education- the role of education in society

Question 1

5 perspectives on education

Answer 1

• marxist
• functionalist
• feminist
• new right
• interactionist

Question 2

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what is functionalism

Answer 2

the view that society is a system of independant parts held together by a shared culture/value consesus.

Question 3

5. the functionalist perspective on education

how is education an agency of socialisation

Answer 3

helps to maintain social stability through the development of value consensus, social harmony and social cohesion.

Question 4

5. the functionalist perspective on education

the 3 main functionalists:

Answer 4

• Durkheim
• parsons
• davis & moore

Question 5

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what two main functions of education did durkheim identify

Answer 5

• creating social solidarity
• teaching specialist skills

Question 6

5. the functionalist perspective on education

why is social solidarity so important

Answer 6

prevents chaos as society wouldnt cooperate, everyone would just pursue their selfish desires.

Question 7

5. the functionalist perspective on society

how does the education system help to create social solidarity

Answer 7

• acts as a society in miniature
• forced to cooperate with people who arent family and friends
• forced to work with people that they may not like
• this is reflected in work, having to maintain a professional working relationship with others

Question 8

5. the functionalist perspective on education

difference between the hidden and formal curriculum

Answer 8

• hidden- educates on societal needs, teaching values and expectations in order to behave and communicate
• formal- required to teac by national curriculum in order to gain qualifications

Question 9

5. the functionalist perspective on education

how does durkheim believe education prepare people for their part in the social division of labour

Answer 9

education provides children with the specialist knowledge and skills to perform a specific role

Question 10

5. the functionalist perspective on education

how does parsons view schools

Answer 10

• as a place of secondary socialisation, taking over from the family as children get older
• provides the bridge between particularistic values and universalistic values of contempory societies based on meritocracy

Question 11

5. the functionalist perspective on education

parsons believes school provides a bridge between which types of values

Answer 11

• particularistic- rules that apply for that specfic chuild from family
• universalistic- laws that apply to everyone

Question 12

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what is the belief of meriotocracy

Answer 12

• through education, everyone is given an equal opportunity, intelligence + effort = sucess

Question 13

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what do davis and moore believe the role of education is

Answer 13

• a device for selection and role allocation

Question 14

5. the functionalist perspective on education

why do davis and moore believe inequality is necessary

Answer 14

• ensures the most talented and qualified individuals are allocated to the most important jobs

Question 15

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what is role allocation

Answer 15

• fitting the most suitable people into the hierarchy of unequal positions in society

Question 16

5. the functionalist perspective on education

why is the development of the human capital necessary?

Answer 16

• to provide a properly trained and qualified labour force to undertake the range of different jobs that arise from the division of labour

Question 17

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what is social placement?

Answer 17

Education provides one of the major methods for upward social mobility (progressing towards the career you want)

Question 18

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what are secondary functions and examples

Answer 18

• unintended functions
• e.g sopeaking to crush and building relationship- principle of courting
• opens up social networks, e.g. for jobs later on
• ability to work as a group

Question 19

5. the functionalist perspective on education

what is the allocation function and what do functionalists believe about it

Answer 19

• classify students based off of acedemic abilities
• highest abilities- higher jobs
• functionalists believe it is fair, they believe in meritocracy

Question 20

5. criticisms of the functionalist perspective

equal opportunity…

Answer 20

…in education does not exist, other factors e.g gender and race play a part

Question 21

5. criticisms of the functionalist perspective

marxist argue…

Answer 21

…instead of transmitting shared values as a whole, education in a capitalist society only transmits the ideology of the ruling class

meritocracy promotes individualism and not shared values like functionalists claim

Question 22

5. criticisms of the functionalist perspective

functionalism has an “over socialized” view of society wrongly impling that…

Answer 22

…pupils passively accept all that they are taught and never reject the schools values

Question 23

5.criticisms of the functionalist perspective

the new right argue that the education system fails to prepare students for work as…

Answer 23

…education discourages efficiency, competition and choice.

