education Flashcards
what is formal education
takes place in educational establishments such as schools and universities where people learn knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects
what is informal education
people develop knowledge and skills by observing their surroundings and their everyday life
what are the 4 functions of education system
serving the needs of the economy
facilitating social mobility
fostering social cohesion
selection and role allocation
why is serving the needs of the economy important
education has an economic role in teaching the knowledge and skills that future workers will need in a competitive global economy
why is facilitating social mobility important
education system enables people to move up or down the social ladder - gifted students from disadvantaged backgrounds can achieve qualifications and move to a higher social class
why is fostering social cohesion important
through subjects, students identity themselves - school reinforced the ’glue’ on social bonds that unite different people in society
why is selection and role allocation important
education system works like a sieve, grading students and allocating them to do jobs based on their individual merit
what was durkheims view on education (3)
- functionalist
- main function is to transmit societies norms and values - subjects install norms and values for children
- through sanctions, children learn to respect the rules
- education equips children with the skills they need for future work roles
criticism of durkheim
marxists - education transmits views of ruling class rather than society as a whole
feminists - school transmits a patriarchal culture
education doesn’t necessarily teach skills that prepare studies for their future workplace roles
what was parsons view in education (4)
- functionalist
- education system is the main agent of socialisation - acts as a bridge between family and society
- children have particularistic standards from family primary socialisation and now learn universalistic standards to apply to society
- promotes achievement and equality of opportunity
- role allocation - jobs matched to children creating meritocracy in society
criticisms of parsons
marxists - education transmits values which benefits the dominant groups in society
feminists - question wether education system is based on meritocracy or provides equal opportunity
critics argue how far told allocation is effective or meritocratic
what are the 4 roles of education from the marxist perspective
- serves the interest of the ruling class
- reproduces the class structure
- breeds competition
- secondary socialisation
what is society serving the interest of the ruling class
passing on ideas and beliefs that benefit the ruling class
what is education reproducing the class structure
education appears to reward students based on their individual abilities however it actually favours pupils from more privileged backgrounds
how does education breed competition
through exams and sports at school - students are encouraged to accept values such as competition
how does education complete secondary socialisation
working class students learn norms and values at schools that prepare them for their lower position in a capitalist society.
what are bowles and gintis key ideas
- main role of education is to reproduce a workforce to meet the needs of the capitalist economy
- schools rewards students who meet these qualities with high grades - create a hard working workforce to be exploited
- education system produces a workforce for capitalism mainly through the way schooling is structured and the hidden curriculum
- correspondence principle
what is the correspondence principle
there is a link between school and it’s hidden curriculum and the work place
what do B&G see meritocracy as
a myth - background is more of an influence then a students IQ
what are the criticisms of bowles and gintis
- assume students passively accept values
- exaggerate the power of the education system
- buisnesses now require more creative thinkers than passive
- functionalists still see a meritocracy if society
what is the structure of the school system from start to end
early years
primary
secondary
further (college / sixth form)
higher (uni)
what is the independent sector of school
fee paying schools - private schools
what are the advantages of independent schools
- low teacher - student ratio
- resources and facilities are better
- parents input fees for support and expectations
what is a state school
no fee - socially mixed - provide for upward social mobility
what is the tripartite system
provides children with free, state education based on their individual abilities - based on 11+ exam (grammar schools)
advantages of comprehensive schools over the tripartite system
- no exams to convince failure, cater to all
- usually large - more subjects available
problems with comprehensive schools
- comprehensive limit parental choice - supposed to attend closest school rather than preferred
- working class children will achieve more at grammar than comprehensive school
what is an alternative education provision
home schooling - taught by parents and tutors rather than in school
(illich argues schools repress children and he supports home schooling)
what did halsey, heath and ridge examine
social class origins and educational destinations of a large sample of
men - respondents were based off their fathers occupation and were divided in groups
- service class
- intermediate class
- working class
what did halsey, heath and ridge find
evidenced for social class inequalities in education
what are the 4 explanations for class based differences in achievement
- economic circumstances (material deprivation)
- parental values and expectations
- cultural deprivation
- cultural capital
why does economic circumstances (material deprivation) effect achievement
