Education - Marxism

Question 1

What are the main points of the Marxist view on education ?

Answer 1

Marxists suggest that education:

. Legitimises class inequality

. Produces the next generation of workers
- correspondence principle

. Reproduction of class inequality

Question 2

What did ‘Althusser’ identify ?

Answer 2

That education is apart of the ISA - ideological state apparatus - that reproduces and legitimises social class inequality by controlling peoples ideas and values / beliefs so that they align with the ruling class ideology - prevents rebellion

Question 3

What did ‘Bowles and Gintis’ identify?

Answer 3

The correspondence principle

• The idea that elements of education correspond to how the work place will be in the future
• and this correspondence is how education prepares children for the workforce - next generation of active workers

. Elements that correspond
. hierarchy
. punctuality
. Uniform

Question 4

What did ‘Bourdieu’ identify ?

Question 6

What did ‘Willis’ identify ?

Answer 6

Willis ‘Learning to labour study’ on the lads

Question 7

What is Willis learning to labour study

Answer 7

. Study on 12 W/C boys - the ‘lads’ who had a clear anti-school mindset - they found school boring and meaningless and were more interested in the ‘3F’s’
- Fornicating, football and fighting

these ‘lads’ - saw manual work as superior and see intellectual work as inferior

. His study shows that W/C can resist attempts to indoctrinate them

Question 8

Evaluation of Willis’ ‘learning to labour’ study

Answer 8

Willis has romanticised the lads - by portraying the W/C as heroes despite their anti-school behaviour

• his study was unrepresentative and it is risky to generalise his findings.