functionalism

Question 1

durkheim - social solidarity- and how does education create this

Answer 1

individual members of society need to feel a sense of social solidarity or belonging.

The education system creates this through transmitting society’s shared culture

Question 2

Durkheim - Society in miniature

Answer 2

learn to live and work together, learn the impersonal rules which govern out behaviour

Question 3

Durkheim - specialist skills

Answer 3

school teaches us the complex specialist skills we need so we can play our part in the labour market

Question 4

Durkheim quote for the division of labour being imperative

Answer 4

not everyone can become doctors or solicitors, cleaners and factory workers are also important

Question 5

Purposes of the education system

Answer 5

free childcare
prepare children to be workers in society
role allocation
economic benefit - encourages employment
societal norms learnt - social solidarity

Question 6

Durkheim 1903 - Key concepts

Answer 6

social solidarity
society in miniature
complex division of labour
specialist skills

Question 7

Parsons 1961 - Key concepts

Answer 7

education as a ‘bridge’
meritocratic principles
particularistic standards
universalistic standards

Question 8

education as a bridge

Answer 8

bridge between family and wider society
children can learn from universalistic standards and impersonal standards that apply to everyone

Question 9

meritocratic standards

Answer 9

applies to school and society

we achieve according to our own efforts

Question 10

universalistic standards

Answer 10

rules or standards that apply to everyone

Question 11

particularistic standards

Answer 11

where parents judge their children as unique and special, rather than judging them by universalistic standards

Question 12

Davis and Moore - Key terms 1945

Answer 12

role allocation
‘sifting and sorting’
need for inequality

Question 13

Davis and Moore - Role allocation

Answer 13

school selects and allocates children to their future work roles

Question 14

Davis and Moore - need for inequality

Answer 14

is needed to allocate people to the most appropriate role

Question 15

proselytising

Answer 15

attempts to convert people to a religion

Question 16

why might governments be concerned about the loss of shared values in contemporary societies

Answer 16

increasingly multicultural society in which cultural differences are replacing shared values

Question 17

why did the British government introduce the 5 British values

Answer 17

as an attempt to promote shared values

Question 18

value consensus

Answer 18

when a society has a common set of beliefs and principles to work with and towards

Question 19

how does british schools teaching religious education contrast with the french approach

Answer 19

the teaching of religion in state funded schools is banned

French Education Minister - pupils must be ‘protected from all forms of religious proselytising’

Question 20

what is the funcitonalist presumption about the education system

Answer 20

that it is meritocratic

Question 21

meritocracy

Answer 21

a society in which everyone has an equal chance of success based on their talent and efforts

Question 22

criticism - in relation to academic performance

Answer 22

lower social classes and ethnic minority groups do not achieve as well as privileged classes

Question 23

criticism - Dennis Wong - interactionist

Answer 23

argues that students aren’t just passive puppets - they sometimes reject the schools values and norms

Question 24

criticism - Wolf - specialist skills

Answer 24

specialist skills are not adequately taught in the education system

Wolf report - vocational education - at least 350000 students were getting little to no benefit from the post-16 education system