functionalism

Question 1

What do functionalists suggest are the four positives of education?

Answer 1

• Creating social solidarity
• Teaching skills necessary for work
• Teaching us core values
• Role Allocation and meritocracy

Question 2

Durkheim - social solidarity

Answer 2

Argued that school makes us feel like we are part of something bigger. This is done through the learning of subjects such as history and citizenship which give us a shared sense of identity.

‘Society can survive only if there exists among its members a sufficient degree of homogeneity: education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by fixing in the child from the beginning the essential similarities which collective life demands’

Question 3

Parsons - social solidarity

Answer 3

Believes that through shared values taught at school we are able to create social solidarity

This is done through teaching subjects such as History and Citizenship as pupils see themselves as part of a bigger picture and start to adopt the same values

Question 4

Durkheim - society in miniature

Answer 4

Durkheim argued that ‘school is a society in miniature.’ preparing us for life in wider society. For example, both in school and at work we have to cooperate with people who are neither friends or family – which gets us ready for dealing with people at work in later life.

Question 5

Parsons - bridge theory

Answer 5

Parsons argued that, after primary socialisation within the family, the school takes over as the focal socializing-agency

School acts as a bridge between family and society as a whole, preparing children for their adult roles in society.

He argued this was necessary because the family and the wider society work in different principles and children need to adapt if they are to cope in the wider world

Question 6

Durkheim - Teaching skills valuable for work

Answer 6

• Durkheim noted that an advanced industrial economy required a massive and complex Division of Labour.
• At school, individuals learn the diverse skills necessary for this to take place.
• For example, we may all start off learning the same subjects, but later on we specialise when we do GCSEs.

Question 7

Parsons - universalistic standards

Answer 7

• school helps prepare us for society by moving us from particularistic to unviersalistic values
• particularistic values - taught during primary socialisation within the family, in which parents treat their children as if they are special regardless of their achievement
• society cannot act in this way but must function on universalistic values - everyone has to be treated equally.

Question 8

Davis and Moore - meritocracy

Answer 8

All individuals have the equal opportunity within the education system to gain qualifications, work hard and exploit their talent into receiving higher paying and higher status jobs without being discriminated on the grounds of gender, ethnicity or class

They believe that the most imporant jobs go to the individuals that work the hardest and are more talented

Question 9

What is meritocracy?

Answer 9

A system where hard work, talent and effort is rewarded
Equal and fair
Those at the top of society deserve it, because they have worked hard or are talented

Question 10

Young - meritocracy

Answer 10

• Society is meritocratic: those at the top deserve it as they are harder working, and more able.
• Likewise, those at the bottom of society deserve it as they are less able, and less hard working.
• This means that society is fair, and everybody has an equal chance of success.

Question 11

Davis & Moore - role allocation

Answer 11

• sees the education system’s main function as one of selection and allocation to students of their future work roles. It does this by carrying out a filtering process of ‘sifting and sorting out’ individuals into the most appropriate roles so that the most talented get the best qualifications and are allocated to the most important jobs.
• This is seen to be fair because there is equality of opportunity – everyone has a chance of success and it is the most able who succeed through their own efforts – this is known as meritocracy.

Question 12

Parsons - role allocation

Answer 12

• Parsons saw the educational system as an important mechanism for the selection of individuals for their future role in society.
• Thus schools by testing and evaluating students, match their talents, skills and capacities to the jobs for which they are best suited.
• We all have a role to play, like a piece of a puzzle. Our role may benefit society - not us as individuals.

Question 13

criticisms of functionalism

Answer 13

• marxism - meritocracy is a myth (ralph miliband)
• marxism - they see the education system as transmitting the values of the ruling class, as outlined in (Bowles and Gintis or Althusser)
• postmodernism - we no longer have shared norms and values
• postmodernism - outdated

Question 14

functionalism and education DESIRE ideas

Answer 14

D- Education is meritocratic
E- Davis and Moore
S- Young
R-
E- Ralph Miliband - meritocracy is a myth

D- Social solidarity
E- Durkheim
S- Parsons
R-
E- Foucalt

D- Prepares us for work
E- Parsons - bridge theory
S- Durkheim - microcosm of society
R-
E- Moore and Hickox - outdated

D- Educatioon - role allocation
E-Davis and Moore - sorts and sifts us into our appropriate roles
S-Parsons
R-
E- Bourdieu