Educational Theory - Marxism Flashcards
overview
marxists view the star as the capitalist ruling class and they sue education as a means of maintaining their dominant position.
Education is the ideological state apparatus
Althusser - education is a means of manipulating how you think. instills false consciousness to avoid the need for physical oppression.
transmits general ideology that capitalism is reasonable
encourages individuals to be passive and complaint/obedient
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creates a passive and subservient workforce
capitalist class requires a subservient workforce which is easy to exploit as a means of making profit through low wages.
Bowles & Gintis believe children are taught a hidden curriculum consisting of the things learnt through school life ie listening to authority, being passive and subservient.
education system reproduces class inequality
we are made to believe the myth of meritocracy so we believe the system is fair. this is taught to us in school. however in truth money determines success.
Willis (1997) - Learning to Labour
pupils rebel which is evidence that not all are ‘brainwashed’
willis argues that neo-marxism is a more suitable plantain
Willis’s study
twelve ‘lads’ through observation and interviews. notice that they did not internalise the views and teachings of the school.
they felt superior
attached no value to academic work
they found the objective of school was to miss as many lessons as possible.
Evaluation - supporting marxist explanation
2/3 of barristers/doctors went to private school and only 1/7 of medical students came form the lower 50% of the UK population when divided by class.
male graduates who attend private schools are about 10% more likely to enter the highest paying occupations.
Evaluation - criticising the marxist explanation
the lower classes drop out earlier de to immediately gratification so they can’t succeed in creating a SFP
Creative industries account for approximately 1.7million jobs and grew by 10% in 2013 - proving that schools don’t kill creativity.
