Role of education

Question 1

What is functionalism basic view of society?

Answer 1

• the view that society is a system of interdependent parts held together by a shared culture or value consensus
  e.g. education performs an important functions that helps to maintain society as whole

Question 2

What two main functions has Durkheim identified that the education system performed?

Answer 2

• Social solidarity
• specialist skills

Question 3

How does the education system help to perform social solidarity?

Answer 3

• argues that individual members must feel themselves to be part of a single body or community
• without social solidarity each individual would pursue their own interest
• thus education system performs this function by transmitting society’s culture (beliefs & values) from one generation to the next e.g. teaching of a countries history instils a sense of shared heritage in pupils
• school acts as a society in miniature preparing us for life in wider society because we have to interact with others

Question 4

How does the education system perform the function of specialist skills?

Answer 4

• modern industrial economies have a complex DOL where the production of a single item requires cooperation from different specialists
• in order for this to be successful each person must have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their roles
• education teachers individuals the specialist knowledge and skills they need to play in the social DoL

Question 5

Evaluation of Durkheim view on the role of education

Answer 5

• assumes society is based on consensus which is reinforced in education > overlooks the presence of inequality, power > Marxist contend that education primarily serves the interests of the ruling class by perpetuating class inequality rather than fostering solidarity
• New Right > the state does not teach specialist skills, it fails to prepare individuals for work
• Lyotard (PM) > education no longer about transmitting unified set of values but rather a diverse & competing narrative > outdated
• assumes individuals passively accept norm of society they may resist or redefine them e.g. Willis Lads

Question 6

What is Parsons view on the role of education?

Answer 6

• sees schools as a ‘focal socialising agency’ acting as a bridge between the family & wider society > needed as society & family operate on different principles
• in the family children are judged by particularistic standards & have an ascribed status (e.g. different roles & duties)
• Schools & society judge us all by the same universalistic & impersonal standards e.g. in school a child is judged against the same standards (same exam & pass mark) > and status is achieved, pass or fail based on own efforts

Question 7

Why is school needed to move us from the family to wider society according to Parsons?

Answer 7

• because school and society are based on the same meritocratic principles whereby everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed through own efforts & abilities

Question 8

Evaluation of Parsons view of the role of education

Answer 8

• Marxists argue that meritocracy is a myth used to legitimize social inequality by making it appear that success is based on individual effort rather than privilege
• ignores micro level processes e.g. labelling theory demonstrates how teacher expectations can lead to a self fulfilling prophecy affecting students outcomes regardless of ability
• PM critique

Question 9

What is Davis’s & Moore’s view of the role of education?

Answer 9

• schools also perform the function of selecting & allocating pupils to their future work roles that are best suited to them by assessing pupils aptitudes & abilities
• argue that inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people thus higher rewards are provided for these jobs as not everyone is equally talented
• education allows individuals to show what they can do therefore ‘sifts & sorts’ us according to our ability

Question 10

What do Blau & Duncan argue about human capital?

Answer 10

• modern economy depends for its prosperity on using its human capital (workers skills)
• meritocratic education system does this best since it enables each person to be allocated to the job best suited to their abilities > make effective use of talents & maximize their productivity

Question 11

Evaluation of Davis & Moore on the role of education

Answer 11

• assume that important roles are open to everyone based on ability when in reality, powerful groups dominate high status roles through inherited privilege
• Bourdieu argues that the education system favours the dominant class by valuing their cultural norms, giving them an unfair advantage in the competition
• Althusser views education as an ISA designed to reproduce a compliant workforce rather than fairly allocate roles

Question 12

What is the Neoliberal & New right view on education?

Answer 12

• argue the state should not provide services such as education but should try to regulate a free-market economy based on competition, privatisation & marketisation etc
• argue the value of education lies in how well it enables the country to compete in a global market place > can only be achieved if schools become more like businesses

Question 13

What are the similarities between the New right & functionalist?

