Marxism and education Flashcards
What did Althusser suggest about education?
Education along with religion and the media carried and transmitted the ideas of the powerful in society thus controlling workers and people. For Althusser the two main functions of education are based on maintaining and legitimising class inequality. His key concepts were ideological state and reproduction of class inequality.
What did bowels and gintis say about education?
Argue capitalism requires a particular type of workforce that is docile and obedient they claim that it is the function of the education system to ensure that these workers are properly prepared for their place in the system key concepts the hidden curriculum correspondence principal the myth of meritocracy social reproduction and legitimisation of inequality.
What was Bowes and Gintis study?
Study of 237 high school students in New York Bing Ginnis claimed that the school rewarded students with particular personality traits whilst those who showed independence and creativity and lower grades they concluded therefore that schools actually reproduced a similar environment to the workplace by using rewards and punishments which encourage a particular set of attitudes. Students are taught to submit to authority with little control over their time and work and get little satisfaction from it. This prepares them for alienation and unfulfilling work in the capitalist system.
What does Paul Willis say about education?
How working-class kids get working class jobs. Study carried out in the West Midlands. He found the boys challenged and rebelling class scornful of those that performed and were always resisting authority. The attitudes to work were similar to those found on the factory floor ironically where they were destined to work. Willis concluded that the 12 lads are not socialised to act the way they do by school they create their own subculture which leads them to seek out this kind of work when they leave school this reinforces social reproduction.
Counter school culture
Willis agreed that one function of education was the reproduction of labour power and that this maintains social class inequality. However, he did not believe that schools just produced docile and conformist workers instead Willis argued that working class boys resist the dominant values of school and create their own counter school culture. They developed the shopfloor culture.
What does Finn argue about national vocational qualifications?
NVQs set up to introduce standardised vocational courses for particular occupations believes vocational courses are made to restrict the number of people joining trade unions to reduce the bargain of the workforce. Clark and Willis argue that the new vocationalism is a way of producing people people who want to work but I kept in suspended animation before work becomes available.
