Functionalist Veiw On Education Flashcards
Understand functioanlis view on education.
What does Functionalists believe the educations role is for society?
Schools prepare children for the wider society and act as a bridge between the family and society.
Bridge between particularistic standerds (family) amd universalistic standerds (society)
Whats social solidarity (Durkheim)
Members need to feel a sense of belonging to a single community without this society would make cooperation impossible. Schools create this sense of belonging.
Whats socialisation (Durkheim)
Secondary socialisation essential to make sure that all members are socialisaed into the same norma and values. Schools act as a mini society in which they prepare children for the real wider society.
Whats specialost skills (Durkheim)
Schools are responsible for teaching the specialist knowledge and skils needed in modern industrial economies that have a complex division of kabour in order to produce goods and services.
What does Parsons believe society is essentially
A meritocracy where everybody is given an equal oportunities and individuals acheive rewards through their own effort and ability
Whats particularistic standards
Rules that apply to only to that particular child.
In family a child is judged by this and their statis is fixed at birth. Eg an elder son and younger daughther may be given different rights ir duties becuase of their age or gender.
Whats univerlistic standards (Parsons)
Wider society and schools judge individuals by these universalistic standards. Eg in society the same rules apply to everyone and in schools everyone is judged by sitting the same exams.in school and wider society a persons status is acheived rather than ascribed.
Whats doe Parsons believe the education system does
Teaches people to work for their acheived status and that this sytem prepares children to be judged by these univerlistic standards of society.
Efucation is importnat in maintaing value consensus belives Parson.
What does american school instil two main values?
Value of acheivemnet - encouraging students to strive for higherlevels and reqarding then whn they do something that we should strive for.
Value if equalality of opportunity- by placing individuals in the smae opportunity and same situatiom the classroom and alowimg them to compete on equal terma in examonations
Why is this transmission of those values an importnat function that schools fugill for advanced industrial societies?
These values allow individuals to be highly motivated and striving for the best. This is very importnat because empolyers need to have highly motivated, hardworking individuals in their industry. Values ensure that you will get a good job of you work hard.
Whats does Davis and Moore believe the function of education is?
They believe schools purpose was to shift and sort students into their future roles. They think that the education system acts a method of working out which people are more talented and more able to complete complex roles in society.
Whats role allocation? (Davis and Moore)
People are allocated jobs that best suites their abilities. They argue that inequality is necessary in order to make sure that the most important roles are filled by the most talented people but not everybody is talented so society needs to order higher rewards for some roles so that people compete for them and they are able to select the most talented individuals.
Whats human capital?
Modern economy relies on word for skills in order to thrive. Blau and Duncan believed this.