Answer 13

• both believe that some people are naturally talented than others
• both favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition & one that served the needs of the economy
• both believe the education system should social pupils into shared values & instil a sense of national identity

Question 14

What do the New right believe about the current education system and what is there solution?

Answer 14

• don’t believe the current education system is achieving its goals because it is run by the state
• state education takes a one size fits all approach disregarding local needs > therefore unresponsive & inefficient
• solution is the marketisation of education, competition between schools & consumer choice will bring diversity & drive up standards

Question 15

What is an example of the New right perspective on education and what is there solution?

Answer 15

• Chubb & Moe > argue state education in the USA fail because :
  -not created an equal opportunity for all groups
  -inefficient, doesn’t provide skills needed for the economy
• private schools deliver high quality education
• they found that those in low income families do 5% better in private schools than state schools
• propose a market system whereby each family is given a voucher to spend on buying education for school > force schools to become responsive as that’s there income

Question 16

Evaluation of the New right perspective of education

Answer 16

• Ball> competition between schools reproduces inequality as the m/c have more cultural & economic capital to secure places in desirable schools
• emphasis on instilling a shared national identity > marginalizes minority ethnic groups & other worldviews >MCE advocates argue this reinforces cultural imperialism & fails to reflect diversity of society

Question 17

What do Marxist see society as based on and what function does education perform?

Answer 17

• class division and capitalist exploitation, society is divided between the capitalist class and the working class
• see education as functioning to prevent revolution and maintain capitalism

Question 18

How does Althusser see the state and education?

Answer 18

• sees it as the means by which the capitalist ruling class maintain their dominant position
• state consist of two elements RSA and ISA
• See’s education as an ISA which maintain the rule of the bourgeoise by controlling peoples beliefs, ideas and values

Question 19

What two functions does the education system perform according to Althusser?

Answer 19

• education reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation by failing each successive generation of w/c pupils in turn
• legitimates class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause > function of ideology is to persuade workers to accept that inequality is inevitable > if they accept this they are less likely to challenge or threaten capitalism

Question 20

Evaluation of Althusser view on education

Answer 20

• downplays the agency of people to resist or challenge dominant ideologies> Gramsci talks about the role of organic intellectuals in challenging ideologies
• reduces educations role to serving the needs of capitalism & ignores the positive functions
• Post modern> outdated as it assumes there is a homogenous capitalist ideology but education reflects diverse value

Question 21

What is Bowles & Gintis view of capitalism and thus education?

Answer 21

• capitalism requires the workforce with the kind of attitudes, behaviour & personality type suited to their roles as alienated & exploited workers willing to accept hard work, low pay and orders from above
• role of education is to thus reproduce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable

Question 22

What is Bowles & Gintis view on the hidden curriculum?

Answer 22

• > correspondence principle states that there is parallels between school & the workforce (mirrors) e.g. hierarchies, extrinsic satisfaction, competition & divisions
• correspondence principle operates through the hidden curriculum > lessons that aren’t directly taught
• in this way school prepares w/c pupils for their role as exploited workers of the future > reproducing these class inequalities from gen to gen

Question 23

What do Bowles and Gintis argue about meritocracy?

Answer 23

• education promotes the myth of meritocracy
• evidence shows that the main factor determining whether someone has a high income is their class black ground not their ability or educational achievement
• education system also justifies poverty through what they describe as the ‘poor are dumb’ theory of failure > does so by blaming poverty on the individual rather than capitalism e.g. poor because they didn’t work hard enough in school
  > less likely for them to rebel against system & persuade to accept the inequality

Question 24

Evaluation of Bowles & Gintis view on education

Answer 24

• deterministic, suggest pupils have little agency to resist or challenge education system e.g. Willis study showed w/c boys rejected school values
• only focus on class based inequalities> Feminists argue that they ignore gender inequalities as the education system also perpetuates patriarchy
• PM > Bowles & Gintis view of education is outdated as they fail to account for the shift to a post- Fordist economy that values creativity, flexibility etc > current system promotes innovation & diversity in the workforce
• functionalist critique