Education Flashcards
What does Durkheim believe?
Functionalist
Education teaches us about Social solidarity and specialist skills
What is meant by the term social solidarity?
social solidarity- education teaches us to socialise and how to communicate with others to create a social solidarity
What is meant by specialist skills?
specialist skills- modern industrial economies require people with specialist skills
- you learn specific skills depending on your field of work
Critique of Durkheim beliefs of education
Marxists believe we do not have social solidarity
There is a great divide between the proletariat and bourgeoise and therefore not everyone is able to communicate
What does parsons believe about education?
Functionalist
Believes that education is a meritocracy, it is up to the person to get the where they want to be (achieved status)
Critique of Parsons beliefs
Bowles and Gintis
Marxist Myth of Meritocracy, people start in different places therefore some have to put in more effort for success
What do Davis and Moore believe about education?
Functionalist
Role allocation- schools selects and allocate pupils to future work roles
- social inequalities are necessary to ensure important roles are filled by the most talented people
- this encourages competition
- education becomes a proving ground for ability
Critique of Davis and Moores beliefs about education?
-school is not good for everyone as some people are hands on learners
- what even is considered an important role?
What does Althusser believe about education?
Marxist
- argues that education has taken over from religion as the dominant form of ideological state apparatus
- education pushes students and prepares them for capitalism
What do Bowles and Gintis believe about education?
Marxist
The correspondence principle
And the Myth of meritocracy
Critique of Althussers beliefs of education
Marxist Willis argues that working class students do not simply absorb ideologies but often resist it forming anti school subcultures
Critique of Bowles and Gintis
Functionalist Parsons believes that the correspondence principle is just subsystems working together to prepare individuals for their future and is seen as socialisation.
+ Willis believes that not everyone conforms to the principles trying to be taught (anti-school subculture)
What does Willis believe about education?
Marxist
The lads, anti school subculture which contributes to capitalism as they go on to work as the proletariat
Critique of Willis
Overlooks how some individuals break the cycle through alternative opportunities or social mobility
What do Chubb and Moe believe about education?
New right
Marketisation of education which creates competition
Competition drives up standards of education
People are not actually free to choose as a result of money (travel costs and tuition fees)
Critique of Chubb and moe
Competition doesnt always lead to better education, it also increases inequality, disadvantaged students are left behind.
What do Gillborn and Youdell believe about education?
Policy
**A*-C economy **
Educational triage
Teachers focus
Hopeless cases are neglected by teachers because its assumed that they will fail
Critique of Gillborn and Youdell
Assumes all schools and teachers prioritise results over student development
What does Bartlett believe about education?
Policy
Cream skimming- taking top pupils
silt shifting- avoiding bad pupils
This can only be done by good schools with reputations
Critique of Bartlett
Chubb and Moe believe that cream skimming and silt shifting is good because it shows that marketisation is working
What does Molnar believe about education?
Policy
cola-isation of education
Private companies have more interest in having their products in school as schools provide a captive audience
Critique of Molnars beliefs
This can be positive because it can provide good resources and opportunities for schools such as funding for programs or access to technology
What does Sally Tomlinson believe about education?
Policy
Marketisation creates a huge focus on grades so students become more stressed
Critique of Sally tomlinsons beliefs
Marketisation can provide students with more choices and opportunities to succeed. Competition can lead to better educational outcomes for students
What does Stephen Ball believe about education?
Policy
Marketisation leads to focus on grades so it becomes more stressful for teachers as there are high expectations
centralisation national curriculum makes it easier to compare schools for marketisation
Critique of Stephen Balls beliefs
Doesn’t consider how focus on grades can also be a positive things and can motivate teachers to raise standards and improve teaching practices
What do Leech and Campos believe about education?
Policy
‘Selection by mortgage’, housing near successful schools are more expensive and excludes working class families who can’t afford to live there
Critiques of Leech and Campos
This theory oversimplifies the issue by focusing only on house prices, ignoring other factors like school funding policies or parents choices beyond location.
What does Gerwitz believe about education?
There are 3 types of parents
priveledged skilled chosers- dont have to worry about money and have lots of knowledge
disconnected local choosers- didn’t complete education, dont understand the education system
semi-skilled choosers- working class but still had a good education
Critique of Gerwitz beliefs
Gerwitz’s theory overlooks how the education system is designed to benefit the wealthy. It’s not just about parental choice, w/c families face structural barriers which reinforces inequality
What is meant by the correspondence principle
There are corresponding features between school and the workplace such as
- sets of rules to follow
- uniforms and dresscode
- hierarchy
This is part of the hidden curriculum