- poor homes - overcrowded - affect performance - working class specifically
- middle class parents can afford tuition while working cannot
- affluent backgrounds have more facilities for them
why does parental values and expectations effect achievement
- parents in high professions may value education more
- working class - less interest - less support - less encouragement
why does cultural deprivation effect achievement
subculture of some low income groups inhibits educational achievement
working class children may not be provided with the cultural resources and educational experiences to perform
why does cultural capital effect achievement
middle class parents have the right cultural capital to get their kids t achievement - they know the system and work it to their advantage
what do ball, bowe and gewirtz focus on
the effects of parental choice and competition between schools has on the education system - wether it leads to greater inequality
what do ball, bowe and gewirtz argue
marketisation and educational reform reinforce the advantages of middle class parents and make education less equal - schools are more concerned over attracting gifted and advantaged students than helping disadvantaged ones
what is the interactionalist perspectives focus
small scale interactions between individuals such as students and teachers
what does research from interactionalists show
teachers classify students into types based on factors such as their appearance, ability and how conformed they are
what is labelling
labels are attached to a student then they may come to see themselves as this label and behaviour accordingly - labelling can create a self fulfilling prophecy
what is streaming
students are allocated a class based on their general ability and are taught in these classes
what can streaming and setting do
lower confidence
less attention from teachers
less encouragement
what was steven ball’s case study
a mixed comprehensive schools and examined the way it was organised
took 3 different bands (1 being most able, 3 being least) - didn’t operate on ability - students behaviour changed over time after being banded - each band was taught different
what was the anti school subculture
in response to being labelled as failures, lower stream students rejected schools academic values and instead stressed defiance to authority - created a status among peers
what are the 4 home factors
material deprivation
cultural factors
parental values
cultural capital
what are the 5 school factors
type of school
expectations and labelling
ethnocentric curriculum
school culture
institutional racism
how does the type of school attended effect achievement
quality of teaching, resources and opportunities differ and can influence achievement
how does a ethnocentric curriculum effect achievement
formal curriculum is biased towards white, European culture)
how does institutional racism affect achievement
occurs when organisation fails to provide an appropriate service to people because of their ethnic origin, culture or colour
what are the 3 government policies to help achievement
- illegal for educators to discriminate basis of ethnicity
- emphasis on marketisation, parental choice and competition between schools raise standards and make it difficult for urban schools with an intake of minority ethnic students
what are the 5 patterns of educational achievement
1) boys get better results at A-Level than girls - however gender gap is narrowing
2) differences in subject choices still remain - canalisation
3) gender curriculum - some subjects are more masculine - some more feminine
4) students with higher education and futures careers may be affected by subject choices
5) not all working class males underachieve
what are the 3 explanations for improvements in girls achievements and 1 for against
1) changing attitudes towards gender roles
2) laws made gender discrimination illegal in education
3) national curriculum gives boys and girls the same option to their subjects
4) feminists say it’s still patrice that and hasn’t changed
what are the 4 reasons for boys underachievement
1) feminisation of schooling - majority of teachers are women - not enough male role models
2) men are in crisis of masculinity - traditional masculine identity is under threat
3) laddish culture - uncool to work hard
4) teachers have low expectations of male students - labelling
what is the home based reason for gender differences in subject choice
gender socialisation within the home - boys have more experience in science related toys - encourage science as a men subject
what is the school based reason for gender differences in subject choice
gender stereotyping in textbooks, teacher studies to gender, gendered curriculum and socialisation in schools
what did paul willis carry out
ethnographic study of 12 working class boys in a single sex modern school in a council estate - followed them as they moved from school to work
what methods did he use
qualitative methods - observation and participation observation - group discussions - informal interviews and diaries
what did willis argue
counter school culture prepares them for working class jobs - shows how working class boys will end up in working class jobs in a capitalist society
who is willis’s work different too
bowles and gintis even though they were both marxists
what are the differences between bowles and gintis and willis
bowles and gintis - discuss correspondence principle and highlight the way education is made to fit together under capitalism
willis - education does not socialise the lads into passive workers instead they challenged authority figures on a daily basis
criticism of willis
- feminists - willis ignored experiences of girls in schools and celebrates lads culture
- functionalists - education is teaching knowledge and skills - role allocation
- willis is outdated - may not be relevant today
- small sample sizes, not possible to generalise from the findings
