Education- Functionalism Flashcards
Durkheim (1903)
Education system transmits norms and values (expected behaviours and shared beliefs)
School as a mini society- working and living together
Skills are taught which are needed for a complex and specialised labour force
Functions:Social Solidarity:
The unity and shared values binding members in a society.
Complex Division of Labour:
Highly specialized tasks that create interdependence in a society.
Specialist Skills:
Expertise acquired in specific tasks, contributing to overall societal efficiency.
Society is more multicultural than Durkheim suggests. There is not one single set of norms and values.
Education serves the needs of the bourgeoisie by passing on ruling class ideology.
Schools encourage competition and individualism, rather than social solidarity.
Parsons (1961)
Education is an agent of secondary socialisation
Teaches children the universalistic norms and values
Status is achieved rather than ascribed based on hard work, talent, and skill
School and society are meritocratic and we achieve according to our own individual efforts.
Education as a ‘bridge’
Education links family values to broader societal expectations.
Meritocratic Principles
Success and rewards based on individual abilities, efforts, and achievements.
Particularistic and universalistic Standards
Applies to particular people
Applies to everyone
Davis and Moore (1945)
Education plays an important role in the wider social stratification system.
Inequality is needed to allocate people to most appropriate jobs
Th education system is meritocratic. Everyone has an equal chance to succeed, but only the most talented will
Role Allocation
Assigning positions in society based on individual talents and qualifications.
‘Sifting and Sorting’
Evaluating and categorizing individuals based on skills, leading to role assignments.
Need for Inequality
Social inequality is necessary for efficiently placing the most talented individuals in crucial roles.
