Sociology Assignment: Education System Of Mauritius

Question

Task: For this sociology assignment, each of the 2 questions must be answered separately in around 1000 words each with appropriate Harvard system of referencing, both intext and bibliography. Both answers should include examples from the Mauritian context as indicated in the Guide to essay type questions below. I herewith provide a brief to situate the Mauritian context for each question.

QUESTIONS
1. Assess the view that self-fulfilling prophecy is a constant problem in schools.
In Mauritius most teachers tend to show biases, both towards and against with respect to social class, family background and social groups when it comes to the performance of their pupils

2. To what extent is IQ being a fair measure of intelligence? Justify your answer.
(It is still a relevant debate for Mauritius as we tend to privilege a highly competitive system where examinations and assessment are to the detriment of the voiceless who might feel uneasy about the system but fail to question it. This debate fits well in our context owing to the inability of many children to use the English language, even when our curriculum is officially an English medium one. However, the debate is not merely language. In our context, several issues surrounding language should be considered, which include: the absence of clear-cut language policy, the inability of teachers to master the multilingual teaching method and pedagogy in a contest of a multiplicity of languages, a lack of attention given to all the competencies, reading, speaking and writing equally, the fact only writing skills are tested at the examinations, the tendency for teachers to be teaching to test, and the lack of exposure to the English Language in the media among others. Nevertheless, the situation of the French language, which is more extensively heard and used in the media, has also been a cause for concern.

Answer

1. Assess the view that self-fulfilling prophecy is a constant problem in schools.
Identification of the key idea/problem in the sociology assignment
Self-fulfilling prophecy is A process of predicting direct or indirect causes related to the true expectations of the simple fact. Usually in a classroom set up, teachers categorise a cluster of students as the troublemakers or the class clown. Such a prediction can be based upon multiple attributes like preconceived notions; bias is related to family background, social class or cultural groups (Francis et al., 2020). However, the role of a teacher of labelling students according to different categories or classification is a common nature. However, when this attitude or behavioural manifestation gets reflected in the form of self fulfilling prophecy to satisfy the personal wishes of the teacher, it becomes a constant source of problem or issue within the schools or educational setting.

How far do you agree?
Search bias prone behaviours are considered to be encouraged by teachers and carried outBy them most often which is considered to be under a sub conscious or unconscious instinct. Categorizing a child within the classroom set up as a clown or trouble creator is a mere reflection of bias and becomes endangering when continued to a certain point. It is the boss of the teacher within the school premises that creates a problem or issue in terms of long-term expectations. When the child gets categorised over a period of time to be termed as the clown other troublemaker of the classroom, the fellow students naturally derive an understanding that it is expected to call that child with that term (Mocan and Yu, 2020). When the teachers in Mauritius are found to show message towards and against the social class, social group or family background, it is possible that the classmates develop a common attitude to term the particular student or a group of students with the same suggested name. It creates a sense of expectation that the teachers are responsible off by categorising them as clowns or other trouble making rules. This gradually implies as that character attributed to the particular student based on the particular family background or social class by which they are turned and expected to perform on a similar manner on academic front as well (Zajda, 2021).

Refer to examples
The behavioral manifestation of those students are tried to be stigmatized and stereotypically identified to perform similarly even in academics and other performance roles. This signifies that by terming a student as clown the entire viewpoint of other fellow classmates and the entire school get inclined towards a biased opinion and behavioural inclination to acknowledge the person has just funny. It has a long term implication when such a bias becomes a constant problem within the school premises (Quirk, 2017). By accepting the term acknowledged by the teacher, it is possible that the student works towards complying towards such a behaviour do not just accept the labour but start performing to live up to that expectation. By refraining from doing academically well, the performance is possible to get oriented towards the fulfilment of prophecy of poor academic performance the student May actually lead towards a destructive orientation where the performance gets declined eventually

Assess:
With the attempt of self-fulfilling prophecies, the teacher option leads the student towards misguiding implications. This continues to be a problem when the student and other class fellows try to comply and fulfil the prophecy of the teacher who is a stronger and more influential impact upon them. In this attempt of circular pattern, the action towards self-fulfilling prophecy, the dictated action of the teacher eventually turns out to be a true fact when the student or the group of students try to behave in the similar manner as professed by the teacher (Ungkhana, 2019). As a form of positive reinforcement, the encouragement that the teachers and the fellow students provide to such a social class or family background oriented student group of children, acts as a problematic issue for a long tenure. This creates the beginning of a new cycle where a negative pattern of behavioral orientation gets manifested as a form of self fulfilling prophecy to satisfy the teacher according to the student.

