Overview of Alice Sullivan’s cultural capital research
Alice Sullivan’s study, “Cultural Capital and Educational Attainment”, tested Bourdieu’s idea that middle-class pupils may gain an advantage in education because they are more likely to possess the kinds of language, knowledge and cultural familiarity that schools reward. Sullivan surveyed pupils about their own and their parents’ cultural capital, including reading, television habits, music, cultural activities, vocabulary and knowledge of cultural figures. Her study focused on Year 11 pupils in England and linked these responses to later GCSE performance.
Sullivan found that cultural capital was often transmitted within the home and had a significant effect on GCSE attainment. However, she also argued that cultural capital could only partly explain class differences in achievement, because social class still had an effect even after cultural capital was controlled for. This makes the study useful for AQA Education because it supports Bourdieu, but also gives students evaluation: cultural capital matters, but it is not the whole explanation for educational inequality.
The activity below updates Sullivan’s approach by asking students to reflect on their own reading, cultural participation, media habits and knowledge of contemporary cultural figures. It is not designed to label students as “cultured” or “uncultured”. Instead, it helps them think sociologically about which forms of culture are most likely to be recognised by schools, exams, universities and employers.
What Is Your Cultural Capital Profile?
This activity is inspired by Alice Sullivan’s research into cultural capital and educational achievement. You will answer questions about reading, cultural participation, media habits and knowledge of cultural figures.
In sociology, cultural capital means the knowledge, language, tastes and cultural experiences that may be valued by powerful institutions such as schools, universities and employers.
Additionally there is a download of this activity to distribute in class if students are unable to access the quiz above.
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