Functionalist Views on Education Flashcards
What are functionalists?
Functionalists are interested in understanding how society functions
What does the education system act as?
An agent of secondary socialisation and plays a key role in establishing norms and values to students
Who are the 3 functionalists for education?
Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Davis + Moore.
What does Durkheim argue?
That education performs two functions. Secondary socialisation & Specialist skills provision
What is secondary socialisation?
Schools ensure that universal norms and values are passed down to students. This is important because families have particularistic norms and values where they have their own way of living which may differ in a wider society
What is specialist skills provision?
As the industrial revolution peaked, workers needed more specialised skills. Wider education was introduced to accomplish this.
What were Parson’s ideas in education?
The bridge between childhood and adulthood + Meritocracy
What is the bridge between childhood and adulthood
Schools act as a safe place for students to learn from the mistakes they make during their youth so they do not harm their life chances in the future
What is meritocracy?
The idea that people get their roles in society through merit and hard work
What did Davis and Moore suggest?
Role Allocation
What is Role Allocation?
The idea that schools filter students into certain roles in society based on the exam results they achieve in school. It can be functionally inefficient for people to aspire to roles they aren’t suited to
How can you evaluate Durkheim’s view of education?
Where do norms and values come from in the first place? Who created them and whose interest do they serve?
How can you evaluate Parsons’ view of education?
Does meritocracy actually exist? Cycle of deprivation
How can you evaluate Davis + Moore’s view of education?
The way that roles are allocated is linked to social class and not on a meritocratic basis
