AQA SOCIOLOGY EDUCATION

Question 1

What are the definitions for formal and informal education?

Answer 1

Formal- takes place in educational settings, learning skills for a wide range of subjects.
Informal- developing knowledge and skills from observing what is happening around them.

Question 2

What are the four functions of education according to functionalists?

Answer 2

Serving the needs of the economy, facilitating social mobility, creating social cohesion (e.g Britishness lessons) and role allocation.

Question 3

What does Durkenhiem think about education?

Answer 3

Transmitting societies norms and values and social cohesion. The use of sanctions and rewards teaching children to respect rules. Equips children with future skills and qualifications that they may need.

Question 4

What are the criticisms of Durkenheim?

Answer 4

Marxists say it ignores power issues- only benefitting the ruling classes. Feminists say it transmits patriarchal culture. Some students do not follow the schools norms and values.

Question 5

What does Parsons say about education? FUNCTIONALIST.

Answer 5

Main agency of socialisation and preparation for adult roles. In families they have particularistic standards but in education they have universalistic standards (equal treatment). Prepares them for treatment in society. Schools promote achievement and equal opportunity. He also says the education system matches peoples talents to their jobs (role allocation and meritocracy)

Question 6

What are the criticisms of Parsons’ key ideas?

Answer 6

Marxists say the system is a capitalist tool that transmits values of the dominant group in society. Feminists argue that the school system does not treat us equally. Is role allocation fair or accurate?

Question 7

What do Marxists say about the education system?

Answer 7

It serves the interests of the ruling class, reproduces the class structure, breeds competition (maintains capitalism) and secondary socialisation.

Question 8

What are the key ideas of Bowles and Gintis?

THINK CORRESPONDENCE PRINCIPLE.

Answer 8

The education system creates generations of workers (disciplined, obedient, hard-working). Rewards for high grades. Makes us unimaginative/ less likely to question. Correspondence principle- values transport over to the workplace. HIDDEN CURRICULUM.

Question 9

How is the hidden curriculum used to maintain capitalism (Bowes and Gintis)? MARXIST

Answer 9

Rigid Hierarchy, fragmented curriculum, mundane tasks, lack of power, qualifications and not satisfaction.

Question 10

What are the criticisms of Bowes and Gintis?

Answer 10

Many students reject values (WILLIS AND THE LADS), exaggeration of power the system has, businesses require independent thinkers, functionalists see the system as meritocratic.

Question 11

What is the structure of the education system?

Answer 11

Early years, primary education, secondary education, further education, higher education.

Question 12

Advantages of independent schools/ private schools?

Answer 12

Lower teacher student ratio, better resources, selective, large parent input (fees).

Question 13

Advantages of state schools?

Answer 13

Not based on ability to pay fees, socially mixed, upward social mobility, not far to travel.

Question 14

What was the tripartite system (1944)?

Answer 14

11+ test decided what school you would attend, secondary modern, secondary technical, grammar schools.

Question 15

What are the advantages of the comprehensive system?

Answer 15

No students labelled as a ‘failure’, breaks down social barriers, more subjects are available.

Question 16

Disadvantages of the comprehensive system?

Answer 16

Limiting parental choice (closest school), Academic students are held back, academic working class students would do better at private school.

Question 17

What are some examples of alternative educational provisions?

Answer 17

Home tuition, Illich (1995) deschooling: creative learning, curriculum abolished.

Question 18

Who achieves better exam results in public examinations?

Answer 18

Middle class students.

Question 19

What do Halsey, Heath and Ridge (1980) say about social class and educational achievement?

Answer 19

Identified three groups from Fathers occupation: The service class, the intermediate class and the working class. Clear inequalities between service class 18X more likely to go to university.

Question 20

What are the explanations for differences in education (class based)?

Answer 20

Material Deprivation, study environment, being unable to afford private tuition, parental values , cultural capital (MC parents understanding school system), cultural deprivation.

Question 21

What do Ball, Bowe and Gerwitz say about social class and education? (1994)

Answer 21

Focus on the effects of parental choice and competition between schools. League Tables make schools want the most able students so they offer them more resources. MC parents more likely to know where to send the child. MARKETISATION reinforce MC values and making it far more unfair.

Question 22

What do internationalists say about education? (working class achievement).

Answer 22

Teachers are ‘labelling students’, once they are given a label it sticks and is hard to break away from (can be based on class). SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY.

Question 23

What is meant by setting and streaming?

Answer 23

Setting- based on your academic ability .

Streaming- mixed ability groups.

Question 24

What are the effects of setting and streaming?

Answer 24

Setting is linked to your social class, Confidence in lower sets are damaged, less attention to those in lower sets

Question 25

What does Stephen Ball (1981) say about working class achievement?

Answer 25

Studied a comprehensive school, split up into three bands (from most to least able). Teachers had higher expectations of those in one and this reflected in student behaviour. Even when the bands became mixed ability, MC students were still labelled as the most cooperative and able.

Question 26

What is an anti-school subculture?

Answer 26

Opposition of learning objectives, student labelled as ‘failure’ and start being deviant. An alternative way to gain status.

Question 27

What are 4 home reasons for patterns in achievement? (ethnicity related)?

Answer 27

Material deprivation, cultural factors, parental values (Chinese parents value of education) and cultural capital (parents helping with homework).

Question 28

What are 5 school factors for patterns in achievement (ethnicity related)?

Answer 28

Type of school attended, teacher labelling, ethnocentric curriculum, white mainstream culture, institutional racism.

Question 29

What are some government policies surrounding education and ethnicity?

Answer 29

Equality Act- no discrimination based off ethnicity, some schools may be selective which could lead to disadvantages for ethnic minorities, marketisation, parental choice, competition (difficult for urban schools)

Question 30

What are some of the reasons for patterns of educational achievement (gender related)

Answer 30

Differences in subject choices (affects higher education), gendered curriculum.

Question 31

What are some reasons for boys’ underachievement?

Answer 31

Majority of primary school teachers are female (role models), schools being ‘too girl friendly’- being made to work in unsuited ways, crisis of masculinity, peer pressure, ‘laddish behaviour’ and lower expectations of male students.

Question 32

What are some reasons for increases in girls’ achievements?

Answer 32

Feminism, Sex discrimination act (1975) and equality act (2005), equal opportunities, equal access to subjects.

Question 33

What are some reasons for gender differences in subject choices?

Answer 33

Gender socialisation, gender stereotyping in textbooks, teacher attitudes and the gendered curriculum.

Question 34

What does Paul Willis (1977) say about counter school subcultures/ what was his study?

Answer 34

12 working class boys in a same sex school, qualitative methods, liked to resist school culture ‘having a laff’. Clear stress of masculinity, Saw white collar jobs as not being ‘manly’ (wanted to be plumbers, electricians etc) Counter school practices led to them having WC jobs.

Question 35

What does Willis say about education and capitalism?

Answer 35

Education DOES NOT create passive workers, sees the counter- school mentality as to why working class students end up in WC jobs.

Question 36

What are the criticisms of Willis’ study?

Answer 36

ignores females and celebrates lad culture, ignores conformist boys, functionalists see this as role allocation, small sample (cannot generalise), irrelevant today (fewer WC jobs).