EDUCATION - its role

Question 1

what are the 3 key sociological perspectives that look at the role of education?

Answer 1

functionalists, new right, marxists

Question 2

name the 4 functions of education that functionalists put forward

Answer 2

-social solidarity
-teaching specialist skills
-promoting meritocracy
-role allocation

Question 3

explain functionalist Durkheim’s educational functions

Answer 3

creating social solidarity - schools transmit a shared culture and shared values. school is ‘society in miniature’, preparing for life in wider society.
teaching specialist skills - schools teach skills needed in different societal roles, creates a valuable workforce

Question 4

explain Parson’s function of education promoting meritocracy

Answer 4

schools are the bridge between family, where status is ascribed, and wider society, where status is earned. Therefore in school everyone is judged on the same standards and has the same chance at succeeding.

Question 5

what did Davis & Moore mean by their educational role of role allocation

Answer 5

schools assess attitudes + abilities and allocate job roles based on this. inequality of talent is necessary - we want more able people to be our pilots, and less able to be our toilet cleaners.

Question 6

summarise 4 key criticisms of the functionalist view of education role

Answer 6

-Marxists say education doesn’t pass on shared values, only ideology of the bourgeoisie.
-functionalists wrongly assume students never reject school values
-criticise promotion of meritocracy. class, gender etc affect achievement, not just ability + effort
-skills + knowledge taught in school are not always particularly useful for jobs.

Question 7

what are similarities of functionalists & new right perspective on educational role

Answer 7

both believe:
-some people are naturally more talented than others
-favour a system that prepares young people for work + has meritocratic principles

Question 8

what do the new right believe about the current education system ?

Answer 8

it is not fulfilling its functions because it is run by the state. They want more marketisation.

Question 9

what are the 2 jobs the new right think the government should still carry out for the education system ?

Answer 9

-gov should impose framework where schools can compete. Such as OFSTED reports + public exam league tables
-gov should ensure schools are transmitting shared culture (national curriculum)

Question 10

what are examples of ‘Britishness’, which the new right favour, being taught in schools?

Answer 10

-British history is taught
-British literature is taught
-School calendar centred around Christian holidays

Question 11

summarise criticisms of new right perspective on the role of education

Answer 11

-competition only benefits middle class
-Marxists: education doesn’t impose shared values, just a culture of bourgeoisie minority ruling everyone
-state involvement isn’t causing low standards, can be funding issues, social inequalities.

Question 12

which key Marxists looked at the role of education?

Answer 12

-ALTHUSSER
-BLOWLES & GINTIS
-PAUL WILLIS

Question 13

what is the difference between the repressive + ideological state apparatus’?

Answer 13

R.S.A - harsher way of controlling working class & preventing rebellions. use force such as police, army
I.S.A - softer method. ideas and beliefs that brainwash us through society. Althusser says education system is I.S.A

Question 14

According to Marxists, the education system reproduces what over time ?

Answer 14

SOCIAL CLASS INEQUALITY

Question 15

What is Bowles & Gintis’ CORRESPONDENCE PRINCIPLE?

Answer 15

-school mirrors the workplace!! examples:
-uniforms
-timetables, lunch breaks
-attendance & punctuality
-hierarchy of authority
-OBEDIANCE

Question 16

What is Bowles & Gintis’ HIDDEN CURRICULUM theory?

Answer 16

performs the correspondence principle. it’s all the things we are taught indirectly in school which aren’t part of the formal curriculum. eg no lessons on obedience, but it becomes a huge expectation indirectly

Question 17

what is the ‘myth of meritocracy’ ?

Answer 17

Marxists believe it’s a myth due to some students always being at a disadvantage.

Question 18

give 2 criticisms of Bowles & Gintis’ work

Answer 18

-deterministic. wrongly assumes that pupils have no free will and passively accept indoctrination
-ignores the fact that schools reproduce other inequalities such as gender + ethnic ones

Question 19

Summarise Paul WILLIS’ 1977 study Learning to Labour

Answer 19

-studied 12 working class boys
-he was interested in the counterculture of ‘the lads’
-they don’t conform and insult the conformist boys.
-they were disruptive, rejected school’s meritocratic ideology that working class can achieve middle class jobs through hard work, so didn’t care for school. similar to male manual workers

Question 20

how does working class anti-school students like those in Willis’ study help capitalism?

Answer 20

-believe they are rebelling against the system by not being obedient. however will leave school with few qualifications and end up in lower class unskilled jobs. maintain class divide

Question 21

give 2 criticisms of Willis’ study.

Answer 21

-unrepresentative - only 12 boys at 1 school
-possible Hawthorne effect
-romanticised the boys for portraying them as heroes for attempting to rebel against the system