P1 Education - Social Reproduction/Democracy Flashcards
What did Pierre Bourdieu see as the main role of education (social reproduction)?
Social Reproduction - reproduction of social inequality from one generation to the next (mainly the reproduction of the power of the more dominant classes)
What is economic capital?
Refers to the financial resources such as income and wealth. it can be used to further educational success (investing in private education etc)
What is social capital?
Refers to the network of family, friends and acquaintances. Social contacts can be seen as a resource - may provide people with best schools, universities, jobs etc
What is symbolic capital?
Refers to the honour, privilege and reputation. Symbolic capital is high in those who have received titles (knights and OBE’s). Families with high symbolic capital can raise the expectations and boost the confidence of their children.
What is cultural capital?
Refers to the manners, tastes, interests and language. Cultural capital is the culture of the dominant classes (opera,ballet etc). According to Bourdieu, it is a resource because the more cultural capital an individual has, the more likely they are to succeed in the educational system.
What are criticisms of Bourdieus idea?
- Critics claim he has presented an overly rigid picture of society, little room for creativity
- Marxists argue that they Bourdieu neglects the economy and places too much emphasis on culture capital and not enough on economic oppression (without parents who would fund these opportunities)
What is Social Democracy?
It’s a political ideology that helped to develop western democracies
What do Social Democrats believe inequality in society can cause?
- Prevent equality of educational opportunities
- Reduce the effectiveness of education on promoting economic growth
Equality of Opportunity according to Social Democrats…
- They argue that inequalities produced by a free market economy prevent equality of opportunity.
- Those who succeed in the educational system tend to be the children of middle and upper classes.
Economic Growth according to Social Democrats…
They believe education has a major role to play in economic growth.
They believe equality of educational opportunity would make society more meritocratic (a persons status is achieved on their talent and motivation)
This would make great contributions to economic growth as it allows more people to develop their potential.
Whats a criticism of social democracy?
Places too much emphasis on the importance of changing the education system (major changes have been made in the past but it’s had little influence on improving the situation)