Buyers for or against is considered to be a natural outcome when prejudice becomes an orientation of behaviour by a particular group of people within the educational institution. When a teacher engages in activities like labelling of people or students, it gets oriented in a complex world. However, it becomes essential to be aware of these processes as a part of consultant re-conciliation when significant problems associated over a long period. When the beliefs related to constant re-conciliation is brought into reality, it essentially creates a preventive approach towards injustice within the social arena. However it is necessary to check the tone of the voice used by the particular person, the facial expressions used and the gestures Made as a part of negative expectation. It is the use of positive words like the champion of the class or the most productive all-rounder student of the entire session acknowledged by the teacher provides a deep and strong encouragement in a positive way (Zajda, 2019). However when such Prophecies associated with particular family background, social class or social group categorisation, the use of optimistic words becomes a source of understanding.

Concluding
The subsequent formation of Behavioral attitude of the students is found to get shit accordingly to fulfill those prophecies in actual life for a long span of time. When the teacher of Mauritius establishes such positive or negative expectation oriented bias is in the form of predictions or prophecies, the willingness of the students to fulfil those prophecies becomes a source of challenge accomplishment. In order to comply with the prediction made by the teacher, the students and the other fellow mates naturally orient in the child like behaviour to strengthen the prediction of the teacher then making it happen and repeated nature. This brings a form of deliberation to fulfil and comply with the prediction made that influences or changes the attitude towards a particular child within the school premises.

2. To what extent is IQ being a fair measure of intelligence? Justify your answer.
Identify the key idea/problem
IQ test measures a wide variety of ability that determines multiple skill orientations of individuals. It not only helps in deriving the reasoning or memory skills but also the find mechanism of an individual to be able to perform to the best of their potential. In order to add meaning to the scores derived for the IQ test, each of the skill levels and abilities are categorically separated (Siebert, 2019). This helps a detailed understanding to be derived on the basis of interpretation from the overall general IQ score collected from the response of the particular individual. As a core concentration is upon the intelligence level upon certain skills and abilities of the individual, the fairness associated with the IQ test scale is often doubted and put to question.

How far do you agree
It has a wide range of skills and variety of fluid reasoning, working memory, verbal comprehension and cognitive abilities get tested in this analysis, the scores attributed to each of the achievements and needed to be meaningfully comprehended with the scores derived. As a cognitive scientist, whether the IQ score of an individual depicts the true ability or potential of an individual or not is subjected to judgements (Flynn, 2018). On the basis of cognitive scientists, it is believed that IQ tests actually denote a cross-cultural experiment where the linguistic and human cognition gets evaluated. It states that there is a certain extent of responsibility associated with the IQ test when it claims about person’s intellectual capacity upon a particular variant of skill level. However, one of the biggest issues that emerge as negative point off IQ test is the drawback in the form of score calculation. When the context of the intelligence test gets transformed, the IQ score level tends to modify accordingly.With the help of cross-cultural psychological experiment, the sensitivities tried to be maintained in terms of skill assessment through high or lowachievement.

As a part of coaching and motivation, the high score indicates a potential ability and expert dominance upon the particular issue under configuration. When the true potential or ability of the person is summarised, each of the skills denoting some certain high scores and likely to influence or impact the entire summary of score. When a person is found to be sensitive to particular coaching or motivation (Stankov and Lee, 2020), the issues related to culture or response towards the surroundings like the social environment get radically ignored. The IQ test acts as the gatekeeper in order to measure the degree of expertise through particular intervention and questions asked. Any sort of problematic questions asked related to ethnic and racial group, gets oriented in linguistic, cultural or economic dimension. It is the difference in the IQ score of particular community backgrounds like the blacks that an ethnic barrier gets created in terms of IQ test score.

