education 1 - education system Flashcards
functionalist, new right, marxist, feminist, postmodernist
what are the five functions of education according to functionalists?
secondary socialisation
focal socialising agency
social solidarity
specialist skills
role allocation
summarise secondary socialisation?
> learning norms and values beyond the family.
norms = queuing for dinner, being quiet in the library.
values = competition, respect
teaching the values of society creates value consensus so society runs smoothly
ev - schools do not always succeed, marxists say school teaches ruling class values, feminists say school teaches patriarchal values
summarise focal socialising agency?
> school is a FSA, acting as a bridge between the family and society
home = particularistic standards
society = universalistic standards
schools bridge the gap by teacher children universalistic standards eg. marking to the same mark scheme. its down to student efforts if they pass or fail
ev - functionalists say not all students are treated in the same way eg. black students treated more harshly
summarise social solidarity? (durkheim)
> students feel like a part of society or a bigger group (school community)
eg. embedding school ethos and uniform
eg. usa pledge of allegiance
ev - not all students feel part of a community. students may join anti school subcultures - ignore that pupils have free will
summarise specialist skills
> education needs to meet the needs of the workplace
education teaches children the basic skills needed for the workplace eg. communication and numeracy
durkheim - students narrow down their subjects to become experts
schools also teach pupils the values and attitudes employees want
ev - employers and new right socialists criticise schools for not producing ideal workers.
summarise role allocation
> davis and moore - schools ‘sift and sort’ students into future job roles through assessments and exams
role allocation is fair because school is meritocratic
ev - marxists say meritocracy is a myth and a student’s social class background determines their success.
what are the three functions of education according to marxists?
legitimising class inequality
reproducing class inequality
creating passive workers
summarise legitimising class inequality
> althusser - education is a key part of the ideological state apparatus
school persuades students to accept capitalist values like obeying authority
schools keep w/c students in a state of false class consciousness
bowles and gintis claim meritocracy is a myth.
ev - feminists = schools legitimise patriarchal ideology, functionalists = schools teach society’s ideas and values. functionalists = meritocracy isn’t a myth
summarise reproducing class inequality
> bourdieu - schools reproduce the class structure
each social class has a habitus and the m/c can impose their habitus on the education system
m/c gain symbolic capital
w/c gain symbolic violence
schools keep w/c ‘in their place’
ev - feminists = schools revolve around a patriarchal ideology, reproducing gender differences through experience of schooling and subject choice
summarise creating passive workers
> bowles and gintis - hidden curriculum - everything taught informally - not taught in lessons such as making friends and talking to teachers.
marxists - hidden curriculum transmits norms and values of ruling class.
hidden curriculum is used to make w/c students passively accept their place - low paid jobs
> correspondence principle - schools mirror the world of work.
bowles and gintis - prepare students for future job roles.
ev - views are deterministic - some pupils aren’t passive and will reject school rules eg anti school subcultures
examples of how schools mirror the world of work (creating passive workers)
hierarchies of power
uniform
motivation through extrinsic rewards
alienation
competition
what are the four ways schools reproduce patriarchal ideology according to feminists?
male gaze
subject choice
school leadership being male dominated
uniform policies
summarise male gaze
> boys and male teachers ‘look girls up and down’ and see them as sexual objects
girls see it as normal to look good for men, keeping women subordinate to men
radical feminists - male gaze reproduces and legitimises the objectification of women
eg. some girls put in isolation for having skirts ‘too short’ - distracts boy’s learning
ev - not all boys, boys have become more educated to respect women, policies and reporting
summarise subject choice
> a level physics remains male dominated
girls are discouraged, believing they need a ‘boy brain’ and only boys are naturally good at physics
therefore, men dominate high status jobs that come with studying physics
ev - national curriculum, GIST and WISE. health and social remains female dominated which discourages boys
summarise school leadership is male dominated
> majority of head teachers are male, whilst most teachers are female.
encourages the idea that men are in charge
ev - society is changing - increasingly more female heads, males may be uninterested in teaching, males may have moved up the hierarchy in schools
