The Impact of Socio-Economic Status in Education

By Stephanie Christelow

Introduction

There are many different social issues that impact the development and

implementation of education policies, school practices and teaching strategies. Socio-

economic status (SES) is a topic that I find interesting, especially as I have grown up with

and now work with students who have a low socio-economic status. The way that people

with a low SES are portrayed through different sources show that ideals such as

meritocracy and equity are not practiced in the education system. This is important to me

as a pre-service teacher because I find that it is important to differentiate and support the

students who come from a low SES background, and help them to succeed through their

schooling and throughout their lives. So, I endeavour to answer the question: How will the

socio-economic status of my students impact me as a pre-service teacher, and how can I

assist them to succeed in my classroom?

This paper will focus on how low socio-economic status impacts on the education

system and how it impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Most importantly I will

discuss how I can use my knowledge of low socio-economic status to shape my own

teaching strategies, and incorporate tools such as ICT to assist students with a low SES

to succeed in my classroom. I will analyse material from articles, cartoons and websites to

support my evidence.

The Impacts of Low Socio-Economic Status

Students with a low socio-economic status are more likely to under-perform at

school which is then restricting their life choices. These students have factors such as Commented [SC1]: Understanding of challenges for
students with low-socio economic status.
their geographical location and their parents’ occupation and education giving them a

disadvantage before they even start schooling (TLG, 2018). The students with a more

Last updated: June 2013

Approved by: University Learning and Teaching Committee
privileged background are able to succeed as they have access to high quality schooling,

materials and opportunities which students with a low SES do not have. An article by Paul

Karp from ‘The Guardian’ (See Appendix A) shows that students who are at a socio-

economic disadvantage have fallen 3 years behind their cohort. The lack of resources and

opportunities for these students have caused them to fall behind at an alarming rate which

is affecting their futures opportunities.

Meritocracy is the belief where success is achieved through the merit and effort of

an individual, not their class, race or gender. It is considered to be a dominant ideology

because it has connotations with fairness (Goodman, 2014). However, while looking at

articles, cartoons and pictures regarding meritocracy, it would seem that this is not the

case. In the article ‘Meritocracy is a Myth’ (See Appendix B) it says ‘A disadvantaged child

will nearly always and everywhere become a disadvantaged adult’. This outlook is

implying that if a disadvantaged student does not have access to the same opportunities

that an advantaged child has, as they continue into their adulthood, there will be no

change, making it hard to break the pattern for future generations.

This impacts me as a pre-service teacher, as the students that I will be teaching will

be coming from different SES backgrounds, and some are likely to have fallen behind the

others in their class due to the lack of resources and opportunities that have been

available to them. I will have to find ways to create equal opportunity for these students so

that they will have the same chances to succeed as their peers, breaking the cycle that

has been set by the previous generations.

The Effect of SES on Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders Commented [SC2]: APST 1.4 and 2.4 is also shown here.

As shown on the website teachlearngrow.org.au (See appendix C) Indigenous

students have fallen 2.5 years behind non-indigenous students, 77% of them are below

the baseline in maths and 3 in 5 Indigenous students do not complete schooling.

Indigenous students have been considered disadvantaged due to the affect’s history has

made on them. Many Indigenous students are living with family who have suffered the

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trauma of the stolen generations. After European settlers arrived in Australia, the

Indigenous people lost a lot of their languages and culture causing them pain and

suffering (Kearns, 2016). Indigenous students often reside outside metropolitan areas and

have a low SES background which adds to their disadvantage (Perry, 2017). Retention

rates among Indigenous students are also very low, which can be caused by health

problems and problems within the home (Connell, et al., 2013).

In an attempt to raise the retention rates of indigenous students, teachers are

already adapting their teaching strategies to help them to feel safe and welcome in the

classroom. This relates to my ongoing professionalism in that I will be adapting how I

teach to accommodate not only for students who have a low SES, but I will also consider

those students who have an Indigenous background and consider what I can do to help

them to feel welcome in my classroom.

Education Policies and SES

The ‘National Safe Schools Framework’ guides Australian schools to formulate their

policies by providing principles which encourage wellbeing and develop respectful

relationships with the school communities. In the framework (See appendix D1) there is a

paragraph which states that in safe schools, risk and harm are minimised and diversity is

valued which implies that this framework encourages schools to create an environment in

which students do not feel oppressed or disadvantaged. Element 2 of the policy (See

appendix D2) is driven by characteristics which encourage inclusivity, respect and support

for student diversity and encourage the recognition of distinctive needs of specific groups

in the community. This includes communities which are of a low SES and need the extra

support from the school community. This framework aligns with my values as it

encourages the need to create extra support for those students who are struggling with

social issues which are impacting their education. If school’s follow this framework to

create their policies they will be creating a policy which encourages inclusivity, diversity

and recognition of needs.

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What the Schools Say

School mission statements generally align with the ideal that students should be

provided with the opportunities to reach their potentials. Seton College’s mission

statement (See appendix E) shows that the school values these ideals and encourages

the teachers to develop a curriculum which is challenging and relevant to the students’

needs. However, while school mission statements say that schools support and

encourage students who have extra needs there is often a disparity in how the school

runs. The price of schooling has become very high and it is not possible for students who

have a low SES to attend schools which have a high achievement rate and provide

additional opportunities for their students. A survey conducted by ‘The Good Schools

Guide’ in 2013 (See appendix F) shows that schools in metropolitan areas are a lot more

expensive than schools in regional areas, and many Catholic and Independent schools

charge over 4 times the amount that a government school charges. This is causing the

gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students to widen as there is no

opportunities for the disadvantaged students to attend these schools, and it is a lot easier

for them to afford schools in rural areas which are not able to provide the same

opportunities. The ‘Meritocracy’ cartoon (See appendix G) shows this through Jim’s ability

to easily reach success through the support and opportunities he has, while Seng, even

though he has the same IQ, finds it a lot harder to reach success because of his

background and low SES.

