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Difference Between Kids Who Ask For Help & Those Who Don’t: Money

    A new stud from and IU sociology professor found students from middle class families are more likely to ask for help from teachers than students from working class families.

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    A new study from an IU sociology professor found students from middle class families are more likely to ask for help from teachers than students from working class families.

    Imagine you’re a fourth grade student, sitting in class, and your teacher is introducing a lesson on multiplying a set of two digit numbers. You’re having trouble following along and know you won’t be able to do the homework on your own. Yet, you don’t consider raising your hand to ask for help or consider asking the teacher after to school to explain it to you. Why?

    a) You’re a shy kid and don’t want to admit you’re confused in front of your peers.
    b) You raised your hand a lot during the previous lesson and don’t want to seem dumb.
    c) Your single mom works at the local Target.

    Although option c doesn’t seem logical in this context, it’s the very reason Indiana University sociologist Jessica Calarco says this student won’t ask for him. In a study released this month, Calarco presents findings that students of a middle class family are more willing to ask for help compared to kids from working class families.

    Calarco followed a group of students at an unnamed elementary school for two years to study how their family’s social class affected their learning. Calarco observed classroom behavior, surveyed parents and spoke with teachers. She says the middle class parents gave their children specific advice for when they need help at school.

    “Go to the teachers to make sure they’re getting the information they need,” Calarco said. “Whereas [for] working class parents that kind of help seeking could be perceived as disrespectful or as not working hard enough. So they’re teaching their kids [to be] much more self reliant, to work hard, to try for themselves, to not bother the teacher with questions and even that they might get in trouble if they ask.”

    But why such a difference between the two sets of parents?

    Calarco says middle class parents are more likely to be involved with their child’s school or have more contact with the teacher, whether that be volunteering in the classroom or attending school functions. Because of this involvement, parents know that teachers want students to speak up when they’re confused so they relay that to their kids.

    On the other hand, many of the working class parents Calarco met worked multiple jobs, leaving them little time to get involved with their child’s school and know what teachers today want from students.

    “They’re much busier, they kind of have a more stand off attitude toward education,” Calarco said. “They feel it’s the teacher’s responsibility and that they’re not the experts.”

    The group Calarco followed were white families, to avoid racial factors that could change the data.

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