Functionalist Flashcards
Functionalists sociologist
Durkheim
Durkheim belief
“Schools are socialisation agencies that teach children how to get along with others and prepare them for the adult economic roles”
Functionalist belief
Education equips people to perform different functional roles
Socialisation
learning the rules and norms of society
How do schools teach socialisation?
Teach them the diverse skills needed. ie. dress code, punctuality, listening to superior
Social placement
Methods for upward social mobility
How do schools facilitate social placement?
Schools, especially universities help students progress the social ladder
Social solidarity
Durkheim: the ties that bind people together in society.
Changed by the industrial revolution
How does education achieve social solidarity?
Passes on shared heritage -> History, Literature, music -> Students understand aspects of culture
Communal gatherings -> Assemblies, prizes -> Promote community values
Social Cohesion -> Enrichment, sports activities, house systems -> Sense of unity
Marxists Criticisms
Education only promotes the values of the powerful groups -> Ruling class Education is divisive because of the hierarchy of schools and universities which separate social classes.
Hargreaves criticism
Education promotes competition and individualisation and not shared values
Feminist criticisms
Research suggests that factors such as class and gender and ethnicity also influence achievement
Functions of education 1. 2. 3. 4.
- Social solidarity
- Teaching specialists skills (workforce) Schultz
- selection of people for roles
- Bridge between family and society
Formal curriculum
Syllabus learning. Lessons
Informal curriculum
Unspoken rules ie. dressing appropriately,
Parsons
Argued that schools perform two major functions for society
- Acts as a bridge between family and wider society
- Help to socialise young people into the basic values of society
Meritocracy
Rewarded based on skill and hard work
Functional prerequisite
Basic needs for a society to survive. Hidden + Formal Curriculum form this. It passes on core values and culture
New right are a … that reflect … views
New right area political standpoint that reflects functionalist views
The new right believe
That educational policy should not be concerned with promoting equality, but training the future work force
Marketisation of the education
Schools are now being run by private organisations rather than the government
Marketisation promotes
League tables, parental choice, healthy competition
AO3
Education passes on societies culture. ‘social glue’ which creates social cohesion
Marxists would argue that this is bad because it reproduces social class inequalities
AO3
Education provides a bridge between the particularistic values/ ascribed status of the family to the universalistic vales achieved in wider society
The bridge is not equal because children in the upper class have an advantage with knowing the dominant culture being taught, than the lower class.
AO3
Education provides a trained and qualified work force
The opportunity is not equal
AO3
Effective role selection and allocation selects the most suitable and qualified people and matces them with a perfect fit job in a meritocratic society
Education isn’t meritocratic. Myth of meritocracy. Middle class kids have an unfair advantage
3 factors which may affect social class differences in educational achievement
- The behaviour (politeness, quiet, manners) of the middle class children cause them to achieve better than working class.
- Middle class parents have more money to spend on their childs education
- Middle class children will have parents with more cultural capital and provide more learning experiences
Particularistic values
Values that only apply to certain people
Human capital
The stock of habits, knowledge and attributes that are in the working labour force
Division of labour
The separation of tasks in a system
Parsons - Education … … … people
Sifts and sorts
