Functionalists views on education. (part of the topic of consensus theories of education)

Question 1

What is Durkheim’s belief about what the education system provides ?

Answer 1

Durkheim believes that it provides secondary socialisation as opposed to primary socialisation.

Question 2

What does Primary socialisation provide / teach ?

Answer 2

here , the family passes on their set of beliefs and values.

Question 3

What does secondary socialisation provide / teach ?

Answer 3

here , universal norms and values are passed on and these are shared by broader society.

Question 4

What is the definition of norms ?

Answer 4

behaviour and attitudes which are considered normal.

Question 5

What is the definition of values ?

Answer 5

things that people consider as individuals what is important to them.

Question 6

What do functionalists believe about how norms and values are taught ?

Answer 6

All members of society are filtered into these norms and values , first through family (primary socialisation) and then later through institutions (secondary socialisation)

Question 7

How are universalistic values taught ?

Answer 7

Through secondary socialisation.

Question 8

What is mechanical solidarity ?

Answer 8

The social integration of members in society who share a common set of beliefs and values causing them to cooperate and work with each other.

Question 9

What is organic solidarity ?

Answer 9

society based off of differences and how to make these differences come together so that society can work and function effectively.

Question 10

What is the nature of an industrial society ?

Answer 10

People have to learn certain skills in order to function in that society and perform specific roles that are best suited. There is common and basic knowledge known to everyone , and specific competencies that different people require in order to play their part in a complex industrial society.

Question 11

In Durkheim’s beliefs , how does the education system perform the role of secondary socialisation ?

Answer 11

Instilling social solidarity - learning about history , learning about the bigger picture. Also getting to know children from different backgrounds with different experiences.

Teaching social rules and how to abide by them - Learning how to interact with a set of rules is learning how to function in society. This limits deviance - punishment and with that self - discipline.

Teaching specialist skills - modern jobs require technical knowledge, but this knowledge has changed from generation to generation. Children had to learn skills and principles to work on the assembly line. Whereas nowadays, students will want to go into different skills and jobs and so will require individual sets of skills, and will have to learn different things.

Question 12

What do Marxists believe about Durkheim’s beliefs ?

Answer 12

They don’t accept / believe that there is a set of neutral norms and values that fit the whole of society.

Question 13

What would post modernists argue about Durkheim’s views on education ?

Answer 13

That contemporary society is multicultural and diverse and so can no longer have one set of norms and values.

Question 14

What do Marxists argue about Durkheim’s point of view about education ?

Answer 14

The powerful in society use education to spread their ideology.

Question 15

What do other sociologists believe about Durkheim’s view on
education ?

Answer 15

That contemporary education is no longer based around assembly lines , and so Durkheim’s idea of education might not suit the modern day economy.

Question 16

Why are schools sometimes questioned ?

Answer 16

Knowledge based learning for jobs can only get students so far in the job industry and that specific skills suited for the job tend to be taught through in - work training.

Question 17

What did Hargreaves’s (1982 ) argue ?

Answer 17

He argued that the education system encourages individualism and competition instead of social solidarity and shared values.

Question 18

What does parsons believe about education ?

Answer 18

That school teaches children the necessary social and academic skills needed and emphasises how the education system is fair and meritocratic meaning that how you do in education (success and failure) is based around your talent and hard work.

Question 19

What is parsons particularly interested in ?

Answer 19

How education facilitates role allocation.

Question 20

What does the education system help society to be according to Parsons ?

Answer 20

Meritocratic.

Question 21

What is meritocracy ?

Answer 21

A society where jobs and pay are allocated based on an individual’s talent and achievements rather than social status.

Question 22

What does Meritocracy encourage the belief of ?

Answer 22

Hard work will be rewarded in society whereas those who do not will not be rewarded.

Question 23

What does the education system teach people in terms of hard work ?

Answer 23

The value of making an effort , because effort is rewarded.

Question 24

According to Parsons (functionalists) what does the reward system ensure in terms of the social ladder ?

Answer 24

It ensures that people end up performing the social roles to which they are best suited in society.

Question 25

What do Marxists believe that the myth of meritocracy creates ?

Answer 25

A false class consciousness where the proletariat do not realise that they are being exploited by the bourgeoisie.

Question 26

What is the reproduction of inequality ?

Answer 26

The children of those with higher paid jobs get to leave the education system with better qualifications due to a better access to resources and go into a highly paid job whereas working class students experience the opposite to this.

Question 27

What positives does the myth of meritocracy cause for the bourgeousie ?

Answer 27

It allows for rich people to get away with using their privileges and convinces everybody else that the process is fair.

Question 28

What does the myth of meritocracy show in terms of results in education / later life as a result ?

Answer 28

That highly paid jobs are not always achieved through hard work as some people in high social class have good connections to get strong jobs.

Question 29

What is the myth of meritocracy ?

Answer 29

The belief that high pay and jobs are based off of effort and hard work rather than wealth / social class.