Marxism on Education (PAPER 1) Flashcards
What did Bowles and Gintis suggest was the main function of education?
Casting the “long shadow of work” and reproducing the workforce
What theory by Bowles and Gintis says that school mirrors the working world?
Correspondence principle
How does the correspondence principle work?
Features of school are the same as the working world (e.g. punctuality, hierarchies of power, rewards and sanctions, prefects as promotions)
How does Bowles and Ginitis suggest schools legitimise ineuqality?
- Meritocracy is a myth
- Confirms W/C pupils will end up in W/C jobs
- System gives advantages to M/C children
How is Bowles and Gintis’ theory applied to the real world?
- Uniform policies
- Role of acadmies
- Apprenticeships and contemporary education
How do functionalists view Bowles and GIntis theory?
They agree skills for employment are presented but they say it is for the benefit of society
How do other sociologists criticise Bowles and Gintis’ theory?
They say it is only viable if students are conforming, unthinking “puppets”
What does Bordieu’s cultural reproduction model say?
Cultural differences are caused by three factors: Habitus, Field, and Cultural Capital
What is Habitus?
An individuals tastes, attributes, and individuality as a result of how they’re socialised and their social class.
What is Field in the context of Bourdieu’s theory?
The social context into which the individual’s habitus enters - e.g. law or education where the field’s norms and values are that of the M/C
What is Cultural Capital?
The value of one’s cultural knowledge
How does Bourdieu say the education system reproduces M/C culture?
Those that make the curriculum and the teachers who deliver it are M/C - M/C students have higher cultural capital in this area and are more likely to succeed and have a career in the space
What are language codes?
Two main ways people communicate - elaborate and restricted
How does Bernstein suggest language codes effect educational acheivement?
He says that the language of education is in the elaborate code - the code of the M/C
How do dress codes effect educational achievement according to Marxists?
Based on M/C norms and values of dress, making the W/C students feel out of place and uncomfortable
How does cultural knowledge effect education achievement according to Marxists?
The knowledge learnt is chosen by the M/C - they choose the literature read, the music that is listened to, and the history taught
How does Archer support Bourdieu’s ideas?
Idea of Nike identities
How does Sullivan support Bourdieu’s ideas?
She found that students with higher cultural capital achieve higher (however no the only factor)
How do functionalists criticise Bourdieu’s ideas?
- Suggest education is meritocratic
- Skills learnt are needed to achieve
How do other sociologists criticise Bourdieu’s ideas?
They say that cultural capital is acquired throughout education
How did Bourdieu improve his theory?
He explained that cultural capital is learnt throughout a child’s education BUT still remains that it is harder to acquire not having been immersed in it at home
What was the basis of Willis’ research?
He believed students didn’t just passively accept and were actively aware of the exploitation
Who did Willis study?
“the lads” - a group of working class boys who were disruptive and focused on girl’s attention over their education
What did Willis conclude after his study?
- Education was an ineffective agent of socialisation
- “The lads” were not socialised into work just socialised into disliking education
What theory does Willis’ work contradict?
BOTH functionalists and marxists
Why did Sugarman suggest W/C children disliked school and wanted to work?
They wanted instant gratification compared to M/C students understanding the greater rewards of delayed gratification
How do people evaluate Willis’ work?
- Close bonds with boys can lead to Hawthorne effect
- Did the boys actually “choose to fail” or did previous educational experiences cause this
- The end results prove that culture and inequality is reproduced either way