While the mission statements align with my beliefs, the way that the schools are

priced and run disagree with how I believe education should be available to all students

and provide the same opportunities and experiences between them.

ICT and Learning

Using the resources available to me through whichever school that I will teach at

can help me to provide opportunities and experiences for students with a low SES. ICT

allows students who live in rural areas to access education and information which would

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otherwise be unavailable to them. It helps students with a low SES to have opportunities

to learn and interact with resources that they would not otherwise have. Although

resources such as laptops and internet can be expensive, schools often provide these for

the students so that they have the ability to use the resources irrespective of their

economic status. There are materials such as virtual reality devices where the students

are able to interact with, and experience different environments without having to leave

the room. These ICT devices help the low SES students to have an equal opportunity to

learn among their peers. Using ICT learning tools in my classroom would help low SES

students to have opportunities which would help them to learn and grow.

Teaching Strategies Commented [SC3]: Strategies to assist students with low

socio-economic backgrounds.
To allow all students to have an equal chance at succeeding I must be able to

develop my teaching strategies in a way that supports students with different social

issues. Students with a low SES would have problems with accessing and affording

materials to learn effectively. I could supply some materials for them through the school

which would assist them in their learning, however to look at a more long-term approach

in assisting these students I would need a strategy that changes their approach to

learning in a way that helps them to overcome their disadvantages. In Angela Duckworth’s

TED Talk (See appendix H), she explains that through her research it is not the

intelligence or the family income of the student, but rather their grit that will allow them to

succeed. Through the ability to persevere and continue putting in effort there is more

chance of them succeeding because when they fail they don’t give up, but they keep

trying and learning from their mistakes. This view inspires me to teach my students grit as

a part of my teaching strategy. By teaching the students not to give up they have more

chance of succeeding throughout school and into their adult lives.

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Conclusion

Socio-economic status affects students depending on aspects such as their

geographical location and the occupation and education of their parents. These students

are disadvantaged at school because they don’t have access to the same resources and

opportunities as the more advantaged students. Indigenous students are often

disadvantaged and require support within the classroom. School’s create policies and

mission statements in an attempt to guide the school to support these students, however

the price of schooling often means that low SES students are unable to attend schools

which provide more opportunities.

I am able to support these students through developing my teaching strategies as a

pre-service teacher. I can support low SES students by creating a safe and welcoming

environment and incorporating ICT tools into their learning to give them more access to

opportunities that they would not normally receive. I can also teach my students the

importance of grit and how to use this to succeed throughout their lives.

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References
Australian Government Department of Education. (2010). National Safe Schools
Framework. Retrieved from education.gov:
https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/national_safe_schools_fra
mework.pdf
Bloodworth, J. (2014, June 4). Meritocracy is a myth. Retrieved from Independent:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/meritocracy-is-a-myth-
9483779.html
Collins, D. (2015, April 18). Notes from a Boy @ The Window. Retrieved from
donaldcollins.com: https://donaldearlcollins.com/2015/04/18/merit-hypocrisy-in-
the-air/
Connell, R., Welch, A., Vickers, M., Foley, D., Bagnall, N., Hayes, D., . . . Campbell, C.
(2013). Education, Change and Society (3 ed.). South Melbourne: Oxford
University Press.
Duckworth, A. L. (2013, May 9). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Retrieved
from youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14bBuluwB8
Goodman, S. (2014). Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Retrieved from Springer Link:
https://doi-org.ezproxy2.acu.edu.au/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_609
Karp, P. (2017, March 15). Socioeconomic disadvantage puts students three years behind,
report finds. Retrieved from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/mar/15/socioeconomic-
disadvantage-students-three-years-behind-report-finds
Kearns, K. (2016). Supporting Education - The Teaching Assistant's Handbook. South
Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.
Perry, L. (2017, March 5). Educational disadvantage is a huge problem in Australia - we
can't just carry on the same. Retrieved from The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/educational-disadvantage-is-a-huge-problem-in-
australia-we-cant-just-carry-on-the-same-74530
The Good Schools Guide. (2013). Survey reveals the cost of an Australian school
education. Retrieved from The Good Schools Guide:
https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/education-updates/survey-reveals-
the-cost-of-an-australian-school-education
TLG. (2018). Educational Disadvantage exists in Australia. Retrieved from TLG.

Appendices
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Appendix A - https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/mar/15/socioeconomic-

disadvantage-students-three-years-behind-report-finds

Appendix B - https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/meritocracy-is-a-myth-

9483779.html

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Appendix C - https://www.teachlearngrow.org.au/educationaldisadvantage/

Appendix D1 -

https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/national_safe_schools_framework.pd

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Appendix D2 -

Appendix E - http://www.seton.qld.edu.au/about-us/about-seton/Pages/Mission-

Statement.aspx

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Appendix F- https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/education-updates/survey-reveals-

the-cost-of-an-australian-school-education

Appendix G - https://donaldearlcollins.com/2015/04/18/merit-hypocrisy-in-the-air/

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Appendix H -

https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perse

verance

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