The article reports studies where positioning was taken as a characteristic of family and school contexts that may influence school success. The studies, which are fundamentally based on Bernstein's theory, suggest that positioning is influenced by students' social group, lower positioning being acquired by students from lower social classes and, within them, by those who study in schools located in disadvantaged social contexts. They also suggest that high positioning influences favourably students' success. However, the studies highlight the school/pedagogic practice as a factor that may overcome the effect of social class.
Positioning; Primary Socializing Context; Secondary Socializing Context; School Success