Key Sociologist - education

Question 1

Functionalists - Durkheim

Answer 1

School helps children become part of wider society by transmitting specialist skills and social solidarity

Question 2

Functionalists - Parsons (1959)

Answer 2

sees school as a secondary socializing agency; acts as a bridge between family and wider society.

Question 3

Functionalists - Davis and Moore

Answer 3

argue inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles of society are filled by the most talented people

Question 4

New Right - Chubb and Moe

Answer 4

suggest instead of having guaranteed funding, parents should be given vouchers to spend on schools of their choice.

Question 5

Marxism - Althusser (1971)

Answer 5

Education reproduces class inequality by transmitting ideas from generation to generation and failing the working class deliberately.

Question 6

Marxism - Bowles and Gintis

Answer 6

education is to produce an obedient workforce that accepts inequality as inevitable.

Question 7

Marxism - Willis (1977)

Answer 7

a group of working-class ‘lads’ who were disruptive, misbehaved and had a very negative attitude to education.

Question 8

Ethnicity (external) - Palmer

Answer 8

Found that almost all ethnic minority students live in low income households and are almost twice as likely to be unemployed

Question 9

Ethnicity (external) - Lupton

Answer 9

Asian families sees the education system as a ‘way up’ in society

Question 10

Ethnicity (external) - Sewell (1997)

Answer 10

hyper-masculinity ascribed to black boys is one of the main factors explaining the educational underachievement of black boys.

Question 11

Ethnicity (internal) - Gillborn and Youdell

Answer 11

argues that marketisation of schools gives schools more power to select pupils and this puts ethnic minorities at a disadvantage.

Question 12

Ethnicity (internal) - Fuller (1984)

Answer 12

high achieving black girls channelled their anger into pursuit of educational success and did not seek teacher approval.

Question 13

Ethnicity - Troyna and Williams (1986)

Answer 13

describe British schools as ethnocentric because they give priority to English culture.

Question 14

Social class - Bernstein (1971)

Answer 14

linguistic codes (elaborated and restricted)

Question 15

Social class - Hyman (1967)

Answer 15

working class children are fatalistic and so see no point in education

Question 16

Social class - Troyna and Williams (1986)

Answer 16

argue that teachers have a speech hierarchy and label middle class speech as the highest

Question 17

Material deprivation - Marilyn Howard (2001)

Answer 17

notes that young people from poorer homes have lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals.

Question 18

Labeling - Becker (1971)

Answer 18

interviewed 60 school teachers and found out that the teachers, in their mind, created the ideal pupil.

Question 19

Labeling - Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968)

Answer 19

gave false information to teachers labeling students as late bloomers. The teachers paid more attention to the kids and the kids achieved higher grades.

Question 20

Feminist - Sharpe (1976)

Answer 20

Females prioritised Marriage, Children, but not careers. (1990) priorities had changed with careers being the top priority.

Question 21

Feminist- Lobban (1974)

Answer 21

gender bias in books with women overwhelmingly in traditional domestic roles.

Question 22

Gender - Sewell (2006)

Answer 22

schools are ignoring male traits like competition and leadership and replacing them with female traits like methodical working and attentiveness in class

Question 23

Gender - Yougov (2007)

Answer 23

poll reveals 39% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons with male teachers whatsoever

Question 24

Gender - Skelton et al

Answer 24

the Feminisation of teaching does not have a negative impact on the educational performance of boys.