Rites of Passage & Power

Mean GirlsRites of Passage & Power : 

Mean GirlsRites of Passage & Power Danielle Longway EDF6884 6/25/2010 Dlongway@knights.ucf.edu

Purpose : 

Purpose The purpose of this film ethnography is to understand how social reproduction within our U.S. culture influences experiences for high school students across the nation.

Literature Review : 

Literature Review Socialization is a cultural process that is learned naturally by social exposure through communication. This process takes place in childhood and is reified throughout life to establish cultural norms and values, so that one becomes an accepted member of a society (Module 3). 1. Marxism and Education (Theory of Marxism & Marxism and Educational Thought) 2. Reproduction Theory and Education (Reproduction Theory, Beth Anne, and “Hey, Those ShoesAre Out of Uniform”) 3. Rite of Passage (Comparative Analysis of American Teenager Cliques and The Meaning of Meanness: Popularity, Competition, and Conflict among Junior High School Girls)

Marxism : 

Marxism What is Marxism? Where does it originate? Class, Ideology, & State How does it relate to education? (Theory of Marxism & Marxism and Educational Thought)

Reproduction Theory : 

Reproduction Theory Reproduction Theory Historical Context Social Class & Culture Cultural Demands of Schooling (Reproduction Theory, Beth Anne, and “Hey, Those ShoesAre Out of Uniform”)

Rite of Passage : 

Rite of Passage How and why cliques are formed? Canaan Article & Merten Article Comparative Analysis of American Teenager Cliques The Meaning of Meanness: Polpularity, Competition, and Conflict among Junior High School Girls The pressure to fit in & Cultural expectations: Who sets these expectations Teachers Parents Society (Comparative Analysis of American Teenager Cliques and The Meaning of Meanness: Popularity, Competition, and Conflict among Junior High School Girls)

Method : 

Method Film Ethnography: I used a film as an ethnographic and analytic tool because I wanted to view high school students’ cultural patterns and gain a perspective of this group in its natural setting. This is a good tool to use because it allows us access into the participants’ natural setting with out disrupting their daily activities (Ethnography: Characteristics & Guiding Steps and Film in Ethnographic Research) Explore Examine Interpret

Method continued... : 

Method continued... Steps taken to complete Ethnography:(Film in Ethnographic Research & Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences) Observed data (watched film 3 times: watched, listened, & learned) Field notes (produced thick descripted notes about the film) Analyzed the data (collected, organized, and coded) Interpreted data (referred to previous research)

Case : 

Case Mean Girls: The film is about Cady Heron, a teenage girl, entering the school environment for the first time and the challenges that she encounters.

Case continued... : 

Case continued... Raised in Africa Home schooled Finding her place among the different subcultures The Plastics, Smart Asians, and the Jocks... Entering a clique- The Rite of Passage Dress Language Behavior

Analysis : 

Analysis How does social reproduction within our U.S. culture influence experiences for high school students across the nation? “You can’t sit with us” = Entitlement “Burn Book” = The price of others “Queen Bee” = Leadership

“You can’t sit with us” Entitlement : 

“You can’t sit with us” Entitlement Entitlement was held among the children of the very wealthy. “This feeling is based on a feeling held by children that they will receive an inheritance the world is expected to provide” (Horvat & Antonio, 1999, p. 326). Regina and her parents bedroom Getting what they want (Cady said that I could get whatever she wanted)

“You can’t sit with us” continued... : 

“You can’t sit with us” continued... “Students with more endowments of cultural capital- students from families with the skills and preferences of the dominant culture- are better able to decode the implicit “rules of the game”,are able to adapt and further develop the cultural skills and preferences rewarded in the schools” (Aschaffenburg & Maas, 1997, p. 573).

“Burn Book” The price of others : 

“Burn Book” The price of others They didn’t care who they hurt by their words or actions. “Burn Book” Gossip The othering or distancing that the other students felt caused trauma and pain (Horvat & Antonio, 1999, p. 332). How students felt once the “Burn Book” was found Lunch room segregation

“Queen Bee” Leadership : 

“Queen Bee” Leadership The Plastics “Girls used meanness instrumentally to gain a competitive advantage in pursuit or protection of popularity” (Merten, 1997, p. 175). “The most popular group is the most visible group because its members stand out most from and are most recognized by peers” Canaan, 1987, p. 392).

Conclusion/Implications : 

Conclusion/Implications In this power point, I have discussed and analyzed how high school cliques are socially reproduced. From this study, it is important to learn how high school cliques can be socially deconstructing and damaging to our youth. This study is important for administrators and practitioners in our formal educational systems to review because of the serious effects dominating student groups have on others in our school systems. Teachers need to be aware of the damage their support of these groups can have on a student’s educational experience.

References : 

References Asch, T. & Asch, P. (1995). Film in Ethnographic Research. In Hockings, P. (Eds.), Principles of Visual Anthropology: A reader (2nd e.d.) (pp. 335-362). Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter & Co. Aschaffenburg, K. & Maas, I. (1997). Cultural and Educational Careers: The Dynamics of Social Reproduction. American Sociological Review, 62, 573-587. Berg, B. L. (Ed.). (2009). Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Burbules, N.C. (1997). Marxism and Educational Thought. International Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Education, 75-80. Canann, J. (1987). A Comparative Ananlysis of American Suburban Middle Class, Middle School, and High School Teenage Cliques. Sindler, G., & Spinder, L. (Eds.), Interpretative ethnography of education: At home and abroad: A reader (pp. 385-406). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Horvat, E. M., & Antonio, L. A. (1999) “Hey, Those Shoes Are Out of Uniform”: African American Girls in an Elite High School and the Importance of Habitus. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 30(3), 317-342. Lorne, M. (Producer/Director). 2004. Mean Girls [Motion Picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures. Merten, D. E. (1997). The Meaning of Meanness: Popularity, Competition, and Conflict among Junior High School Girls. Sociology of Education, 70, 175-191. Spindler, G. D. (1997). Beth Anne- A case study of culturally defined adjustment and teacher perceptions. In Spindler, G.D. (Ed.), Education and cultural process: Anthropological process: A reader (3rd e.d.) (pp. 246-261). Tesse, R. (1997). Reproduction Theory. International Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Education, 92-97. (**Course Resources: Ethnography: Characteristics & Guiding Steps, Marxism Power Point, and Module 3**)