Response unequal childhood,education Bordieu - Essay Example

Insert Unequal Childhood Education In explaining the relationship between social and academic achievements,Bourdieu introduced the concept of cultural capital. According to Bourdieu (47), cultural capital refers to non-monetary social resources that spur development beyond economic capital. On the contrary, economic capital refers to assets of a financial nature that are the primary source of superiority among the human race. In relating academic and mental capacity to the cultural wealth, Bourdieu as well introduced the concept of social capital.

According to Bourdieu, social capital refers to resources that accrue to the state of being affiliated to a certain group, class or organization. In essence, the nature of social capital has a direct relationship with the value of cultural capital. This response paper seeks to explain the relationship between the cultural capital and academic achievements, in light of unequal childhood education as explained by Pierre Bourdieu. Typically, a student from a middle class family will perform better in examinations and ongoing assessments than one from a working class family.

Many theories have been advanced to explain this phenomenon. While most people are of the idea that economic status has a prominent role to play in as far as the performance of the child is concerned, others are of the belief that academic excellence depends on the innate characteristics of the student such as the intelligence quotient and determination. Little known to many is that the level of achievements in the family can influence the academic performance of an individual. For instance, in a family where the parents are learned, and decent jobs, the children are expected to work hard.

On the contrary, where the social status of the parents is not as good, following the fact that they are not learned, the children are less motivated to achieve.Bourdieu’s argument is based on the supposition that there exist such a thing as family culture. Basing on Bourdieu’s argument, therefore, a child’s performance depends on the cultural capital of the family. Worth noting is the fact that cultural resources constitutes such things as education, life style, dressing behaviors et cetera.

As such, Bourdieu argues that the customs and cultural possessions of the family are significant determinants of educational achievement. Bourdieu argues that educational gain from school activity depends on the cultural resources already invested by the family. This explains the disproportionate achievements in scholarly endeavors. The families belonging to different social classes invest differently, irrespective of the capital in question. In explaining the different types of intellectual capital that are behind the unequal attainments in early childhood education, Bourdieu (48) argued that embodied cultural capital, which entailed the genetic features passed from parents to their children, was the reason behind the perceived intrinsic features of having a sharp mind and excellent concentration.

This might be true but cannot be proven as inherited properties are not easily verifiable unless they are visible. Much as the works of Bourdieu have received a lot of criticism, they bring with them some sense. However, it is only the psychological aspects of the hypothesis that hold truth. For instance, it is true that the level of motivation a child gets from the achievements of the parents can have a significant motivational role. On the contrary, it is not sufficiently objective to argue that the cultural capital of the parents can be genetically passed down to the kids.

Even so, it is pretty clear that, much like in a business where the return depends on the input, the educational attainments are directly related to the intellectual capital investedWork citedBourdieu, Pierre. Forms of capital. London: Routledge. 1986. Print