What did Hargreaves and Lacey conclude about streaming?

• A. Streaming reduces the formation of school subcultures
• B. Streaming has no impact on student culture
• C. Streaming promotes personalized mentorship
• D. Streaming leads to the development of school subcultures

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that grouping students by ability shapes the social life inside a school. Hargreaves and Lacey showed that streaming doesn’t just sort students by test scores; it creates distinct cultures within the school. When students are placed in different streams, the labels and expectations that come with those streams influence how they view themselves and how they interact with others. Those in higher streams often adopt a culture focused on achievement, conformity to perceived standards, and acceptance within the “top” group, while those in lower streams develop a counterculture with norms that can resist authority and emphasize solidarity within the lower stream. This process—labeling, differential treatment, and peer expectations—leads to the formation and reinforcement of separate subcultures within the same school. So streaming leads to the development of school subcultures.