Marxist Perspective on Education Flashcards
What do Marxists believe the education system is for?
Education reproduces the inequalities of capitalist society.
Elite education for the wealthy and trains working class pupils for working class roles/jobs.
Education serves the legitimate inequalities through the myth of meritocracy?
Persuades members of society their position of work reflects their ability but actually reflects their class background.
What does Althusser believe?
There is a repressive state apparatus and an ideological stat apparatus.
What does Althusser believe effects our ideas?
Sociological institutions
They transmit a set of beliefs and values for capitalist society by preparing workers into the ruling class ideology, making us believe it is fair.
What does Althusser mean by false class consciousness?
Where we are unaware we are being exploited.
How does Althusser see the education system an ideological state apparatus?
What do Bowles and Gintis argue?
Meritocracy doesn’t exist.
People who earn a high income or have certain jobs is based on class not ability or achievement.
What do Bowles and Gintis mean by false class consciousness?
The upper class make it seem like their achievements were achieved through competition at school. This prevents the working class from rebelling.
How do Bowles and Gintis view opportunities among pupils?
Some pupils have greater opportunities than others - children of the wealthy/powerful tend to obtain high qualifications and higher rewards and jobs.
According to Bowles and Gintis who do pupils blame their denied success on?
Themselves.
What do Bowles and Gintis believe about the correspondence principle?
- Close similarity of relationships at work and school.
- Schooling operates in the “long shadow of work”.
