Education concepts Flashcards
The view that all members of society should have the same chance (i.e. opportunity) to succeed. Functionalists see the education system as a ladder of opportunity.
equality of opportunity
The opportunities, or lack of opportunities, to acquire material, social and cultural rewards. In a meritocracy, all social groups ideally experience the same opportunities
life chances
A type of society in which intelligence, ability & effort (i.e. merit) are rewarded through an achievement-orientated and universalistic education system
Meritocracy
The wide range of social institutions and groups that transmit key cultural values and norms to children and adults, building upon and supplementing what has been learnt through primary socialisation in the family. For example, functionalists regard the education system as a bridge between the home and wider society.
Secondary Socialisation
A sense of belonging to a particular social group, community or society. A vital function of the education system is to integrate new members of society into the existing culture, e.g. through teaching History.
social intergration
The unification of diverse groups so that they feel a common sense of mutual interests, community, social integration and a strong sense of belonging to a particular society.
Social Solidarity
Durkheim thought that to operate smoothly a society needed values that were shared by all of its members. If people identify with their society and are committed to its values, then there is social cohesion.
Social cohesion
A set of values used to judge individuals on meritocratic criteria such as examinations, qualifications, skill, ability, suitability etc. Such values are seen as a key characteristic of achievement-orientated societies such as modern Western nations. Unlike particularistic values, which are our own familial values.
Universalism
Suggests that the role of agencies such as education is to socialise members of society into shared norms and values, which is the basis of social order.
value consenus
Davis & Moore’s concept for how schools select and allocate pupils to their future work positions, i.e. education sifts and sorts according to ability.
role allocation
Who does what; how tasks/roles are allocated. Durkheim described a function of the education system as teaching ‘specialist skills’ so society can operate efficiently
Division of Labour
Social control
Refers to the written and unwritten rules that we follow; contributes to social order.
Correspondence principle
Bowles and Gintis’ concept describing the way that the organisation and control of schools mirrors (or ‘corresponds to’) the workplace in capitalist society. For example, the control teachers exert over pupils, mirrors the control managers exert over workers.
Counter-school culture / pupil subculture
A deviant anti-school subculture which may be formed because pupils feel that they are not valued by the school or because they do not identify with the value system and goals of the school.
Hidden curriculum
The ways in which the organisation of teaching, knowledge and school regulations and routines shape pupil attitudes and behaviour in order to encourage conformity.
Hierarchy
Refers to different levels within an organisation, e.g. schools; the higher up the position is, the more power and authority it has. Instructions go down the hierarchy from top to bottom.
Ideology
A set of ideas that attempts to explain why society is organised the way it is, based on a view of how society should be organised.
Ideological state
apparatus
Used to describe institutions such as education, which are part of the superstructure of society. Their main function is to transmit ruling class ideology to convince the working class that inequality is natural and normal, so ensuring their consent. When consent breaks down, repressive state apparatuses, e.g. the police and armed forces, may be used.
Myth of meritocracy
Bowles and Gintis’ claim that meritocracy is an ideology legitimating inequality by falsely claiming that everyone has equal opportunity and that unequal rewards are the natural result of unequal ability.
Cultural capital
Knowledge, attitudes, values, language, tastes and abilities of the middle class, giving an advantage to those who possess it.
Malestream
Feminists describe the way that much Sociology either ignored women or failed to treat women as different from men.
Symbolic annihilation
When a social group is either absent from the media or misrepresented, it is said to have been symbolically annihilated. Feminists argue that this happens to women; typically, there is less coverage of women in the media, women are portrayed in stereotyped ways, often focusing on their appearance rather than their abilities. Can link in with the ‘invisibility of women’ – McCabe.
Transgressive women
If women do not conform to traditional stereotypes and expectations, they can be seen as ‘transgressing’ or going beyond their roles. Transgressive women are often targeted for criticism and/or hostility.
Double standards of
sexual morality
A double standard exists when we apply one set of moral standards to one group but a different set to another group. For example, sexual conquest is approved of and given status by male peers and ignored by male teachers, but negatively labelled regarding girls.
Equal opportunity
policies
Initiatives such as GIST (Girls into Science and Technology) and WISE (Women into Science and Engineering), which aim to encourage pupils to pursue careers in non-traditional areas.
Gender domains
Tasks and activities that boys and girls see as male or female territory and therefore as relevant to themselves, e.g. mending a car is seen as falling within the male gender regime but looking after a sick child is not.
Gender role
socialisation
The social process by which children learn their gender roles. Although much of this training goes on in the family, secondary agents of socialisation, such as education and the mass media, also make a significant contribution.
Gender stereotyping
The process by which behaviour and attitudes of males and females are defined in exaggerated and over-simplified ways so that they are generalised to all males and females.