Question 24

5. criticisms of the functionalist perspective

the education system doesnt…

Answer 24

…teach specialised skills adequately

Question 25

# the marxist perspective on education what is the difference between functionalists and marxists

Answer 25

* functionalists- see society and education as based on value consensus * marxist- see society as based on class division and capitalist exploitation

Question 26

# the marxist perspective on education what to marxists believe to be the role of education

Answer 26

* a means of social control, to conform, accept their social position * suggests that this is done by giving the impression that those who fail in education do so because of their lack of effort

Question 27

# the marxist perspective on education how did karl marx divide a capitalist society

Answer 27

* capitalist class/ bourgeosie- minority class who own the means of production * working class/ proletariat- forced to sell their labour power to the capitalist class, no other source of income

Question 28

# the marxist perspective on education what does the divide in class create

Answer 28

potential for class conflict, proletariat unite and overthrow capitalists

Question 29

# the marxist perspective on education althusser: how to create an efficient and obediant labour force

Answer 29

* reproduction of necessary technical skills * reproduction of ruling class ideology, socialization of workiers to accept this dominant ideology

Question 30

# the marxist perspective on education althusser: how do the capitalist class persuade the working class to accept ruling class ideology

Answer 30

* ideological state apparatuses (ISAs)- * family * media * law * religion * education

Question 31

# the marxist perspective on education how does the education system act as an ISA according to althusser

Answer 31

* passes on ruling class ideology justifying the capitalist system * selects people for the different social classesas adults, developing right attitudes and behaviours

Question 32

# the marxist perspective on education what do bowles and gintis believe to be the role of education

Answer 32

* reproduction of labour power, hardworking, submissive and diciplined workforce * for people to come to terms with their place within it, reducing opposition to inequality

Question 33

# the marxist perspective on education how do bowles and gintis argue that the workforce is reproduced

Answer 33

* through the hidden curriculum * through education legitimizing inequality? the class strcuture

Question 34

# the marxist perspective on education what main factors do bowles and gentis believed to be key to success in education and the job market

Answer 34

* social class * ethnicity * gender

Question 35

# the marxist perspective on education what do bowles and gentis believe education to actually be

Answer 35

* an confudence trick- hides the fact it maintains and reproduces the existing pattern of social class between generations

Question 36

# the marxist perspective on education what does willis's study show

Answer 36

working class pupils resist such attempts to brain wash them

Question 37

# the marxist perspective on education what approach did willis use when studying pupils

Answer 37

* interactionist: * participant observation * unstructured interviews

Question 38

# the marxist perspective on education willis's study

Answer 38

* counter school subculture of "the lads" * 12 working class boys * as they make the transition from school to work * acts of defiance- smoking, drinking, disrupting class (their rules and values) * similarities between counter school culture and shop floor culture (both see manual tasks as superior, intellectual inferior)

Question 39

# the marxist perspective on education what does bourdieu argue | (what does each social class posses)

Answer 39

its own cultural framework/set of ideas- a habitus

Question 40

# the marxist perspective on education how generally is a habitus picked up

Answer 40

through socialization in the family

Question 41

# the marxist perspective on education what does bordieu say the cultural capital is

Answer 41

the advantage of higher classee as the dominant class imposing its habitus on education

Question 42

# the marxist perspective on education how does bourdieu believe success is achieved in education

Answer 42

possesion of cultural capital/ access to habitus/ culture of the dominant social class

Question 43

# the marxist perspective on education evaluation: how is the marxist view determinstic

Answer 43

assumes students have no freewill and will passively accept brainwashing (fails to explain why pupils ever reject the schools values)

