Functionalist And New Right Veiws On Education

Question 1

Deffenition of social solidarity

Answer 1

The ties that bind people together in society

Question 2

How to education achieve social solidarity

Answer 2

Passed and shared heritage (literature, history)- students understand aspects of culture
Communal gatherings (assembly)- promotes values of community
Social cohesion (enrichment, house systems) - sense of achievement

Question 3

What is the functions of education according to Durkheim

Answer 3

Teaching specialist skills, social solidarity

Question 4

How does education prepare the next generation for employment

Answer 4

Core knowledge, specialist knowledge (a level), universitys

Question 5

Critics for Durkheim

Answer 5

Marxists- students are often over qualified and there knowledge is fragmented
High levels of youth unemployment
Skills shortage in areas (nursing and teaching)
Feminists- girls are discouraged from certain subjects

Question 6

What function does Parsons think education has?

Answer 6

Parsons develops Durkheims ideas and suggests a further function- secondary socialisation

Question 7

How does education bridge between home and society?

Answer 7

It transforms particularistic (specific to group or individual) to universal values, education transforms ascribed status to achieved status, education promotes individualism

Question 8

How does education bridge between home and society?

Answer 8

Hidden or informal curriculum, norms and values of school, assessment, competition between students

Question 9

Contemporary examples of schools bringing home to society

Answer 9

Uniform, discipline, ofsted (cultural capital), social, moral, spiritual and cultural education (hidden curriculum)

Question 10

Criticisms of parsons

Answer 10

Marxist- hidden curriculum prepares students for exploration (transmits values of capitalism)
Post-modernists: disagree with universal values- fragmented nature of society means socialisation by various agents
Clash of working-class values in education leads to underachievement

Question 11

What does Davis and Moore think the function of education is

Answer 11

Role allocation- society requires a qualified workforce and education prepares students for these roles based on ability

Question 12

How does education achieve role allocation

Answer 12

It ‘sifts and sorts’ students based on ability, promotes ideas of social mobility and meritocracy, most able pupils end in higher positions in society

Question 13

Contemporary examples of role allocation

Answer 13

Setting and streaming, university entrance, subject choice (vocational and academic routes), wage inequality

Question 14

Criticisms of role allocation

Answer 14

Marxists- meritocracy is a myth making machine (reinforces traditional roles of w/c and m/students) and meritocracy helps legitimises inequality by shifting blame to the student
Feminists- gender pay gap (too much emphasis is based on male based subjects-education is lower status)
Privately educated students are more advantaged

Question 15

What is new rights view of education

Answer 15

Developed functionalist ideas of social solidarity and specialist skills, additionally parents should be given choice over child’s education, prefer maket approach to schools (LEAs are inefficient)

Question 16

How to achieve new right concepts within schools

Answer 16

Competition between schools for results, increased choice for parents- open enrolment (enrolled in schools outside locality), increased involvement of privet enterprise in education

Question 17

What did the 1988 educational reform act introduce

Answer 17

National curriculum, formula funding (given funding depending on how many students they had) , standardised testing (easy comparison between school), parental choice and open enrolment (parents no longer bound by geographical boundaries)

Question 18

What further developments did the 1988 education reform act have

Answer 18

Introduction of OFSTED, league tables

Question 19

Contemporary examples of new right concepts

Answer 19

Standardised tests through school life, developed educational markets, increased privatisation of education, wider range of schools

Question 20

Evaluation of new right

Answer 20

Introduced selection policies that disadvantage certain social groups, Gerwitz et al- middle class advantaged as they can play the system

Question 21

What did Chubb and moe argue?

Answer 21

Schools would have to compete to attract the most customers, schools should be more accommodating to wishes and needs of parents and carers, state schools impose uniformity (can’t cater to need of pupils) whereas marketing education gives parents stand pupils a choice