9. EDUCATION - Marxism

Question 1

MARXIST PERSPECTIVE:
2 class system, bourgeoisie and proletariat.
The education system feeds capitalism.
How?

Answer 1

Bowles and Ginitis say the system needs obedient attitudes and submissive personalities to make good workers who won’t stand up to authority (and revolt)
Eduction feeds this.

Question 2

MARXIST PERSPECTIVE:
Correspondence Principle
Close Parallels between work and school.
Structures in education are similar to work.

Answer 2

Hidden curriculum - lessons learnt without being taught.

Question 3

MARXIST PERSPECTIVE:
The Myth of Meritocracy.
Education legitimises class inequalities, how does it do this?

Answer 3

By producing ideologies leading pupils into false class consciousness. 
Functionalists say everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve, but do we?

Question 4

MARXIST PERSPECTIVE:
WILLIS: Learning to Labour
Willis studied ‘the lads’
What did he find?

Answer 4

They didn’t passively accept ruling class ideologies, they may resist. 
They see through the ideology of meritocracy and claims wc pupils can achieve too.