Education Conflict theories surrounding education

Question 1

What is the Marxist view of education?

Answer 1

• The inequalities and social relations of productions in a capitalist society are reproduced over generations.
• Working-class children are in general left behind by the system and end up in menial jobs, while the children of the wealthy are provided with an elite education or at least a cultural education that is applicable to middle class values which mean they are prepared to take up positions of power in society.

Question 2

What is the Correspondence Principle (Bowles and Gintis)?

Answer 2

• There is a close relationship between school and work. The school system prepares children to take their place as part of a hardworking, docile and obedient workforce.
• This is achieved through a hidden curriculum of how school is organised.

Question 3

What is meant by Cultural Capital (Bourdieu)?

Answer 3

• The education system tricks the working class into accepting failure and limited social mobility when in fact it is just the case that the system values the culture of middle and upper classes far more.
• The argument is the cultural assets of the wealthy are regarded as worthy of investment and reward and given greater value as cultural capital. A process of cultural reproduction takes place where middle class culture gains higher status.

Question 4

What is the Feminist view of the education system?

Answer 4

• Feminists (Heaton and Lawson, 1996) see the education system as reproducing a patriarchy through established norms in textbooks and other hidden curriculum messages within schools.

Question 5

How can it be argued that education serves the purposes of capitalism?

Answer 5

• The basic principles of achieving in a free market are established. Work hard and your efforts will lead to reward. You may need to rely on luck.
• Role allocation - the best for the job - and with exams we also get used to losing out in life.
• The system takes the child from the family and prepares them for the universalistic standard of working hard in life and trying to make sure your reward matches the effort you put in to trying to achieve said reward.

Question 6

How can it be argued that education serves the purposes of patriarchy?

Answer 6

• Liberal Fems - It’s getting better, but lots of parts of the education system still suggest more expectations are placed on boys than girls.
• Radical Fems - It still exists to marginalise female concerns and oppress women.
• Black Fems - Not all females have equally benefited from changes in gender expectations over the last twenty years.

Question 7

What are criticisms of the Marxist view of education?

Answer 7

• Too much focus on class inequality and not enough on gender or race.
• The correspondence principle is now dated. Brown (1997) argues that much of today’s work requires teamwork.
• Not all education is anti-critical thinking. E.g. Sociology!
• Marxism is applicable to the conflict created by the social upheaval of the 19th century. A neo-Marxist viewpoint might be more applicable : School is a battleground of struggle based on acceptance or disobedience of the structure of school.

Question 8

What are criticisms of the Feminist view of education?

Answer 8

• Education is a female dominated sector.
• Girls consistently out-perform boys in the system.