Question 44

# the marxist perspective on education evaluation: some critics argue that willis's view does what...

Answer 44

praise working class boys fr their antisocial behaviour and sexist attitudes

Question 45

# the marxist perspective on education evaluation: disadvantage of willis' small scale study

Answer 45

12 boys- unrepresentative, ricky to generalize these findings

Question 46

# the marxist perspective on education evaluation: what do morrow and torres argue

Answer 46

* society is now more diverse * see non class inequalities, e.g gender, ethnicity, sexuality as equally important * believe sociologists must explain why education reproduces all forms of inequality and how they are related, not just class

Question 47

# the marxist perspective on education evaluation: femenist, mcdonald argues also

Answer 47

that schools reproduce not just capitalism but patriarchy too

Question 48

# the marxist perspective on education evaluation: why do postmodernists criticise bowles and gintis correspondence principle

Answer 48

todays post-fordism economy requires schools to produce a very different type of labour force from the one described by marxists they believe education now reproduces diversity, not inequality

Question 49

# the new right perspective on education marketisation

Answer 49

* schools competing like businesses

Question 50

# the new right perspective on education parentocracy

Answer 50

* parental choice

Question 51

# the new right perspective on education what are the new right known for introducing in education

Answer 51

* school league tables * GCSEs * OFSTED * (part of the UK 1988 education reform act)

Question 52

# the new right perspective on education general principles

Answer 52

* lowering taxation and reducing government spending * introduction of free market principles in areas usually paid by taxation * individual freedom responsibility (against the welfare state-e.g benefits) * strong state where law and order is concerned * pro-tradition (e.g nuclear family)

Question 53

# the new right perspective on education influences on education: how is the education market created

Answer 53

* schools are run like businesses * schools competing with eachother for parents and pupils, rather than just the local catchment area * lead to the establishment of school league tables

Question 54

# the new right perspective on education influences on education: what subjects do they believe schools should teach

Answer 54

* subjects that prepare pupils for work * education should be aiming for economic growth * known as new vocationalism

Question 55

# the new right perspective on education influences on education: the framework

Answer 55

transmitting shared values through the national curriculum

Question 56

# the new right perspective on education an example of new right thinking

Answer 56

chubb and moe argued that private schools in america performed best as they were answerable to paying parents. rest of education system should follow this to better schools

Question 57

# the new right perspective on education evaluation: advantages and disadvantages of competition between schools

Answer 57

* good for middle + lower classes * ethnic minorities + rural communities ended up having less choice

Question 58

# the new right perspective on education evaluation: criticisms of vocational education

Answer 58

* standard was questioned compared to traditional subjects * dependent on what schools chose to offer

Question 59

# the new right perspective on education evaluation: problems with imposing a national framework

Answer 59

restricts schools, contradicts being "free to compete"

Question 60

# the feminist perspective on education what do they see the role of education as

Answer 60

transmitting patriarchal values

Question 61

# the feminist perspective on education what do Heaton and Lawson believe

Answer 61

the hidden curriculum in schools primarily teaches traditional family structures

Question 62

# the feminist perspective on education liberal feminism

Answer 62

acknowleges both progress and remaining issues of patriarchy in society

Question 63

# the feminist perspective on education in the 1940s/1950s what issue did the tripartite system make

Answer 63

girls having lower pass rates

Question 64

# the feminist perspective on education michelle stanworth (1983) believed what gender disparity existed on the topic of higher education

Answer 64

teachers were more likely to recommend boys to go study higher education, than girlsat the same acedemic level

Question 65

# the feminist perspective on education radical feminism thought on education system

Answer 65

fundamentally patriarchal and continues to marginalize women

Question 66

# the feminist perspective on education in education, radical feminists saw that sexual harrassment is...

Answer 66

not taken as seriously as other forms of bullying

Question 67

# the feminist perspective on education what do black and difference feminists believe

Answer 67

not all girls have the same experience, minority and ethinic girls are often victims of stereotyping and assumptions

Question 68

# the feminist perspective on education reasons sue sharpe believes there was a shift in girls attitudes from 70s to 90s

Answer 68

* family+marriage to career * 1970 equal pay act * 1976 sex discrimination act