Refer to examples
When the people in Mauritius try to attend to the privilege of increased competitive edge with the examination system, the fear of failing to the questions remains and addressed. Even if the student or the individual is scored with exceptionally high IQ, The resultant is considered to be an exception rather than a norm or normal score. Such a student or an individual is considered to be acknowledged as a gifted student. When the achievement gaps are necessary to be fuelled, the contribution from the minorities in terms of gifted students needs to be identified as well (Kasneci et al., 2021). It is not just the poor IQ who are forming the exception and becoming the non-normal population segment in terms of student assessment system. However, in case of Mauritius segment population, the students who had achieved the highest scores in terms of IQ test are also determined to be exceptional in terms of achievement and the uniqueness in their characteristic attributes. However, there are needs for increased improvements and changes required for the overall assessment to take place when the IQ test is carried out as a tool to promote the overall well-being of the human.

Assess:
IQ testing is considered as a standardised measure for understanding the Skill and ability about certain specific avenues. However it feels to integrate the final understanding about a human capacity in terms of complex nature under which the human intellect performed. The cognitive ability to differentiate different components have regarded through the IQ test or individual intelligence or intelligence quotient test (Gignac and Bates, 2017). Due to the psychological dimension of measurement, the flaws are found to remain in terms of certain false indications.It is quite possible for the researchers to determine the largest online test with the help of intelligence quotient weather results are lead to certain smart solutions. By looking at the data, the concept about IQ gets compromised with certain myths believed. Taking the cognitive neuroscience assessment into consideration, the use of IQ measurement necessitates 12 different online cognitive tests to analyse the reasoning, memory, attention or planning abilities.

Concluding
It is proclaimed by the scientists that the formation of mental Capacity and cognitive task leads towards determination of reasoning and verbal and numerical basis and subsequently evaluates the short-term and long-term memory. By considering the suggested theories, it is possible that categorical differences between people and not possible to be differentiated. The capability of people to train their brain not necessarily depicts the innate capability in terms of reasoning, logic our intelligence level present in them. This rather requires an emotional quotient or emotional intelligence to be analysed so that the particular individual’s aptitude level is possible to be evaluated. There is need for reasoning-based abilities to be created so that short-term and long-term memory along with verbal portions to be critically analysed in terms of differentiating each individual and diversified and fine tuned attributes.

References
Flynn, J.R., 2018. Reflections about intelligence over 40 years. Intelligence, 70, pp.73-83.
Francis, B., Craig, N., Hodgen, J., Taylor, B., Tereshchenko, A., Connolly, P. and Archer, L., 2020. The impact of tracking by attainment on pupil self-confidence over time: Demonstrating the accumulative impact of self-fulfilling prophecy. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 41(5), pp.626-642.
Gignac, G.E. and Bates, T.C., 2017. Brain volume and intelligence: The moderating role of intelligence measurement quality. Intelligence, 64, pp.18-29.

Kasneci, E., Kasneci, G., Appel, T., Haug, J., Wortha, F., Tibus, M., Trautwein, U. and Gerjets, P., 2021. TüEyeQ, a rich IQ test performance data set with eye movement, educational and socio-demographic information. Scientific Data, 8(1), pp.1-14.
Mocan, N. and Yu, H., 2020. Can superstition create a self-fulfilling prophecy? school outcomes of dragon children in China. Journal of Human Capital, 14(4), pp.485-534.
Quirk, A.K., 2017. Implicit Bias And The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Phenomenon And Their Affects On Literacy Performance In Elementary Students.
Siebert, J.M., 2019. Toward Linguistically Fair IQ Screening: The Multilingual Vocabulary Test (Master's thesis, Faculty of Humanities).
Stankov, L. and Lee, J., 2020. We Can Boost IQ: Revisiting Kvashchev’s Experiment. Sociology assignmentJournal of Intelligence, 8(4), p.41.
Ungkhana, T., 2019. Guidelines of growth mindset and self-fulfilling prophecy development to enhance cooperative education students' self-efficacy (Doctoral dissertation, School of Cooperative Education Institute of Social Technology Suranaree University of Technology).
Zajda, J., 2019. Research on Discrimination and Self-fulfilling Prophecy in Schools Globally. Education and Society, 37(1), pp.59-77.
Zajda, J., 2021. Discrimination and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Schools Globally. In Globalisation and Education Reforms (pp. 51-70). Springer, Cham.