Functionalist Views on Education

Question 1

What is value consensus?

Answer 1

A general agreement on which values are important in society.

Question 2

What are specialist skills?

Answer 2

These are skills that may be essential to a workplace. Different groups have different skills which provide different functions to the whole of society.

Question 3

Define meritocracy.

Answer 3

Meritocracy is the idea that if you work hard towards something you will achieve is. Functionalists believe the education system is meritocratic.

Question 4

What is nationalism?

Answer 4

A sense of shared national culture.

Question 5

How do functionalists view education?

Answer 5

As serving a societal need. It has positive contributions to maintaining society.

Question 6

What are the two functions education performs?

Answer 6

1. General socialisation of the whole population into the dominant culture, values and beliefs of a society.
2. Selecting people for different types and levels of education.

Question 7

How does Parsons believe education meets the needs of the system?

Answer 7

1. Making sure that all children have a basic commitment to their society’s values and beliefs.
2. Preparing individuals for their specific location within the social hierarchy.

Question 8

According the Durkheim, what is the only way society can function?

Answer 8

If there is a strong degree of social solidarity.

Question 9

How does education promote social stability?

Answer 9

It transmits norms, beliefs and values to all pupils. It welds together a mass of individuals into a united whole by fixing into children the essential similarities that collective life demands.

Question 10

How does education integrate people?

Answer 10

It transmits norms and values that helps them to become attached to the larger social unit.

Question 11

What is homogenous?

Answer 11

Sameness, standardised, uniformity

Question 12

How does education regulate (control) members of society?

Answer 12

It prepares individuals for interactions with members on society in terms of its general rules and standards.

Question 13

What is the benefit of school rules?

Answer 13

Pupils learn to respect the rules of society and this contributes to social order.

Question 14

How does education prepare individuals for work?

Answer 14

It acts as a vehicle for developing the human resources of a nation, so provides and adequate supply of trained people with the skills required to perform specialist roles in society.

Question 15

What is a secondary source of socialisation?

Answer 15

After primary socialisation (in the home etc.) the school becomes the focal socialising agency preparing young people for their adult roles and encourages them to be a highly motivated and achievement orientated workforce.

Question 16

What are particularistic standards?

Answer 16

Standards to be judged by that are unique to individuals. These standards are using during primary socialisation within the family.

Question 17

What are universalistic standards?

Answer 17

Standards to be judged by that are applied to all members.

Question 18

How do you gain status?

Answer 18

Status is achieved not ascribed, meaning you earn your status and aren’t born with it.

Question 19

What is meritocracy?

Answer 19

Parsons believes that society is based on egalitarianism and everyone has equal chance to work and improve their status.

Question 20

How is education meritocratic according to functionalists?

Answer 20

The education system is egalitarian and encourages pupils to be aspirational. Everyone is judged by universalistic standards and not particularistic standards. An example of this is everyone working towards the same grade and having the same opportunity to access the higher grades.

Question 21

Who argues school represents a miniature society?

Answer 21

Durkheim and Parsons

Question 22

What does school prepare people for?

Answer 22

It prepares individuals for their adult roles and work.

Question 23

What is the stratification system?

Answer 23

The class system.

Question 24

Why do Davis and Moore see education as a proving ground?

Answer 24

They see that education is a selective agency allocating people to roles according to their ability

Question 25

Why is social inequality necessary in education?

Answer 25

This ensures that the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people. Not everyone is equally talented, so society has to offer higher rewards for these jobs. (Davis and Moore)

Question 26

How does education help to select the most talented individuals for the most important roles?

Answer 26

It sifts, sorts and grades individuals in terms of their talents and abilities and allocates them to different sets and provides them with a curriculum which ensures they fulfil their potential. (Davis and Moore)

Question 27

How does education improve competition?

Answer 27

The higher rewards for the most talented individuals act as an incentive for people to compete and work harder in education. (Davis and Moore)

Question 28

How do qualifications play a part in the selection process?

Answer 28

Education enables the most talented to gain more qualifications and can be selected for the most highly rewarded positions in society.

Question 29

What do Blau and Duncan say about human capital?

Answer 29

They argue that a modern economy depends on using human capital for prosperity. They argue that a meritocratic education system does this best as it enables each person to be allocated to the job best suited to their abilities. This is an effective use of their talents.