Lecture 6 - Education Flashcards
How has the need for education developed over time?
- Used to be for the upper class (Children also had to work prior to education)
- Public schooling was introduced in 1852 for PEI and by 1873, all but 3 provinces had it
- Drastic increase in public education rates after WWII
- Post-secondary numbers increased bc of globalization (Jobs w/ credentials are in developed countries)
Why did public education become compulsory?
- Job training for economic growth
- Population became more compatible w/ democracy
- Reduction of class inequality (Primary means for ppl. to move through classes)
What are the 3 (manifest) functions of education?
- Selection –> Diff. schools/programs for diff. students (separation by high/low level, who is selected for what and why?)
- Socialization –> prep. for new adults to pass on knowledge/values (which values are passed on?)
- Social organization –> how we learn + define diff. occupations
What are the 2 ways in which school selection occurs?
- Structured in a stratified manner
- Streaming (splitting students into curricular groups, which limits opportunities for those in lower levels)
- Fields of study differ in prestige and access to resources - Unequal rates of success in students
(Within stratified education structure) Define sponsored and contest mobility.
Sponsored mobility - select few youths attend elite schools, highly structured streaming (Ex. Europe)
Contest mobility - youth in the same school and larges #s of them go to higher education, more competition (Ex. Canada)
How does the degree of educational stratification vary between the US and Canada?
US –> private sector + public institutions, institutional hierarchy (prestige w/ Ivy Leagues)
Canada –> no private sector or institutional hierarchy (but one is being developed)
What do patterns in research show about the unequal rates of student success?
- Education attainment for all has risen over the past 50 years
- Student success has been found to be related to socioeconomic background
- Less advantaged are overrepresented in lower streams, underrepresented in higher education
- Higher chance of a degree if parents attended post-secondary
- Women surpassed men in terms of educational achievement since the 1980s (but are still underrepresented in high-paying fields)
- 1st/2nd gen. immigrants have high participation rates (but POC have low rates as a whole)
Socioeconomic status, colonization and immigration policies need to be taken into account
Define hidden curriculum.
Values that are taught through the way the system is set up (not overtly teaching them)
What are the limits of school socialization?
- Popularity becomes more important than grades/learning (high academic success = lower reputation)
- Structure offers limited mobility, creating status groups
- Academically unfit students create subcultures (rule-breaking, racial subcultures, etc.)
Define human capital theory.
School’s role is economic, generating needed job skills (needed to improve the economic/productive capacity of a population)
Why are credentialists skeptical of human capital theory?
- More graduates than high-skilled jobs
- Weak connections b/w school content and workplace
- Employers don’t usually look at grades
Why are credentials needed if the education doesn’t seem to connect to the workplace?
- Credential inflation –> intense competition means that more is needed beyond a high school diploma
- Professionalization –> limits who can be eligible/who’s going to be serious about their job
Define progressive pedagogy in education.
(John Dewey) Creating intrinsic motivation, engagement, voluntary work from students (not just utilitarian schooling)
In which 2 forms are school choice growing?
- Public school –> can be specifically themed (art, business, sports, etc.)
- Private school –> specialty programs, smaller classes, for the wealthier families
(Homeschool and tutoring are also growing)
How do structural functionalists see the 3 functions of education?
- Selection –> a system of meritocracy (money/power/influence based on work/demonstrated ability) and fair competition
- Based on talent (Allows for diff. POVs w/ diversity)
- Grades prove strengths and weaknesses, so it matches the best candidates for the job - Socialization –> reaffirms shared values + prompts discussion on what those shared values should be
- Job training –> human capital theory (education is needed to teach inalienable skills to benefit the economy)
