Education Flashcards
Education
Education is simply one aspect of socialization. It involves the acquisition of knowledge and the learning of skills. Education, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Often helps to shape the beliefs and moral values”.
Functionalist perspective (Durkheim)
DURKHEIM – Solidarity
major function of education is the transmission of society’s norms and values without ‘essential similarities’, so-operation, social solidarity and social life would not be possible vital task of society is the taking of a mass of individuals and getting them to exist and function as a united whole; that is, the creation of ‘social solidarity’. The process fosters a strong sense of belonging and the importance of the society, it ensures a commitment to society the child must view society as real and powerful, something to which he also owes the best part of himself
education, especially history, provides the link between the individual and society
the education system of the United States:
common curriculum instills shared norms and values into people of diverse backgrounds
shared language common history for immigrants (founding fathers)
Social Rules
family is based on kinship ties and peer groups are based on personal choice
in complex societies, membership is based on the co-operation with other people who are neither family nor friend. For this reason the family and peer groups can’t be the primary institutions of enforcing social rules
the schools acts as society in miniature, it is regulated by the same rules and principles of society. It helps the individual to co-operate (or at least learn to) with the other people who are neither family nor friend rules should be strict and punishment, harsh. Students must learn very early that ‘bad’ behavior will not be tolerated; not only to avoid punishment, but because it is bad for the group (school. Society)
sociology and the sciences help the student to understand the rational basis on which society was organized.
Division of labour
the education system functions to teach specific skills for future occupations of the students. This is a vital necessity in a complex industrial society. (Specialization and div-of-labour)
in pre-industrial societies, the needed skills in society could have been passed down easily from generation to generation in industrial society, social solidarity is based largely on the inter-dependence of specialized skills. (building a car) this necessity for combination produces co-operation and social solidarity schools transmit both general rules which provide the ‘necessary homogeneity for social survival’, and specific skills which provide the ‘necessary diversity for social co-operation industrial society is thus united by value consensus and a specialized division of labour, where specialists combine to produce goods and services
Functionalist perspective (Hargreaves)
HARGREAVES
claims that contemporary schools place too much emphasis and attention on the development of the individual. Thus they need to put more emphasis on the duties and responsibilities that the individual should have towards group life in the school.
Schools fail to produce a sense of dignity for working class pupils. When they fail courses, they usually tend to rebel and lose a sense of belonging to the school. Ultimately they form sub-cultures, reject the values of the school, and the wider society. Problems could be solved if the emphasis was put on social roles of the individual within the school . To have dignity, one must achieve competence and a feeling of belonging to the group We need to alter the curriculum to aid feelings of belonging and competence freedom to pursue fields that interest them or in which they have talent compulsory subjects – community studies to show the role of society; expressive arts, crafts and sports
Functionalist perspective (Parsons)
PARSONS (Universalistic values)
sees competition I schools as vital
after primary socialization is done in the family, the schools takes over as the ‘focal socializing agency’. The school now acts as the bridge between the family and society at large in preparing the kids for their adult roles in society
family judges children by particularistic standards and their status is ascribed
school judges children by universalistic standards and their status is achieved
schools operate on a ‘Meritocratic principle’, that is, status is achieved ion the basis of merit (worth), as is the case in society
all pupils must abide by the universalistic standards of the school, and In this way are being trained for society as a whole, the school prepares young people for their adult roles
(value consensus) schools transmit 2 major values the value of achievement (strive for high academic goals) the value of opportunity (compete in the class room…tests
advanced industrial society requires a large well-trained, motivated, achievement-oriented workforce. This system necessitates differential rewards for differential achievement, a principle which is well established in the school system
interestingly, both the winners (high achievers) and the losers (low achievers) will see the system as fair and just since status is achieved in a situation that appears to give everyone an equal chance. This principle is mirrored in society.
(allocation and selection)
–the education system seeks to allocate the most efficient and capable people into the most functionally important jobs. Thus, the education system is the major/primary mechanism for role allocation. “By testing and evaluating students; match their talents, skills and capacities to the jobs for which they are best suited”.
Critiques of Functionalist perspective
Critique
the relationship between academic credentials and occupational rewards is not particularly close income is only weakly linked to education
the proposition that the education system grades people in terms of ability is under question. It has been argued that intelligence has little effect upon educational attainment, other factors contribute greatly.
Guidance that suggests the influence of social stratification largely prevents the education system from effectively grading individuals in term so ability
Functionalist (Davis and Moore)
DAVIS AND MOORE (Role allocation)
Agree with Parsons that education system is a means of role allocation but they see a strong link between the education system and the system of social stratification
Davis and Moore see social stratification as the most efficient mechanism for allocating the most talented into the most important jobs
To them, high rewards act as incentives in society, and the education system is pivoted in establishing this in the individual. “The proving ground for ability and hence the selective agency for placing people in different statuses according to these capabilities. The education system, more particularly, the schools are clearing houses, they sort and select and weed-out students within the system. This is done in the aim of selecting and allocating the most highly talented students into the most functionally important occupations in society
Conflict perspective (Bowles and Gintis)
CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE
Bowles & Gintis
The major function of the education system is the reproduction of labour power. There is a close correspondence between the social relationships that govern personal interaction in the workplace and the social relationships of the education system. This correspondence principle provides the key to understanding the workings of the education system. Education is subservient to the needs of those who control the workforce – the capitalists who own the means of production. The education system functions to provide the owners of the means of production – the capitalists- with the characteristics which are most useful to them; namely docile, hardworking, obedient and highly motivated workers. In addition, as a bonus, the workplace is too divided and fragmented to challenge the authority of management
The Hidden Curriculum
THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM
produces passive, docile and uncritical workers (all-accepting). Acceptance of authority and hierarchy is demanded. Schools are based on this principle of authority and control. Teachers order and pupils obey, and they have no control over their subjects
MOTIVATION BY EXTERNAL REWARDS
Students may dislike school but concentrate on the certification at the end, which promises the hope of employment. This is essential and necessary as the work in capitalist society is intrinsically unsatisfying. It is designed according to the human need for fulfilling work, but never-the-less, it caters to the capitalists’ desire for maximizing profits
FRAGMENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE
As subjects change each period of the day, there is little is any continuity or connection between them. This is akin to the division of labour. There is little if any knowledge of the other stages of production. The capitalist keeps a constant surplus of skilled labour. By doing so, they can keep a high level of unemployment thus keeping wages to a minimum, ensuring the maximization of profits. They can easily threaten to fire the workers as there are plenty of others looking for jobs. Since the mental requirement for most jobs are quite low and most skills can be acquired (learnt) on the job, education tends to over-educate the workforce. Capitalism and education (the system) legitimize inequality in society. By creating the façade that society is fair and just, class consciousness does not develop and the stability of society goes unthreatened
Meritocracy is a façade. One’s class determines the level of education that one gets, and thus affects the chance of him/her getting a job. Thus the belief that those on the top deserve their status and privilege….is preposterous
Evidently education reproduces inequality by justifying privilege and attributing poverty top personal failure while ignoring other realities existing in the society and the social stratification system. It disguises the fact that economic success runs in the family, that privilege tends to breed privilege
