1: Theories on the role of education Sociologists Flashcards
Functionalist theory - Durkheim
Two functions of education:
- Promote social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture, norms and values to new generations and are ‘society in miniature’ as they prepare children for life in the wider world.
- Passes on specialist skills as education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills needed by employers due to the complex division of labour.
Functionalist theory - Parsons
Two functions of education:
- Bridge between the family and wider society as children get used to being judged on meritocratic and universalistic standards that prepare them for wider society because society is meritocratic and rewards are based on effort and ability instead of ascribed status like the family in which individuals are judged by particularistic standards.
- Secondary socialisation as it passes on society’s norms and values to younger generations.
Functionalist theory - Davies and Moore
The education system shifts and sorts individuals to their future roles as through education individuals show the level of their ability because the most able get the highest qualifications and inequality is essential in society as the most important roles in society should be filled by the most talented people.
Criticism of Durkheim’s theory
Criticism: Marxists argue the education system doesn’t maintain social solidarity, instead it maintains capitalism.
Criticism of Parsons’ theory
Criticisms: Education system is not meritocratic as there is evidence that factors such as class, ethnicity and gender can affect achievement.
Wrong argues students don’t always passively accept the values taught by schools
Criticism of Davies and Moore’s theory
Criticism: New Right sociologists claim that state education fails to prepare students for work because there is too much interference from the government.
New Right theory on the solution to schools failing to carry out secondary socialisation and preparing students for the world of work
According to Chubb and Moe this can be solved through the marketisation of education because this will increase parental choice so schools will have to compete to get excellent results and raise standards in order to attract the most consumers (parents and students).
New Right theory on the state’s role in education
New Right Sociologists believe that the state should have two main roles in education.
Firstly providing a framework within which schools compete against each other such as the publication of exam results and Ofsted inspections.
Secondly, making sure that all schools transmit shared values by imposing the National Curriculum
Criticism of Chubb and Moe’s theory
Criticism: Competition and parental choice only benefits the middle class who can have the cultural and economic capital to get their children into the best schools.
Criticisms of the New Right theory on the state’s role in education
Criticism: It’s not the state control of education that leads to low educational standards, it is social inequality. Marxists argue that education passes on the ruling class ideology, not shared values.
Marxist theory - Althusser
Education is part of the ideological state apparatus and serves the interests of the ruling class by: Reproducing class inequalities: by failing each successive generation of the working class so they can’t better themselves. Thus, the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich, e.g. through setting and foundation level exams. Legitimising class inequality – by producing ideologies (ideas and beliefs) that disguise the truth. So the working class think the system they live in is just and fair, e.g. you failed because of your low attendance, lack of revision,..
Marxist theory - Bowles and Gintis
The role of education is to produce obedient, unquestioning workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable. It does this through: Reproduction of class inequality: through the correspondence principle and the hidden curriculum. Schools mirror the workplace and he hidden curriculum teaches students unwritten rules, values and normative patterns of behaviour they are expected to conform to Legitimacy of class inequality: through the myth of meritocracy (success is because of hard work and natural ability thus the blame is put on the individual and not on capitalism so the working class do not rebel)
Marxist theory - Willis
Willis sees the role of education as reproducing and legitimating class inequalities by creating an obedient workforce. He studied 12 white working class boys with an counter school subculture and found that they didn’t obey school rules and held sexist views that led to them failing exams thus only being able to get low paid manual jobs
Postmodernist theory
Postmodernists: Education today encourages self-motivation, self -improvement and creativity in order to meet the needs of an ever-changing economy. It also provides lifelong training because of rapid technological change and global economic competition
Marxist Criticisms
Willis romanticises the lads and turns them into working class heroes despite their anti-social and sexist behaviour. Bowles and Gintis assume that students passively accept the ruling class ideology so their theory is deterministic Feminists criticise Marxists for ignoring other social inequalities reinforced by the education system, e.g. gender inequality.
