Anti-School Subculture - GCSE Sociology Definition

Reviewed by: Raj Bonsor

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An anti-school subculture is a group of students who reject the values, norms, and behaviours promoted by the school environment.

These students often display attitudes and behaviours that oppose academic success, such as skipping classes, refusing to complete assignments, or disrupting lessons. This subculture typically forms as a reaction against the authority of the school and the teachers, and it may be influenced by a desire for social acceptance or status among peers.

In GCSE Sociology, understanding anti-school subcultures is important for examining how different social groups experience and respond to the education system, as well as for exploring issues of class, identity, and resistance within schools.

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Raj Bonsor

Reviewer: Raj Bonsor

Expertise: Psychology & Sociology Content Creator

Raj joined Save My Exams in 2024 as a Senior Content Creator for Psychology & Sociology. Prior to this, she spent fifteen years in the classroom, teaching hundreds of GCSE and A Level students. She has experience as Subject Leader for Psychology and Sociology, and her favourite topics to teach are research methods (especially inferential statistics!) and attachment. She has also successfully taught a number of Level 3 subjects, including criminology, health & social care, and citizenship.

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