Rationing Education | Gillborn and Youdell | AQA A Level Sociology

Welcome to this tutori sociology topic video on education. In this video, we're going to look at rationing education, the work of David Gilborn and Deborah Udell. David Gilborn and Deborra Udell published influential research into how schools allocate opportunities under marketization policies. Their study is often referred to as the theory of educational triage, and it remains a

staple for students studying the sociology of education. The context for Gilborn and Udell's study was the education reforms of the 1990s. Following the 1988 education reform act, schools were increasingly subject to market principles. League tables, parental choice, and competition for funding. Schools were under pressure to perform well in league tables because their funding, reputation, and survival

depended upon exam results. Gilborn and Udell wanted to see how this pressure affected teachers decisions and students opportunities. The key question in their research was how do teachers respond to accountability measures like league tables and what impact does this have on different groups of students. Their theoretical perspective combines interactionism and critical perspectives

on educational policy. For an interactionist view, the focus is on labeling, streaming, and teacher expectations. But Gilborn Udell also wanted to show how these microlevel processes are shaped by structural changes like marketization and performativity. Methodologically, they use classroom observations and interviews with teachers in London secondary schools. This qualitative approach allowed them to observe realtime decisions about

students ability and potential and to capture teachers own accounts of how they prioritize pupils. The strength of this method is that it highlights the hidden processes of education that statistics can't capture, such as the subtle ways teachers allocate time and resources. However, as with most qualitative research, critics might argue it is less