Marxist Theories on Education Flashcards
Secondary socialisation (Marxism)
Bowles and Gintis argue that education passes on the capitalist norms and values (ideologies) that benefit the Bourgeoisie. Meritocracy is an ideology which maintains the False Class Consciousness that poverty is the individuals doing.
Example of the myth of meritocracy (Marxism)
Middle class parents are more likely to afford the huge fees for high quality private schools. Therefore, their children are more likely to achieve higher qualifications and ultimately higher paying jobs.
Correspondence principle (Marxism)
Bowles and Gintis argued that education reproduces the workforce by preparing the next generation of workers for a capitalist society. They need to be passive and docile, easy to be exploited. This was achieved through the Correspondence Principle – School mirroring the workplace.
Who would argue against the correspondence principle?
Postmodernists argue that Marxism is now irrelevant in our contemporary world. In an economy based on services and technology, we need a new kind of worker – active, creative, and flexible.
Social control (Marxism)
Althusser argued that education prepares students for a life of exploitation as an ideological state apparatus. The Hidden Curriculum helps to instil these values, it is information that is taught covertly in education.
Example of social control (Marxism)
Pupils learn they must respect those above them in the school’s hierarchy, ensuring that they will comply with capitalism.
Sifting and sorting (Marxism)
Bowles and Gintis argue that pupils are allocated roles based on their class. Education rewards those who conform to the expectations of capitalism and are passive and docile.
Example of sifting and sorting (Marxism)
Bowles and Gintis’ research found out that obedient students got the best grades, not non-conformists or creative thinkers.
Explain Willis’ study.
- Willis studied a group of 12 working class boys in an anti-school subculture.
- He found that they did not passively accept the hidden curriculum, they ‘saw through’ the meritocratic ideology as they realized they were never likely to succeed.
- Yet this resistance still aided capitalism as their resistance guaranteed they would fail and end up in the lower paid manual roles that capitalism needs people to fill.
What are disadvantages of Willis’ study?
Willis has been criticised for romanticising the boys, presenting them as heroic, despite their anti-social behaviour and sexist attitudes. His study was also very small scale, therefore unlikely to be representative and gender blind.