Glass ceiling
A metaphorical term, used mainly by feminists, describing an invisible symbolic barrier that prevents women from breaking through to professional and managerial jobs and achieving the same career goals and pay as similarly qualified men.
Male gaze
Mac an Ghaill refers to the male gaze as the way male pupils and teachers look girls up and down, seeing them as sexual objects and making judgements about their appearance. This is a form of surveillance through which dominant heterosexual masculinity is reinforced and femininity devalued.
Classroom interaction
The daily contact between teachers and pupils in the classroom that is alleged to have both positive and negative outcomes for pupils in terms of their success or failure.
Labelling
When an identifying characteristic is placed on a person by others. It identifies them as a certain kind of person e.g. a student branded as ‘stupid’ or ‘clever’.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
A person sees themselves in terms of the label placed upon them and acts accordingly. In this way, the prophecy others have made (e.g. teachers) comes to pass. This idea originated with the Rosenthal & Jacobson study – Pygmalion in the Classroom.
Halo effect
Those who have been labelled positively tend to be seen positively in the future; this might mean being given the benefit of the doubt, e.g. a ‘good’ student might be believed that their reason for being late is genuine.
Pupil subculture
The distinctive norms and values developed by groups of young people in schools, for example, the anti-school subculture, ‘The Lads’, identified by Paul Willis in his study of working-class boys in a secondary school.
Banding
A form of streaming or setting used in schools
streaming
The placement of pupils into class groups in terms of their perceived ability. They are taught at that level for all subjects e.g. Class 1 are taught together daily.
Setting
The placement of pupils into subject groups in terms of their perceived ability e.g. Set 1 Maths; Set 3 Art.
Formal curriculum
Consists of the knowledge and skills which pupils are expected to acquire. In state schools, the National Curriculum is laid down by the government and is spelt out in detail in official publications.
Hidden curriculum
The messages schools transmit to pupils without directly teaching them or spelling them out. It consists of ideas, beliefs, norms and values which are often taken for granted and transmitted as part of the normal routines and procedures of school life. It includes the unwritten, and often unstated, rules and regulations which guide and direct everyday school behaviour, e.g. conformity.
postmodernism
The theoretical study of postmodernity and social change. Those who research postmodernity describe themselves as postmodernists.
postmodernity
A condition of society where there have been changing patterns of consumption, globalisation, changes in work and leisure.
Postmodernisation
Describes the way that society has become increasingly technological in recent years. Education has reflected changes in technology, e.g. devices and internet use.
diversity
A characteristic of postmodernity where variety is commonplace. The education system should reflect diversity and cater for the changing needs of students today, e.g. access to varying opinions in schools, embracing social diversity among students, as well as providing different types of educational establishment, rather than a one-size-fits all approach.
fragmentation
Society has become increasingly diverse and disjointed and people have a variety of identities and interests. A traditional education system cannot adequately cater for students today.
cultural pick and mix
Choosing ideas, products, clothing etc. from a variety of sources, reflecting the individualistic nature of postmodernity. Also challenges traditional ideas and points to the need for schools to help students in the process of creating their identities and making active choices.
Discourse
Refers to how we think and discuss ideas about people, society and how it is organised; it includes the relationships within society. What we think about, and how we think, reflect the society we live in: the language available, the distribution of power and the ideas we are exposed to. Over time, challenges to dominant ideas emerge and new forms of discourse develop. Postmodernists point to the relative nature of knowledge. Think of ‘facts’ from the past e.g. world is flat. Teachers and students construct knowledge together, rather than traditional notions of education where teachers pass on knowledge to students.
post fordism
Production in postmodern society is based on flexible specialisation i.e. production is customised for smaller markets using advanced technology, rather than Fordist forms of mass production for mass markets typified by the rigid assembly-line methods found in car plants worldwide (first introduced by the Ford Motor Company).
marketisation
The policy of introducing market forces of supply and demand into areas run by the state, such as education. The 1988 Education Reform Act began the marketisation of education by encouraging competition between schools and choice for parents.
open enrolment
This forms part of the marketisation of education and allows successful schools to recruit more pupils.
Self management of schools
Head teachers are given the responsibility to organise how the school is run, e.g. control of school budgets etc.
consumer choice
The idea that parents and pupils have the ability to select schools and are treated like buyers of education, e.g. Open Day, prospectus, online inspection reports etc.
parentocracy
Miriam David’s concept for the control parents have over education (rule by parents) as a result of marketisation policies. Parents are given more choice as educational consumers. For example, a parent’s choice to live in the catchment area for a particular school potentially determines that child’s educational success. Critics argue parentocracy is a myth and disguises increased inequality.
