Functionalist Perspective

Question 1

functionalism - main concern

Answer 1

link between social institutions and education being an agency of socialisation - maintain social stability through value consensus, social harmony and social cohesion

Question 2

functionalism - value consensus

Answer 2

a general agreement around the main values of a society

Question 3

functionalism - social solidarity

Answer 3

shared values/understanding, common culture and social ties that bind people together in society

Question 4

functionalism - social cohesion

Answer 4

the bonds that bring people together to a united society

Question 5

functionalism - Emelie Durkheim and Talcott Parsons functions of education

Answer 5

• passing on society’s culture and building social solidarity
• providing a bridge between particularistic values and ascribed states and universalistic values and achieved status
• developing human capital
• selecting and allocating people for roles in a meritocratic society and legitimising social inequality

Question 6

functionalism - passing on society’s culture and building social solidarity

Answer 6

passes culture of society through hidden curriculum

builds social solidarity by giving shared values/consensus

Question 7

functionalism - providing a bridge

Answer 7

prepare children for wider adult society
secondary socialisation
e.g. particularistic values - at home you can eat whenever you want but at school you only eat at the set times the school has chosen

Question 8

functionalism - secondary socialisation

Answer 8

takes place beyond the family

Question 9

functionalism - ascribed status

Answer 9

status given from the family at birth

Question 10

functionalism - achieved status

Answer 10

status earned through effort and ability

Question 11

functionalism - developing human capital

Answer 11

develops knowledge/skill for successful economy

provides trained, qualified labour force

Question 12

functionalism - human capital

Answer 12

knowledge and skills possessed by workforce to increase value and usefulness to employers

Question 13

functionalism - david & moore

Answer 13

method of role allocation creating meritocratic society
equality of educational opportunity
put in effort = equal chance of success
legitimising inequalities

Question 14

functionalism - meritocratic society

Answer 14

occupation and status is achieved on individual merit than who you know/family

Question 15

functionalism criticism - marxists

Answer 15

no value consensus

cultures/values passed by the school is of the dominant class

Question 16

functionalism criticism - feminist

Answer 16

school passes on patriarchal values

disadvantaged females

Question 17

functionalism criticism - meritocracy myth

Answer 17

elite jobs are still ascribed
upper class still inherit wealth

Question 18

functionalism criticism - human capital myth

Answer 18

what people learn in school has little to do with what they actual do
educational qualifications is an attempt to raise occupations status
calculating pie squared isn’t relevant
government is pushing for apprenticeships/vocational education as qualifications doesn’t fill in all of the gaps

Question 19

functionalism criticism - equality of role allocation myth

Answer 19

education system isn’t a natural sieve

social class, ethnicity, gender influence success/failure

Question 20

functionalism criticism - equality of opportunity myth

Answer 20

everyone doesn’t start at the same point