Functionalist views on the role of education Flashcards
What type of approach is functionalism
A structural consensus approach
4 Key points of education - functionalism
Social solidarity
Teaching specialist skills
Bridge between home and wider society
Meritocracy and role allocation
What did Durkheim argue - social solidarity
The formal curriculum promotes social solidarity by transmitting shared beliefs and values from one generation to another (cultural transmission), helping to maintain the value consensus and collective consciousness in society
EG history, RE
Education and the socialisation it provides would help to offset the rise in individualism in society which risks the onset of anomi
How would interactionists evaluate social solidarity
Argue that functionalists have an ‘over-socialised view’ of pupils, implying they passively accept society’s values, instead of actively creating or rejecting them
The fact that some students are persistently truant or are excluded from school shows that they can reject cultural transmission
how would marxists evaluate social solidarity
the view ignores the inequalities in society
there is no value consensus and the culture and values passes on by the school and are those of the ruling class
Bowles and Gintis argue that the hidden curriculum prepares the working classes for a future of exploitation at work
eg acceptance of boredom, respect for authority
how would feminists evaluate social solidarity
school passes on patriarchal values that disadvantage girls
eg History - a male-centred male-dominated view of the past
how do functionalists argue - teaching specialist skills
education teaches the specialist knowledge and skills required by the specialised division of labour in industrial economies
eg maths and chemistry - engineers
vocational education eg apprenticeships for plumbing
schools are essential as most parents would not have the skills and knowledge required to teach their children to the necessary level in all subjects they need to study or where their natural aptitude lies
what does Durkheim argue - teaching specialist skills
aside from teaching specific subjects, the hidden curriculum prepares young people for life in the wider society, by acting as a ‘society in miniature’ - a small-scale version of society
eg - co-operating with people who are neither family nor friends who students may not like, prepares them for future adult life
what is a general evaluation for teaching specialist skills
the content of what people learn in schools - often little to do directly with what they actually do in their jobs
eg most skills required for journalism are learnt on the job
how would the Wolf Review of Vocational Education evaluate
they raise doubts about whether the education system teaches specialist skills adequately
found that high quality apprenticeships are rare and up to a third of 16-19 year olds are on courses that do not lead to higher education or good jobs
no parity of esteem between BTECs and Alevels - viewed differently in society
what does parsons argue - bridge
education acts as the ‘focal socialising agency’ in modern society
school plays the central role in the process of secondary socialisation taking over from primary socialisation
this is necessary because the family and wider society work in different principles and children need to adapt if they’re to cope in the wider world
family - judged by particularistic values
society - judged by universalistic values
both school and society - meritocratic
eg teachers marking students’ essays are expected to judge them by the same criteria, not on whether they like the student or not
how would marxists evaluate parsons
Bowles and Gintis - both schools and society operate on a myth of meritocracy
society is not based on universalistic values and achieved status
eg wealth in inherited and more elite jobs where ascribed status characteristics such as class, gender and ethnicity have an important influence
universalistic values do not account for the advantage that middle and upper class students have throughout their schooling
another marxists evaluation about parsons
the education system is not meritocratic - structured in a way that the working class are doomed to failure which maintains class inequality
what does Davis and Moore argue - meritocracy
social inequality is necessary and inevitable - not everyone can be equally talented
society cannot function if the least able do the most important jobs
if those jobs are highly rewarded, people will compete for them and the most able can be selected
how are schools meritocratic systems
they grade pupils through setting, test and exams; this is one of the most important mechanisms for ensuring that the most talented and skilled pupils are allocated to the most important jobs
eg those with the best a-levels are admitted to the most competitive courses at the top universities, from where they are chosen for the most desirable jobs
what is argued by Blau and Duncan
modern economies depend for their prosperity by using human capital
a meritocratic system does this best since it allocates people to jobs accurately reflecting their skills and abilities
this will make the most effective use of their talents and maximise their producivity
how would marxists evaluate meritocracy and role allocation
social inequality is neither necessary nor inevitable
it is simply a way of protecting the privilege of the ruling class
it is not the most able who reach the top positions, but those from the ruling class
Bowles and Gintis - meritocracy is a myth
general evaluation of meritocracy and role allocation
he education system does not act as a neutral sieve, grading students according to ability, class ethnicity and gender play a major role in influencing success or failure in education
therefore it is not necessarily the most talented and skilled pupils that rise to the top, but those that start out with the most advantages
positive evaluations on functionalist theories
highlights the socialisation role of education in easing the transition between childhood and adulthood
demonstrates how education links into the job market and promotes equality of opportunity
shows how education helps to promote culture across generations
rose-tinted theory evaluation
functionalism is a rose-tinted theory
seen as over positive by focusing only on the positive aspects of education and ignoring how it can be dysfunctional for some groups and ignoring conflict within the system
society evaluation
there are doubts that education helps to transmit one dominant value consensus
also many students openly reject the values transmitted by education - suggesting active behaviour from an interactionist perspective
the new right evaluation
the state education does not provide appropriate academic rigour or provide the skills needed by employers
functionalists support state education as they believe it ensures all people get access to high quality education provided by specialist teachers
