Howard Becker on Education (Modern Educational Thought)

Howard Becker has made a major contribution to sociological studies of education over the last forty years. His work has been drawn upon by numerous researchers working on studies of classrooms, schools and higher education in Britain, Europe, Australasia and North America. This collection of essays brings together a range of Howard Becker's work on education and educational institutions. It provides examples of empirical studies on teachers and pupils, conceptual analyses of schools and higher education institutions, and a reflective discussion of ethnographic work in education. Schools, teachers, pupils, teacher-pupil interaction, assessment and testing are some of the topics on which Howard Becker writes. There is an introduction to a range of concepts in the symbolic interactionist tradition, including: career, commitment, situational adjustment and socialisation. Ethnographic methods are discussed, and there are several examples of the ways in which in depth interview data can be used in educational studies.