Role and Function of Education Functionalists

Question 1

Provision Specialist Skills (Functionalist)
DURKHEIM

Answer 1

🏭 Education provides specialist skills needed for industrial society.

Before Industrialisation:
👨‍👩‍👧 Kids learned skills from family and did similar jobs.

After Industrialisation:
🔧 Jobs became more specialised and varied.
📚 Schools now teach the skills needed for different jobs.

Why it’s important:
✅ Prepares people for work
✅ Helps economy run smoothly
✅ Matches people to roles = efficiency

Links to:
⚖️ Meritocracy – people earn their place based on skills
🔄 Role allocation – education helps sort people into the right jobs

Question 2

Teaches social solidarity and value
consensus
(Functionalist)
DURKHEIM

Answer 2

🤝 Societies need unity (social solidarity) – a shared sense of belonging.

Before Industrialisation:
👨‍👩‍👧 Unity came from family life & religion.

In Modern (Industrial) Societies:
🌍 People are from different backgrounds, so
🎓 Schools create unity by teaching shared values & culture.

How Education Builds Solidarity:

👕 Shared norms & rules – e.g., wearing uniforms, following school rules = teamwork + togetherness.
📖 Teaching history & culture – builds pride and common identity.
→ Subjects like history, literature, and religion help form shared beliefs.
Why it matters:
💬 Promotes value consensus (everyone agrees on key values)
🏛️ Helps hold diverse society together

Question 3

Secondary
socialisation
PARSONS
(Functionalist)

Answer 3

Education as a Bridge
Main Idea:
🏫 School is a bridge between family life and adult life (work & society).

👨‍👩‍👧 In the Family:
💖 Kids are treated as special (💬 particularistic values)
→ Loved no matter what, judged as individuals.

🌍 In Society/Work:
📏 Everyone is treated the same (💬 universalistic values)
→ Judged by rules, tests, and achievements.

🎓 What School Does:
✅ Helps kids shift from family rules → society rules
📝 Tests & grades prepare them for the working world
👥 Teaches shared values (value consensus)

🏆 Key Values Taught in School:
Individual Achievement – Do your best, get rewarded
Equality of Opportunity – Everyone has a fair chance

Question 4

Role allocation (Functionalism)
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore

Answer 4

Sorting Students:
🧑‍🎓 Schools sort by ability → grades & qualifications.
Meritocracy:
🎯 The hardest working & most talented get the best grades & opportunities.
Role Allocation:
💼 Top students fill important jobs.
🛠️ Everyone is prepared for a role in society, no matter the skill level.
Society Needs All Roles:
🔄 Every role is essential for society’s functioning🔑 Education allocates people to roles based on merit, ensuring society’s efficiency & stability.