2. Functions of the education system Flashcards
What should do the education system do
- Provide opportunities for children, though marxists tend to emphasis the equality of opportunity more than functionalists do
- Sort children into terms of their ability to learn and then to provide the correct type of educational opportunity- functionalists would prioritise this.
- Prepare children for adult life, this is known as vocationalism
- Help children to become active participants in society.
Explain socialisation and the education system
- Emile Durkheim states the education system was an important agency of secondary socialisation.
Its primary role was to ensure social stability and social cohesion so that society was well-ordered and different people filling appropriate roles to ensure society survived
Further explain socialisation and the education system 1.
For functionalists, education bridged the gap for children between the close personal relationships of the family life and was their first introduction to the less emotional and more universal relationships of adulthood.
Children would be introduced to the shared cultures of their society and therefore learn their place in the social world
Further explain socialisation and the education system 2.
Marxists see this socialisation as part of brainwashing children into accepting inequality.
this type of thinkings affects contemporary education by looking at how much socialisation is about preparing children for the rules of wider society
The national curriculum is a basic outline of what you need to know about your own culture. Nurseries and primary schools are mainly concerned with how you get on with peer groups and teach basic rules of social interactions.
Explain the economic functions of education
There is an idea that schools teach us the skills needed for employment, this is called vocationalism.
Durkheim and functionalists suggest that schools ensure that students are equipped with the skills needed by the economy of the country.
Talcott Parsons said that schools allocate roles to more talented students and the education system has a sorting function - this is known as meritocracy.
Marxists however see the education system as a reproduction of class inequality thats tailored to the middle class
David Cameron Quote on education
“We want to create an education system based on real excellence with a complete intolerance of failure.”
What do marxists say about social control
Marxists such as Althusser state that schools form part of the ideological apparatus because the teach the ideas of the ruling class.
Children are taught to obey teachers representing the outside world as they will obey their employers .
However, Durkheim is in favour discipline in schools, he believed that strict punishment would cause children to learn to act in the interest of society.
Durkheim sees school uniform as the school reinforcing social cohesion and group norms whereas marxists see them as part of the process of training children to not be rebellious.
George Carlin - “Dont these schools do enough damage making all these kids think alike now they have to make them look alike aswell.
Quick functions of society
- agency of secondary socialisation
- allocation of children to different social rules
- Preparing children for adult work
- provides opportunities for children
- instilling social values in children
- Provides training in logical thinking
- Transmission of cultural heritage and knowledge
David Cameron Quote on education
“We want to create an education system based on real excellence with a complete intolerance of failure.”
What do marxists say about social control
Marxists such as Althusser state that schools form part of the ideological apparatus because the teach the ideas of the ruling class.
Children are taught to obey teachers representing the outside world as they will obey their employers .
However, Durkheim is in favour
