Educational Theories

Question 1

What does functionalism believe about society?

Answer 1

• Based on value consensus
• Social solidarity
• Each institution brings society together

Question 2

What is social solidarity?

Answer 2

• Society needs to feel like it is working off the same goals, norms and values
• Need to feel a sense of community
• Stops individuals pursuing their own selfish ideas

Question 3

Who talked about social solidarity?

Answer 3

Durkheim

Question 4

How does the education system link to social solidarity?

Answer 4

• Teaches norms and values- secondary socialisation
• Teach the country’s history to provide a link between individual and society
• National curriculum
• School is a mini society
• School gives rules for everyone to follow
• Gives value consensus and shared culture

Question 5

Who spoke about specialist skills?

Answer 5

Durkheim

Question 6

What did Durkheim say about specialist skills?

Answer 6

• Education teaches skills for future jobs in society
• Highly trained, skilled, and qualified labour force
• Makes sure the ‘best’ people have the high paying jobs
• Human capital (workforce knowledge)

Question 7

What is human capital?

Answer 7

Workforce knowledge

Question 8

Who said education forms a bridge between home and society?

Answer 8

Parsons

Question 9

What did Parsons say about education bridging the gap?

Answer 9

• Sees education as a mini society
• Bridges the gap between norms and values of the family and those of society
• Gives universalistic values

Question 10

What is meritocracy?

Answer 10

• Society is based on achieved status
• Earn your place in society through skill, hard work and achievement
• Everyone has to be taught and treated the same
• Schools are selective based on skill rather than connections

Question 11

Who spoke about meritocracy?

Answer 11

Parsons

Question 12

What is role allocation?

Answer 12

• Education selects people for different jobs in the labour market
• Exam results find most suitable people for high powered jobs
• There’s equality in the education system, and it is a ‘race to success’
• Those who succeed deserve it, those who fail can only blame themselves

Question 13

Who spoke about role allocation?

Answer 13

Davis and Moore

Question 14

Evaluations of functionalism on education:

Answer 14

• Myth of meritocracy
• Norms and values are of the ruling class
• Is society truly universalistic?
• Most skills for jobs are learnt on the job not in school
• Class and gender majorly impact success

Question 15

What does new right believe about education?

Answer 15

• More a political movement than a sociological theory
• Branch of functionalism
• Value consensus has been broken in modern societies
• Free market
• Minimal government intervention
• Traditional, conservative view of the world
• Marketisation, privatisation and parentocracy

Question 16

What is the role of education according to the new right?

Answer 16

• Education should affirm national identity
• Emphasise Britain’s positive role in history, British literature
• Integrate students into a single set of traditions and cultural values
• Provide human capital- highly skilled workers with the education and skills to fill jobs

Question 17

When were British values introduced to schools?

Answer 17

November 2014

Question 18

What did OFSTED outline British values to be?

Answer 18

• Democracy
• Rule of law
• Individual liberty
• mutual respect for those of different beliefs

Question 19

Why did OFSTED say schools should be teaching British values?

Answer 19

To enhance social cohesion

Question 20

Criticisms of the new right:

Answer 20

• Low educational achievement is caused by inequality and low funding not state control
• Contradiction between parental control and national curriculum
• Education imposes the culture of the ruling class not society (Marxism)
• Gewirtz and Ball- competition benefits the middle class

Question 21

What do marxists believe about society?

Answer 21

• Conflict between upper class (bourgeoisie) and working class (proletariat)
• Institutions reproduce and normalise inequality
• Working class have false class conciousness

Question 22

What do marxists believe is the role of education?

Answer 22

To reproduce capitalism and oppress the working class

Question 23

Who talked about the ideological state apparatus?

Answer 23

Althusser

Question 24

What is the ideological state apparatus?

Answer 24

• The use of ideas to maintain power
• Ruling class ideas are used to oppress the working class
• Educational institutions prepare working class for a life of exploitation

Question 25

What did Bowles and Gintis say about schooling in capitalist America?

Answer 25

• Kills creativity and independence
• Rewards obedience

Question 26

Who spoke about the correspondence principle?

Answer 26

Bowles and Gintis

Question 27

Who spoke about the hidden curriculum?

Answer 27

Bowles and Gintis

Question 28

What is the correspondence principle?

Answer 28

• The education system mirrors the workplace
• Hierarchy, sanctions, competition, labelling etc.

Question 29

What is the hidden curriculum?

Answer 29

Things students are taught that aren’t outlined in the curriculum e.g. punctuality, obedience, hard work, conformity etc.

Question 30

Which theory believes in the myth of meritocracy?

Answer 30

Marxism

Question 31

What is the myth of meritocracy

Answer 31

• Education reproduces inequality
• If people aren’t treated equally, meritocracy cannot exist

Question 32

Who did the ‘learning to labour’ study?

Answer 32

Willis

Question 33

Which group was the subject of the learning to labour study?

Answer 33

Working class boys/ ‘lads’

Question 34

Marxist evaluations:

Answer 34

• Contradiction- B+G say working class passively accept, Willis says they try to resist
• Don’t look at other factors e.g. gender
• Postmodernists- Marxism is out of date, new flexible workforce, class is no longer important society is more diverse