Grade Inflation in the Caribbean
The education system is stated to be a means of mobility through society but it aids in social control and the continuance of the class system and class inequality. The focus of my analysis will be that of grade inflation in Barbados as a reflection of the wider Caribbean from the Marx perspective. Grade inflation according to Sociology, A Down To Earth Approach 11th Edition by James M. Henslin ‘occurs when higher grades are given for the same work thereby there is a general rise in student grades without a corresponding increase in learning’ or as explained by Goldman, grade inflation is defined as an upward shift in the grade point average (GPA) of students over an extended period of time without a corresponding increase in student achievement (Goldman, 1985). In detail this means that the average grade for a course etches up from a grade C to a grade B which is usually reserved for above average performances, and in this case it could have been based on a ‘who you know’ or socio economic background. According to Karl Marx society is divided into two classes, bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie control not only the government but the educational system and they introduce and reiterate false class consciousness in the proletariat’s children. This reinforces acceptance of the status quo by dulling the lower class into obedient workers due to the hidden curriculum which are subtle presentations of political or cultural ideas in the class room; thereby allowing the rich to maintain their status in society because they are the owners of the means of production and the lower classes have no other choice but to work and provide for them.
Advantages – self promotion for the student, making them feel as though they have achieved a lot and their studying time is paying off but this is also seen as a disadvantage because you are fooling the student into thinking that they are achieving these high grades when the grades had been inflated. Students also compete
Advantages – self promotion for the student, making them feel as though they have achieved a lot and their studying time is paying off but this is also seen as a disadvantage because you are fooling the student into thinking that they are achieving these high grades when the grades had been inflated. Students also compete
References: American Association of Behavioural Social Science Online Journal- Consolation L. Fajardo, DPA, CPA National University, CA, USA. Background Information- Marxist Theory and Capitalist Class Structures- http://www.earlhamsociologypages.co.uk/marxclasscap.htm CliffsNotes.com. Theories of Education. 2 Nov 2012 James M. Henslin Sociology, A Down To Earth Approach 11th Edition Levine, A. & Cureton, J. S. (1998). When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today 's College Student. San Francisco: Jossey -Bass. Seligman, D. (2002). The grade-inflation swindles. Forbes, March 18, 2002 v169 i6 p094