Role of Education

Question 1

(FUNCTIONALIST) name + explain Functionalist’s 3 core values

Answer 1

• organic analogy: all social institutions work together to form society
• macro/ structural: if a social institution fails, it will affect the others
• consensus theory: as long as social institutions continue, it will positively impact individuals

Question 2

(FUNC.) what are Durkheim’s 2 main roles of education

Answer 2

• creating social solidarity
• teaching specialist skills

Question 3

(FUNC.) outline Durkheim’s concept of social solidarity

Answer 3

• social solidarity is needed to ensure the continuity of society
• education helps this need by transmitting society’s shared culture, belies + values to each gen.
• e.g. teaching a country’s history instils s sense of shared heritage
• ind.’s have to learn to cooperate with all types of people according to a set of rules that apply to everyone
• school is a microcosm of society; in school and wider society

Question 4

(FUNC.) outline Durkheim’s concept of specialist skills

Answer 4

• modern industry requires specialist skills
• social solidarity is largely based off the interdependence of specialised skills - e.g. the manufacture of a single product requires the special skills of ind.
• education teaches people the specialist knowledge + skills needed to play their part in the social division of labour
• education can help this as it teaches you different subjects from which specialist skills can be gained

Question 5

(FUNC.) what are the AO3 evaluations of Durkheim

Answer 5

• private schools give more opportunities that aren’t available in state schools which gives the middle + upper classes specialist skills
• Marxists: the norms + values being promoted are beneficial to only the mc as they teach m/c norms

Question 6

(FUNC.) what does Parsons say is the role of education

Answer 6

• education offers a bridge between the family and wider society, it est. universal standards in terms of which pupils achieve their status
• e.g. within the fam: in primary socialisation, children are judged by particularistic standards. in wider society: we are treated + judged by universal standards

Question 7

(FUNC.) what does Parsons mean by meritocracy in education

Answer 7

• meritocracy = the ability to rise / fall in achievement based on merit/ effort put in when given equality of opportunity

Question 8

(FUNC.) what does Parsons mean by role allocation in education

Answer 8

• the education system is important for the selection of individuals fur their future role in society
• by testing + evaluating students, schools match their skills to the jobs for which they are best suited

Question 9

(FUNC.) what is an AO3 evaluations of Parsons

Answer 9

• Marxists + Feminists: Myth of Meritocracy - equal opportunities don’t exist - factors like gender, class and ethnicity allow for discrimination

Question 10

(FUNC.) what does Davis + Moore say about the role of education

Answer 10

• Davis + Moore: education is a device for selection + role allocation
• inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important social roles are filled by the most talented people
• education acts as the selective agency + proving ground for sorting people into their roles

Question 11

(FUNC.) what does Blau + Duncan say about the role of education

Answer 11

• human capital/ labour/ skill is necessary for capitalist states to survive
• a meritocratic education system enables each person to be allocated to their suited role

Question 12

(FUNC.) whats AO3 evaluation of role allocation + meritocracy theorists (Parsons + Davis & Moore + Blau & Duncan)

Answer 12

• role allocation occurs before school starts
• meritocracy is a myth as privately educated people are the majority in the top jobs - role allocation allows this

Question 13

(Neo L + New Right) what is Neo Liberalism

Answer 13

• Neo Liberalism: an economic principle that argues the state shouldn’t provide resources like education, health care and welfare to the public
• competition, privatisation and a market economy should be encouraged

Question 14

(Neo L + New Right) outline the New Right theory + views on education system

Answer 14

• is a conservative political view that is inspired by neo- liberal ideas
• the current education system doesn’t function effectively to achieve a market system
• the reason for failure is due to education being run by the state - the state imposes its views on how schools should be run which overlooks the needs of consumers

Question 15

(New Right + FUNC) outline the 3 ideological similarities between the NR + FUNC views

Answer 15

• both believe that some are naturally more talented than others
• both favour an education system run on meritocratic principles like competition + prepping young people for work
• both believe education should teach social solidarity

Question 16

(New Right + FUNC) what is the key difference between the NR + FUNC views

Answer 16

• NR doesn’t believe the current education system is achieving the goals (e.g. social solidarity) due to it being run by the state

Question 17

(Neo L + New Right) outline the concept of market systems

Answer 17

• market systems = a network of consumers who come together to use a given product or service
• they are driven by individuals making decisions about what to consume
• due to this choice, providers of goods cater to the preferences of the consumers. if they fail to do so, consumers can look elsewhere for this product or service
• this idea of MS are mirrored in schools

Question 18

(Neo L + New Right) outline the marketisation of education

Answer 18

• education needs to be run like a business in which they market themselves to give greater control + choice to consumers
• schools need to attract as many parents as possible in order to receive funding (funding formula)
• this marketisation is done through open days, league tables, prospectus etc

Question 19

(Neo L + New Right) outline the AO3 evaluation of marketisation

Answer 19

• there’s a limited amount of places in top schools - pupils who are w/c, BAME, disabled are less likely to get in - there isn’t equal choice for all
• there’s not actual choice of consumers due to things like catchment areas - which limit the school choice of poorer people - best schools are in wealthier areas
• cream skimming of best students can lead to sink schools
• marketisation can mean that schools are more concerned with the appeal of schools rather than the quality of it

