functionalist perspective on education Flashcards
1
Q
what is functionalism?
A
- believe all our social institutions provide functions for the good of the individual and society
- think all our institutions work together like a human body
- think institutions shape our identity and control our behaviour
- they give us our shared norms, values and beliefs
2
Q
PARSONS - meritocracy
A
- system where rewards go to those who have talent, ability and hard work
- schools work on meritocratic principles
- everybody has an equal opportunity, and individuals achieve rewards through their own effort and ability
3
Q
DURKHEIM - education system functions
A
- creating social solidarity (a commitment to society)
FOR EXAMPLE:
- pledge of allegiance (USA)
- citizenship and british values in the uk
- teaching of british history
- wearing uniforms
- assemblies - teaching specialised skills
- complex industrial societies need specialised skills for the economy
4
Q
DAVIS & MOORE - role allocation
A
- the most able and talented must be filtered into the most functionally important positions in society
- those with lower grades end up in lower skilled jobs
- the education system sifts, sorts and grades us all
5
Q
PARSONS - focal socialising agency
A
- education is a bridge between family and society
- in the family a child has an ascribed status - status assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life
- in wider society we have an achieved status - earned based on merit/choices
- all individuals have to change from the particularistic standards of the family to the universalistic standards pf society
6
Q
BLAU & DUNCAN - human capital
A
- the skills, knowledge and experiences possessed by an individual
- BLAU & DUNCAN - the modern economy requires human capital for prosperity
- a meritocratic education system allocates people to their most suitable roles
- this makes the most effective use of their talents and maximises productivity
7
Q
criticisms of the functionalist views on education
A
- MELVIN TUMIN criticises DAVID & MOORE for putting forward a circular argument. why is a job important? - because it is rewarded. / why is a job rewarded? - because it is important.
- functionalists see education as a process that instils the shared values of society as a whole, but MARXISTS argue education in a capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority - the ruling class
- INTERACTIONIST DENNIS WRONG argues functionalists have an ‘over-socialised’ view of people as mere puppets of society. functionalists wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all that they are taught and never reject school values.
- NEOLIBERALS AND THE NEW RIGHT argue that the state education system fails to prepare young people for work adequately.