Conflict theories surrounding education👎

Question 1

Marxist view of education

Answer 1

• Capitaslism is reproduced
• Working-class children are in general left behind by the system and end up in menial jobs, while the children of the wealthy are provided with an elite education or at least a cultural education that is applicable to middle class values which mean they are prepared to take up positions of power in society.

Question 2

Correspondence Principle (Bowles and Gintis) (MARXIST)

Answer 2

• There is a close relationship between school and work. The school system prepares children to take their place as part of a hardworking, docile and obedient workforce.
  ↪This is achieved through a hidden curriculum of how school is organised.

Question 3

Cultural Capital (Bourdieu) (MARXIST)

Answer 3

• cultural assets of the wealthy are regarded as worthy of investment and reward and given greater value as cultural capital. A process of cultural reproduction takes place where middle class culture gains higher status.
• The education system tricks the working class into accepting failure and limited social mobility when in fact it is just the case that the system values the culture of middle and upper classes far more.

Question 4

Feminist view of the education system

Answer 4

• Feminists (Heaton and Lawson, 1996) see the education system as reproducing a patriarchy through established norms in textbooks and other hidden curriculum messages within schools.

Question 5

How can it be argued that education serves the purposes of capitalism?
(MARXIST)

Answer 5

• Capitalism is reproduced
• Working-class children are in general left behind by the system and end up in menial jobs, while the children of the wealthy are provided with an elite education or at least a cultural education that is applicable to middle class values which mean they are prepared to take up positions of power in society.
• The values of a cultural elite (cultural habitus) is engrained over time.

Question 6

How can it be argued that education serves the purposes of patriarchy?
(FEMINIST)

Answer 6

👭Liberal Fems - It’s getting better, but lots of parts of the education system still suggest more expectations are placed on boys than girls.
👭Radical Fems - It still exists to marginalise female concerns and oppress women.
👭Black Fems - Not all females have equally benefited from changes in gender expectations over the last twenty years.

Question 7

criticisms of the Marxist view of education

Answer 7

• Too much focus on class inequality and not enough on gender or race.
• The correspondence principle is now dated. Brown (1997) argues that much of today’s work requires teamwork.
• Not all education is anti-critical thinking. E.g. Sociology!

Question 8

criticisms of the Feminist view of education

Answer 8

• Education is a female dominated sector.
• Girls consistently out-perform boys in the system.

Question 9

Criticising conflict theories of education, why could it be argued that education is meritocratic?

Answer 9

• since 1988 with the National Curriculum, all assessment is equal at every point regardless of educational setting. Everyone can technically achieve, no matter their starting point.
• Once at University, former State School and former Private School pupils all have the same experience.