Functionalist View on Education Flashcards
What are functionalists main arguments on education?
Is that education plays a crucial role in bringing about social order, as it is a very important agent of secondary socialisation.
What did Durkheim see education as?
He saw it as playing a vital role in instilling a shared culture and identity in children in societies characterised by diversity.
What did Durkheim say about the teaching of History
It is useful as it encourages young children to take pride in their country and its culture and achievements. The subjects English Literature and Language, and also RE perform a similar function too.
How does Parsons view education
Education acts as a bridge between the particularistic world of the family in which children are awarded status and the universalistic world of wider society where they are awarded status based on achievement.
Parsons - Therefore how does school help children
Help children to adapt to the notion of universalistic standards which is how they will be judged in the workplace.
What did Parsons say about education and socialisation?
Education should socialise young people into a consensus or agreement on key values such as the importance of hard work, educational achievement and qualifications. These are values which are essential to prepare young people for the world of work.
What did Parsons believe schools should be and why.
Meritocratic and based on equality of opportunity.
Children should be encouraged to see that their talent, skill and effort would be rewarded regardless of social class, gender and ethnicity.
What did Davis and Moore argue?
An important function of education was the sifting and sorting of pupils by exams and qualification so that employers could allocate the most able to jobs which best suited their abilities. This ‘role allocation’ aimed to make the economy more effective.
What does Taylor point out about schools promoting consensus and unity?
The functionalist ideas about schools promoting consensus and unity still have relevance in the 21st century, as some Islamic schools in Birmingham. These schools segregated pupils by gender, expected teachers to wear islamic dress and taught a conservative curriculum which was critical of gender inequality, evolution and homosexuality.
Criticism of Parsons claiming schools should be meritocratic
That the idea of British education is meritocratic and underpinned by equality of opportunity is challenged by the fact there exists distinct inequalities in educational achievement caused by social class, gender and ethnic disadvantages.
Marxist criticism on Functionalist view on education
They question the view that education transmits values that are agreed upon and shared by the majority of society. Marxists argue that these values actually constitute ruining-class or capitalist values which are intended to turn children into obedient and conformist workers and citizens, so benefiting employers who constitute members of the capitalist ruling class.
New right criticism on Functionalist view on education
The relationship between school and work is not as strong as functionalists claim. They argue that there is too much emphasis on academic subjects and not enough vocational education, aimed at teaching pupils the practical and social skills needed in the workplace.
