Education - Marxism Flashcards
Who produced the Ideological and Repressive State Apparatus theory?
Althusser (Neo-Marxism)
Define Ideological State Apparatus
education is an ideological state apparatus used for ideological control. Education transmits the ‘myth of meritocracy’ to disguise the reality of stratification which is that those born into the ruling - class are more likely to achieve
Describe the first negative evaluation of Althusser’s ISA
Studies such as Willis’ ethnographic studies of ‘The Lads’ found evidence that they were not going to succeed in school and rebelled against it, suggesting WC students are not indoctrinated by MC values the way Althusser describes.
Describe the second negative evaluation of Althusser’s ISA
Althusser’s argument is that the WC are unaware of how the system lies to them about school being meritocratic, yet they are aware
Describe the first positive evaluation of Althusser’s ISA
Althusser claims that MC students are most likely to succeed in education is clearly still the case in society today, with the Social Mobility Commission (2019) found that only 16% of those on Free School Meals achieve 2 A Levels compared to 39% of those who are not
Describe the second positive evaluation of Althusser’s ISA
Despite heats of WC students underachieving in schools, nothing substantial has been done about it, perhaps people accept they think of meritocracy and blame WC for their own failures
Who proposed the ‘Correspondence Principle’?
Bowles and Gintis
Define the ‘Correspondence Principle’
refers to parallels between school and work in a capitalist society - the correspondence principle works through the hidden curriculum. Schooling takes place in the ‘long shadow of work’
What are the 6 ideals learnt through the hidden curriculum?
- Hierarchy
- Extrinsic rewards
- Conformity
- Competition
- Docile Daydreamers
- Division of Skills
What are the two negative evaluations of Bowles and Gintis?
- W/C students are not intentionally docile
- Teachers dedicate their careers to helping students from all backgrounds achieve their best
What did Willis study?
Willis used ethnographic longitudinal research methods of observation to study W/C boys at school - “The Lads”
What did Willis find?
Willis found that the Lads formed and anti - school subculture, they were disruptive and gain the status they felt they were denied through deviance.
How did the Lads view school?
Saw education as feminine, and preferred ‘masculine work’.
What is the positive evaluation of Willis’ study?
His study combined both Interactionism and Marxism
What are the two negative evaluations of Willis’ study?
- Cannot be generalised as Willis only studied 12 boys
- Willis only looked at White W/C boys - not representative of the population and results therefore cannot be generalised
Who proposed the concept of ‘Cultural Capital’?
Bordieu
Define Cultural Capital
M/C students are advantaged as they have cultural capital - language, skills, knowledge, attitudes
M/C culture is as valuable as material wealth in education. Cultural capital is a product of their home environment and daily experiences, meaning they don’t fit in with the M/C system of education
What is the positive evaluation of Bordieu’s Cultural Capital?
Focuses on the domination of M/C culture rather than the deficiencies of W/C culture - how M/C overwhelms society and is therefore the expected norm, not that the W/C culture is somehow defective
What is the negative evaluation of Bordieu’s Cultural Capital?
It is too deterministic
(NOT MARXIST BUT SUPPORTS BORDIEU) What did Bernstein propose?
M/C students succeeded due to their preferred way of communicating, rather than their level of intelligence
Define ‘Restricted Code’ - (Bernstein)
Short sentences, limited vocabulary, few adjectives, context - bound
Define ‘Elaborated Code’ (Bernstein)
Long sentences, complex vocabulary, complicated structure, context - free, suited for formal communication
What did Bernstein say in regards to restricted and elaborated code?
W/C adopt a restricted code while M/C typically can switch between the two dependent on the setting. Children who are only used to hearing restricted code will find it difficult going into school where the elaborated code is used
What is the negative evaluation of Bernstein?
It implies that the W/C are culturally deprived in their language, rather than possessing a different culture to that of the M/C
