analyses of the theories of Bourdieu, Boudon and Bernstein, this book makes a vital contribution to the current policy and theoretical debate about the causes of educational inequality.

In this study – the outcome of three years’ participant observation in local authority primary and secondary schools – the classroom teacher is shown to have a far greater impact upon and responsibility for his pupils than is generally admitted. The teacher’s perceptions of the children in his class are demonstrated to have a more important bearing on the pupils’ attainment than the major factor of their social class. In carrying out this research, Roy Nash has moved outside the mainstream tradition of educational psychology to take into account the methods of anthropology and sociology. He shows, by looking at the actual behaviour of teachers and children in classrooms, and by following the pupils from several different primary schools through to the same local authority secondary school, how the teacher’s expectations for his pupils can act as self-fulfilling prophecies. The author’s illuminating research is illustrated with tables and with three Appendices.

In industrialized societies the needs of people living in remote and sparsely populated areas are easily overlooked, whilst in developing countries the needs of the rural population are at once so obvious and so enormous that our practical concern is blunted. In this volume it is clearly demonstrated that the relationship between environment and schooling is no less pertinent in rural areas than urban areas, although most recent attention has been directed towards the latter. Roy Nash seeks to redress the balance and in this wide-ranging and comprehensive analysis he examines the educational needs of rural people both in the declining periphery of urban Europe and in the resource-starved areas of the developing world.

In the field of teacher expectations and pupil learning one important psychological truth is that the pupils’ achievement in learning is strongly influenced by the teachers’ expectations of their level of performance, high or low. Roy Nash discusses critically and fully important research in this area. In the belief that research must be interpreted within an overall theory of social action, the author relates the empirical studies which he examines to an interactionist theory. He emphasizes the importance of making teachers aware of the implications of what they are doing and of the possibility of establishing wider and more educative patterns of interaction. He shows that research into ‘attitudes’, ‘perceptions’, or ‘expectations’ is all essentially concerned with the same problem: how teachers relate to pupils on the basis of a model of what pupils may be.Much of the work he discusses has direct relevance to teachers in their day-to-day work. The research findings will help them to become more aware of their attitudes and how these influence their actions, and should make them more likely to give all their pupils equal opportunities within their classes. Among the topics covered are observational and experimental studies of teacher expectations, the analysis of classroom climate, self-conceptions, pupils’ perceptions and expectations, and the significance of classroom-based research into teacher/pupil interaction.

In the field of teacher expectations and pupil learning one important psychological truth is that the pupils’ achievement in learning is strongly influenced by the teachers’ expectations of their level of performance, high or low. Roy Nash discusses critically and fully important research in this area. In the belief that research must be interpreted within an overall theory of social action, the author relates the empirical studies which he examines to an interactionist theory. He emphasizes the importance of making teachers aware of the implications of what they are doing and of the possibility of establishing wider and more educative patterns of interaction. He shows that research into ‘attitudes’, ‘perceptions’, or ‘expectations’ is all essentially concerned with the same problem: how teachers relate to pupils on the basis of a model of what pupils may be.Much of the work he discusses has direct relevance to teachers in their day-to-day work. The research findings will help them to become more aware of their attitudes and how these influence their actions, and should make them more likely to give all their pupils equal opportunities within their classes. Among the topics covered are observational and experimental studies of teacher expectations, the analysis of classroom climate, self-conceptions, pupils’ perceptions and expectations, and the significance of classroom-based research into teacher/pupil interaction.

In this study – the outcome of three years’ participant observation in local authority primary and secondary schools – the classroom teacher is shown to have a far greater impact upon and responsibility for his pupils than is generally admitted. The teacher’s perceptions of the children in his class are demonstrated to have a more important bearing on the pupils’ attainment than the major factor of their social class. In carrying out this research, Roy Nash has moved outside the mainstream tradition of educational psychology to take into account the methods of anthropology and sociology. He shows, by looking at the actual behaviour of teachers and children in classrooms, and by following the pupils from several different primary schools through to the same local authority secondary school, how the teacher’s expectations for his pupils can act as self-fulfilling prophecies. The author’s illuminating research is illustrated with tables and with three Appendices.

In industrialized societies the needs of people living in remote and sparsely populated areas are easily overlooked, whilst in developing countries the needs of the rural population are at once so obvious and so enormous that our practical concern is blunted. In this volume it is clearly demonstrated that the relationship between environment and schooling is no less pertinent in rural areas than urban areas, although most recent attention has been directed towards the latter. Roy Nash seeks to redress the balance and in this wide-ranging and comprehensive analysis he examines the educational needs of rural people both in the declining periphery of urban Europe and in the resource-starved areas of the developing world.

Inequalities in educational opportunity have been a persistent feature of all school systems for generations, with conventional explanations of differences in educational attainment tending to be reduced to either quantitative or non-quantitative 'list' theories. In this groundbreaking book, Roy Nash argues that a realist framework for the sociological explanation of educational group differences can, and must be, constructed. A move to such an explanatory framework will allow us to take into account the social influences of early childhood development, the later emergence of social identities, and the nature of the social class impact of educational and career decision-making. By building on the critical analyses of the theories of Bourdieu, Boudon and Bernstein, this book makes a vital contribution to the current policy and theoretical debate about the causes of educational inequality.