Education and social mobility

Social mobility is...

• A change in position within the social hierarchy

• ‘moving up’ in society

• Losing prestige due to public disgrace

• A change in reputation that is only temporary

What is intergenerational mobility?

• Changes in a family's social position between generations

• Changes in a person’s social position throughout his or her lifetime

• Changes in a family’s social position in the same generation

• None of the options are correct

Which of the following statements is true?

• Intergenerational mobility focuses on social changes within a person’s lifetime or the same generation

• Both intergenerational and intergenerational mobility focus on social changes within a person’s lifetime

• Intergenerational mobility focuses on social changes between generations, while intragenerational mobility focuses on social changes within a person’s lifetime or the same generation

• Both intergenerational and intragenerational mobility focuses on social changes between generations

Social mobility is an ideal that every society should strive towards

• True

• False

Meritocracy provides equal opportunity for everyone to succeed.

• True

• False

Because in a meritocracy, people are given equal opportunities to succeed, it is a fair way of rewarding people.

• True

• False

Because people are given equal opportunities to succeed, it is easy to attribute failure to individual factors such as not being hardworking enough etc...

• True

• False

Why might education reforms not be the best way to fix inequality in Singapore?

• Education reforms are too expensive

• Despite the reforms, family background will continue to influence educational performance

• The root of inequality lies in a lack of job opportunities, not education reforms

• None of the above

Which of the following is not a suggestion given to ensure that education remains social leveller for all?

• Scrapping PSLE

• Redefining merit to include a broader range of factors that go beyond academic grades

• Making pre-school education compulsory