Functionalist view of education sociologist

Question 1

Durkheim (1903)

Answer 1

Solidarity and skills :
- Education provides social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture - its shared beliefs and values from one generation to the next.
- Education teaches a set of skills that people need to play a part in the social division of labour

Question 2

Parsons (1961)

Answer 2

• Education acts as a bridge between the family and wider society
• In schools , a person’s status is largely achieved , not ascribed
• School preparing us to move from family to wider society

Question 3

Davis and Moore (1945)

Answer 3

• See education as a device for selection and role allocation .
  They focus on the relationship between education and social inequality.
• Inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles are filled by the most talented people

Question 4

Wolf review of vocational education (2011)

Answer 4

Evaluating Durkheim :
- High school apprenticeship are rare and up to a third of 16-19 year olds are in courses that do not lead to higher education or good jobs

Question 5

Marxist Bourdieu ( evaluation )

Answer 5

Argues that processes inside schools are middle class institutions
Culture capital

Question 6

InterCtionst moore (evaluation)

Answer 6

Functionalist wrongly implying that students accept rules

Question 7

Critical race theorists

Answer 7

Education system is institutionally racist

Question 8

Saunders

Answer 8

• inequality ensures effective role allocation but the only alternative would be physical force or threat
• motivated people to create incentives