Functionalism-education

Question 1

how do functionalists view society?

Answer 1

a system of integrated parts-each part has a role to play in maintaining society
it is held together by a shared culture or value consensus

Question 2

what was Emile Durkheim’s (1903) 2 main functions of education?

Answer 2

• creating social solidarity

- teaching specialist skills

Question 3

what would happen without organisation in society?

Answer 3

chaos. we need social unity

Question 4

what is social solidarity?

Answer 4

individuals must feel a part of a single community

Question 5

what would happen without social solidarity?

Answer 5

cooperation would be replaced by pursuing self interest

Question 6

what does education contribute to social solidarity?

Answer 6

beliefs

values

Question 7

what is specialist skills?

Answer 7

success depends on each individual having the knowledge and skills to perform their role

Question 8

evaluate social solidarity

Answer 8

• functionalists see education as a vehicle for installing shared social values
• marxists argue that education in the capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority

Question 9

evaluate specialist skills

Answer 9

-the education does not teach specialist skills adequately, as durkheim claims

Question 10

what is collective consciousness?

Answer 10

set of shared beliefs,ideas and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society

Question 11

what is instrumental relationships?

Answer 11

they involve cooperation merely in order to achieve some limited and immediate goal

Question 12

what is particularistic standards

Answer 12

an exclusive adherence and dedication to ones group,party,sector or nation

Question 13

what is ascribed status

Answer 13

the social status a person is assigned at birth involuntarily later in life

Question 14

what is universalistic standards

Answer 14

a person is judged by a clear measure of achievement that is also applied to every other child

Question 15

what is achieved status

Answer 15

who you are is gained by your own efforts e.g. school

Question 16

what is meritocracy

Answer 16

ruling or influential class of educated or able people, prepares young people for work

Question 17

what did Talcott Parsons believe?

Answer 17

the educational system is the main agency for secondary socialisation and that it prepares children for adult roles

Question 18

what did Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (1945) believe?

Answer 18

they see education as a device for selection and role allocation, but they focus on the relationship between education and social inequality

Question 19

give 3 functions of education

Answer 19

social solidarity
role allocation
social skills

Question 20

give 3 criticisms of the functionalist approach

Answer 20

• there is doubt about how far contemporary society is really based on universalistic values and achieved status
• the link between educational qualifications and job status is weak
• there is no equality of opportunity in education