Marxist Perspective Of Education

Question 1

Who do they believe education is controlled by?

Answer 1

Education is controlled by capitalists and serves their interests.

Question 2

What do Bowles and Gintis believe is the role of the education system?

Answer 2

-Capitalism requires a hard working, obedient workforce that will accept social inequality as inevitable and fair.
>They see education reproducing this.
>Generations of workers need these ideas firmly planted in their minds.

Question 3

Marxists believe in the hidden curriculum, what is this?

Answer 3

‘Lessons’ learnt in school without being directly taught. Pupils accept: Hierarchy, alienation, competition.
Becomes normal way to think.

Question 4

Hidden Curriculum links with which theory? And what is it?

Answer 4

Correspondence theory.

The relationships and structure found in schools corresponds to that in the workplace and Capitalist society.

Question 5

What are the 3 things that pupils learn at school that correspond to that in the workplace?

Answer 5

Alienation- Pupils lack control over Ed.
- Workers lack control over production.
Hierarchy of authority- Head>Teachers>Pupils
- Boss>Supervisors>Workers
Competition and division among pupils and workers.

Question 6

What does Louis Althusser say?

Answer 6

Schools are part of ideological State Apparatus. Controls peoples ideas, values and beliefs. 
Reproduces class inequality.
Justifies class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise it's true cause. (Failure is fault of individual not Capitalist system.

Question 7

Bowles and Gintis disagree with Davis and Moore and say?

Answer 7

Meritocracy in both education and society is a myth.

Question 8

Pierre Bourdieu believes in Cultural Capital and that?

Answer 8

Education system is not based on merit, but if you are from a W-C background you are at a disadvantage as they do not have cultural capital and economic capital. 
M-C to private schools/ Go on to Oxbridge/ Go into government.
Whereas working class go into workforce.

Question 9

Willis’s theory?

Answer 9

Counter-school culture of ‘The Lads’. Resisting schools ideology, the lads counter culture guarantees they will fail, end up in manual work. Existence to school reproduces class inequality.

Question 10

Conclude: Marxists have…

Answer 10

Marxists have exposed ‘Myth of Meritocracy’ and shown how education can serve the interests of capitalism by reproducing and legitimising class inequalities.

Question 11

2 Criticisms of Marxist view point?

Answer 11

Postmodernists= Out of date, correspondence principle no longer operates. Where Marxists see inequality, there is really diversity and choice.
Feminists= Schools reproduce not only Capitalism but Patriarchy.

Question 12

What do Marxists see social institutions like the education system as?

Answer 12

See them as a way of reproducing call inequalities and play ideological role by persuading workers that inequality is justified and acceptable.