Education:

Question 1

Who are the two key functionalists?

Answer 1

Emile Durkheim
Talcott Parson

Question 2

What are the 3 main functions that functionalists believed about education?

Answer 2

1. Socialization
2. Skills Provision
3. Role Allocation

Question 3

Did Parson have a positive or negative view about education?

Answer 3

Positive

Question 4

Did Durkheim have a positive or negative view about education?

Answer 4

Positive.

Question 5

Did Marx have a positive or negative view about education?

Answer 5

Negative

Question 6

What is primary socialization?

Answer 6

Learning norms and values from the family.

Question 7

What is secondary socialization?

Answer 7

Learning norms and values from outside the family ( society )

Question 8

What did Parson believe?

Answer 8

Parson believed that education is a bridge between family and society.
He believed that in wider society status is gained through achievements ( meritocracy ) and that there is equal opportunities for all.

Question 9

What did Durkheim believe about education?

Answer 9

Durkheim believed that society is an organic analogy (similar to the human body) as society is held together by social bonds.
He believed that teaching history was important in order to create a sense of loyalty towards society.
He suggested that education should promote social solidarity

Question 10

What is it meant by skill provision?

Answer 10

Education teaches the skills required by modern society
( literal and numerate )

Question 11

What were the 2 functionalists for role allocation?

Answer 11

David
Moor

Question 12

What did David and Moor believe?

Answer 12

Functionalists (David and Moor) argued that education allocated people to the best job based on their talents.

They see society as a meritocratic society.
They believe society is fair due to equality of opportunities.

Question 13

Did David and Moor have a positive or a negative view on education?

Answer 13

Positive.

Question 14

What theory was Karl Marx?

Answer 14

Conflict theory (between poor and rich)

Question 15

What did Karl Marx believe about the superstructure and base?

Answer 15

Karl Marx believed society is divided by the base and superstructure.

He believed the whole superstructure is a false class consciousness (brainwashing)

Question 16

What’s the relationship between the base and superstructure in Marxism?

Answer 16

Relationship: superstructure maintains and legimates the base.
Whereas,
The base shapes the superstructure.

Question 17

What does it mean by superstructure?

Answer 17

Media, education, religion, politics, family

Question 18

What does 2 terms take up the base?

Answer 18

Means of production (things you need to produce: machines, factories, land, materials)
Relations of production (rich exploits the poor)

Question 19

What does proletariat mean?

Answer 19

working class
- poor

Question 20

What does bourgeois mean?

Answer 20

Middle class
- rich

Question 21

What’s the difference between functionalists and Marxism ?

Answer 21

Functionists tend to ignore conflict and thing positively towards society. Whereas in Marxism, it’s a conflict theory between the rich and the poor.

Question 22

Who did Karl Marx agree with, proletariat or bourgeosis?

Answer 22

Marx agreed with proletariat ( working class/poor )

Question 23

Karl Marx believed that the whole superstructure was a ….?

Answer 23

False class consciousness

Question 24

What is meritocracy?

Answer 24

The idea that roles are allocated to people through their skills efforts. A fair society.

Question 25

What is evidence that society is meritocratic?

Answer 25

Free education.

Question 26

What is evidence that society is not meritocratic?

Answer 26

Poorer people get less than richer ones.

Question 27

What is Marxists views on education?

Answer 27

Education reproduces inequality in society.
Believes education trains working class students to do working class jobs + wealthier children are educated to adapt to superior positions in the workplace.
Education legitimates inequality through the myth of meritocracy.

Question 28

What did Louis Althusser believe about education?

Answer 28

Althusser claimed education forms part of what he calls the ideological state apparatus (ISA).

Question 29

What did Louis Althusser believe about competition in education?

Answer 29

Althusser believed that competition in education is used to brainwash people to work for the capitalist’s system (brainwash working class to work for middle classes).

Question 30

For Althusser what was the main function of the (ISA) ideological state apparatus?

Answer 30

The ISA’s main function is to legitimate + reproduce class inequality.
He believed the ISA allows the ruling class to control the working class without the use of force as we simply accept its way of thinking (tricking society/brainwashing society).

Question 31

What does ISA stand for?

Answer 31

Ideological state apparatus.

Question 32

What does RSA stand for?

Answer 32

Repressive state apparatus.

Question 33

What is it meant by Repressive state apparatus? (RSA)

Answer 33

Do what is said or get into trouble.

Question 34

What did Pierre Bourdieu believe?

Answer 34

He believed that the working classes are duped (tricked) into accepting their failure to move up in society as being their own fault.
As they are more likely to fail at school they are inclined to think they are not smart enough and deserve their position.

Question 35

What was Bourdieu’s point about the system of education?

Answer 35

The system of education is rigged against them.
Middle classes are more likely to have the kind of knowledge of the world + culture, making it easier for the middle class to succeed.

Question 36

What is cultural capital?

Answer 36

Cultural characteristics that can give you advantages in life.

Question 37

What are the criticisms of Marxists ideas about education?

Answer 37

1. Marxists emphasizes on class, there are more equally significant reasons some students are at disadvantage (such as gender and ethnicity).
2. Out dated- study ideas are decades old.
3. Not everyone agrees that education is controlled by the ruling class. Workers may not agree with ruling class ideology and that might be shared with students.