role of education Flashcards
func - 2 main functions of education - who says them
Durkheim
social solidarity
specialist skills
social solidarity and the sociologist
func
Durkheim -
society needs a sense of solidarity, its individual members must feel part of a community
the education system creates social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture - shared beliefs and values
social solidarity evidence AO2
func
Durkheim argues that the teaching of a country’s history instils in children a sense of shared heritage and commitment to a wider social group
specialist skills and the sociologists
func
Durkheim -
modern economies have a complex division of labour where production requires cooperation of specialists
education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills they need to play their part in the social division of labour
secondary socialisation and sociologist
func
parsons
sees school as acting as a bridge between family and wider society
bridge is needed because the family and society operate on different principles.
whereas both school and wider society judge us by the same universalistic standards = school gives us shared values
secondary socialisation - AO2
func
an elder son and a younger daughter may be given different rights or duties because of differences of age or gender
meritocracy and sociologist
func
parsons
individual achievement - everyone achieves their status through their own efforts and abilities
equal opportunities - every individual has the opportunity to reach their full potential
role allocation and sociologists
func
davis and Moore
schools perform the function of selecting and allocating pupils to their future by assessing individual’s abilities
inequality is necessary to ensure the most important roles are filled by the most talented people - the meritocratic system allows everyone to compete equally
functionalist AO3 (4pts) (1.) equal (2.) marxists (3.) passive (4.) new right
equal opportunity does not exist - achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than ability
functionalists see education as a process that instils the shared values of society as a whole, whereas marxists argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority
functionalist have an ‘over-socialised’ view of people as mere puppets of society. they wrongly imply that pupils passively accept the way they’re taught
new right - func aren’t achieving these goals because the school is run by the state
new right key beliefs
the state cannot meet people’s needs and that people are best left to meet their own needs through the free market
they favour marketisation for this reason
similarities between new right and functionalism
some people are naturally more talented than others
favour an education system run on meritocratic principles
education should socialise pupils into shared values
one size fits all
new right
impose uniformity and disregarding local needs
local consumers have no say so the state education system is unresponsive
solution = marketisation
marketisation and sociologists
new right
chubb and moe
call for market system in education to put control in the hands of the consumers - allow them to shape schools to meet their own needs
each family given a voucher to spend on buying education = forces schools to become more responsive as vouchers would be main source of school’s income. would compete to attract customers
two roles of the state
new right
1. impose a framework on schools within they have to compete - ofsted, league tables
2. state ensures that schools transmit a shared culture - national curriculum
marketisation ao2
new right
Chubb and moe
pupils from low income families consistently do about 5% better in private schools than state schools
two roles of the state ao2
new right
1. the state imposes a framework on schools that they have to compete within e.g oftsed and leage tables
- the state ensures that schools transmit a shared culture by imposing a national curriculum
new right ao3 (3pts) (1.) benefits the MC (2.) the real cause (3.) marxists
gerwitz and ball (marxists) competition between schools benefits the middle class who can use their economic and cultural capital to gain access to more desirable schools
critics argue the real cause of low educational standards is not the sate but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools
marxists - education does not impose a shared national culture but imposes the culture of the dominant minority ruling class and devalues the culture of the working class and ethnic minorities
marxist role of education
see education as functioning to prevent revolution and maintaining capitalism
2 elements of the state and sociologist
marxist - Althusser
repressive state apparatus
ideological state apparatus
repressive state apparatus and sociologist
Althusser - marxism
maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it - include police
ideological state apparatus and sociologist
Althusser - marxism
maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling people’s ideas, value and beliefs - includes the media
2 functions of education as an ideological state apparatus and sociologist
Althusser - marxism
education reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation by failing the working class
education legitimates class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause - if they accept these ideas = less likely to challenge
Marxism ao2 and sociologists
Bowles and gintis
schools reward personality traits that make for a submissive compliant worker. students who show independence and creativity = gain low grades.
those who show characteristics linked to obedience and discipline = high grades
correspondence principle and sociologist
marxism - Bowles and gintis
both schools and workplaces are hierarchies
correspondence principle = the relationships and structures found in education correspond to those of work
school prepares working class pupils for the future roles as exploited workers