Question 20

(Neo L + New Right) what do Chubb + Moe say about state schools

Answer 20

• US state run schools have failed because;
• it hasn’t created equal opportunity + failed the needs of disadvantaged groups
• fails to produce workers with the skills needed by the economy
• private schools deliver high quality education because they answer to the consumers (parents’) needs
• they want market systems in schools to put the control in the consumers - thus improving quality

Question 21

(Neo L + New Right) what are the 2 roles of the education system

Answer 21

• framework of operation: things that help parents make their informed choice as consumers, e.g. league tables, OFSTED
• teaches a shared culture: the National Curriculum is set by the schools to guarantee that schools socialise pupils into a shared culture of British values

Question 22

outline 3 AO3 evaluations of the Neo L + New Right view

Answer 22

• Gewirtz + Ball: competition between schools benefits only the MC, who can use their cultural + economic capitals
• Marxists: education doesn’t impose a shared culture, but a culture of a dominant ruling class
• the real cause of low educational standards isn’t state control but social inequality + inadequate funding of schools

Question 23

(Marx.) outline Marxist key values

Answer 23

• structural: structures in society can (negatively) affect individuals
• conflict: there are class conflicts

Question 24

(Marx.) what are Marxist’s 2 main roles of education

Answer 24

• reproduces class inequality: teaches hierarchy, meritocracy, obedience. transmits that school system is a fair system
• legitimises/ allow inequality: disguises the true cause of education - to produce obedient, punctual workers who accept their subordinate position

Question 25

(Marx.) outline Althusser’s idea of the bourgeoisie rule

Answer 25

• ideological state apparatus (ISA): maintains the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling people’s ideas, values and beliefs. e.g. religion, media, education
• repressive state apparatus (RSA): maintains the rule of the bourgeoisie by physical force - maybe to repress w/c. e.g. law, court, police

Question 26

(Marx.) outline Althusser’s idea of how schools ideologically control us

Answer 26

• transmit ideology: transmits m/c norms, values, ideas of hierarchy + autocracy, meritocracy to reinforce the status quo
• preparation for future roles: gives qualifications - w/c get lower, m/c get higher

Question 27

(Marx.) outline Bowes + Gintis’ idea of the correspondence principle

Answer 27

• in the education system, there is a correspondence between schools and work; e.g.
• students - workers; those lowest in the hierarchy
• staff - managers: supervises workers/ students
• headteacher - boss: a dictator figure who controls those lower in the power hierarchy
• the CP operates through the hidden curriculum
• through this, school preps WC pupils to be exploited workers of the future, thus perpetuating class inequality inter-generationally

Question 28

(Marx.) outline Bowes + Gintis’ idea of the hidden curriculum

Answer 28

• the hidden curriculum are the things that pupils learn through the experiences of attending school, rather than the states educational aims
• it helps to reproduce inequality

Question 29

(Marx.) give 2 examples of how the hidden curriculum’s to achieve control

Answer 29

• to produce a passive, uncritical and docile work force; disobedience is punished and compliance, punctuality is rewarded
• to encourage the acceptance of hierarchy; teachers with varying degrees of authority may deal with disobedience more/less common. also, students must never challenge teachers’ authority

Question 30

(Marx.) outline Bowes + Gintis’ idea of myths in the education system

Answer 30

• education is a myth-making-machine which serves to legitimise inequalities through the following 2 myths
• education is the route to success in employment
• myth of meritocracy: to prevent a revolt, education makes it seem as though the privileges of the higher class has come from fair competition, making the w/c accept inequality

Question 31

(Marx.) outline the AO3 evaluation of Bowles + Gintis

Answer 31

• B+G assume pupils have no free will and passively accept indoctrination
• postmodernists: todays post-Fordist economy requires schools to reproduce diversity - not inequality
• Reynolds: the popularity of sociology in Britain shows that education doesn’t necessarily produce unthinking workers

Question 32

(Marx.) outline Willis’ ideas

Answer 32

• Willis criticises traditional Marxism
• w/c pupils can resist indoctrination
• education isn’t a successful agency of socialisation
• rejects the view that there is a direct link between the economy + education
• pupil disobedience in school is evidence that not all pupils are brainwashed

Question 33

(Marx.) outline Willis’ idea of the Lad’s counter school culture

Answer 33

• counter school culture still produces workers who are easily exploited
• these lads looked forward to future manual work in which they are also exploited due to the inferior pay, work conditions and skill needed - capitalism needs someone to work the worst jobs
• the lads view manual labour as masculine and looks down on men aspiring for non manual, effeminate jobs

Question 34

(Marx.) outline the AO3 evaluation of Willis

Answer 34

• his small scale study of 12 boys isn’t representative
• Willis’ account of the lads romanticises them as WC heroes despite their sexist and anti social behaviour

Question 35

(Marx.) outline the ideas of Post Fordism and Postmodernism

Answer 35

• is a critique (AO3) of the correspondence principle
• post Fordism argues that education is moving towards being customised for the individual - it gives us transferable skills
• PMs argue that Marx + Func are outdated theories in our post Fordist economy

Question 36

what is a social action theory

Answer 36

• believes that structures don’t shape individuals, but individuals shape the structures, as we posses free will and can act in ways that influence structures

Question 37

outline feminist key values

Answer 37

• conflict focuses on the exploitation of women by men
• structural: social structures (e.g. family, education, CJS) can directly impact individuals