functionalists view of the role of education

Question 1

what does social solidarity mean?

Answer 1

iniduduals must feel like theyre apart of one body. School teaches this by using a ‘shared history’

Question 2

Which sociologist belives in social solidarity?

Answer 2

Durkheim

Question 3

how does education help produce specialist skills?

Answer 3

Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play a productive role in society

Question 4

which sociologist theorizes meritocrcy?

Answer 4

parsons

Question 5

what is meritocracy?

Answer 5

the idea that people achieve based on skills and talent alone, with no help from social class, gender, race, etc

Question 6

what statndars does parsons so school has compared to the standards at home?

Answer 6

school have universalistic standards whereas at home there are particularistic standards

Question 7

what does focal socialising agency mean?

Answer 7

parsons says that school acts as the bridge between family and wider society saying it teaches children to cope with different people and learn how to socialize properly

Question 8

which sociologist theorizes role allocation?

Answer 8

Davis and Moore

Question 9

how does the education enforce role allocation?

Answer 9

Davis and Moore argue that school helps to asses individuals abilities and allocate them to a future job role that’s best suited to them

Question 10

why do davis and moore think that inequality is necessary?

Answer 10

because it ensures that all roles in society are filled and the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people

Question 11

how does sifting and sorting fit into davis and moores idea that inequality is necessary?

Answer 11

it shows people their capabilitys and ‘sifts’ the most talented people out and allows them to gain the most qualifications, giving them oppoutunities to enter the highest positions

Question 12

what does human capital mean?

Answer 12

Blau and Duncan suggest that economy depends on using its workers skills. They say a meritocratic education system does this best as it enables each person to be allocated the job thats best suited to them

Question 13

davis and moore, parsons and durkheim are what type of sociologist?

Answer 13

functionalists

Question 14

what are 2 general critisms of the functionalist perspective?

Answer 14

marxists say that education doesnt create social solidarity, it only shares the heritige of the ruling class

Tumin argues that only high;y rewarded jobs seem important but jons are only highly rewaeded because they are deemed important
- for example, being a bin man isnt seen as important but everyone would be in shambles without them