marxist views Flashcards
What are the 5 functions of education according to marxists? Who created them?
ideological state apparatus - Althusser
specialised skills -
correspondence principle - Bowles and Gintis
meritocracy - Bowles and Gintis
indoctrination - Althusser, Bowles and Gintis
What is Althusser’s theory?
education is an ideological state apparatus (ISA)
What is an ideological state apparatus?
a part of society that keeps the bourgeoisie in power by reproducing and justifying inequality
How does education reproduce inequality according to Althusser?
places working class students in lower sets + middle class into higher sets - gives them better opportunities in future
How does education legitimise inequality according to Althusser?
teaches inequality is inevitable and working class should accept it as they haven’t worked hard enough to achieve their status
What is some proof that education is controlled by the state (ISA)?
control over curriculum topics
illegal to encourage anti-capitalist views
brainwashing to passively accept capitalism
What theory/function do functionalists and marxists have in common?
specialised skills
What does specialised skills mean?
education teaches pupils the skills needed to fulfil their class
How are different classes led into different occupations?
primary and secondary socialisation encourages working classes into educational subjects but middle classes into academic subjects
What are Bowles and Gintis’ theories?
the correspondence principle
meritocracy
What is Bowles and Gintis’ correspondence principle?
the things taught in school correspond to the workplace/ mirror how we are expected to behave
What part of education teaches pupils how to obey the rules of the workplace? examples of the mirror between school and the workplace?
through the hidden curriculum
hierarchy- teacher’s authority over students = bosses over workers
extrinsic rewards- grade is the reward not interest in subject = money reward not the job
lack of decision making- no control over subject choice, timetable ect. = workers have no control over production
Why does Bowles and Gintis say meritocracy is a myth?
not everyone has an equal chance of success
higher social class = higher chance of success in school
Why do the middle class have an advantage according to Bowles and Gintis?
parents consolidate learning through shared spaces
more cultural capital - find more more experience
more material capital - private school, revision ect.
Why do the working class have a disadvantage according to Bowles and Gintis?
more antisocial behaviour - truancy
90% Ofsted inadequate schools in deprived areas - many teachers put off poor schools
