Role of Education Flashcards
1
Q
Durkheim (F)
A
- Two main functions of education: creating social solidarity and specialist skills.
1. Social solidarity: Society needs social solidarity because without it there would be co-operation because everyone would pursue their selfish needs. - Education creates social solidarity by transmitting society’s SHARED CULTURE (beliefs, values and history)
- Also acts as ‘Society in Miniature’: prepares us for wider society (co-operation with those who are not friends)
2. Specialist skills: Modern economies use complex division of labour, education teaches individuals specialist skills needed to play their part.
2
Q
Sociologists:
- Functionalist
- New Right
- Marxist
A
F: Durkheim, Parsons, Davis and Moore
NR: Chubb and Moe
M: Althusser, Willis, Bowles and Gintis
3
Q
Parsons
A
- Education as focal socialising agency that acts as bridge between family and wider society.
- Bridge is needed because of different principles.
- Family: child is judged by particularistic standards and status is ascribed
- School and wider society: Universalisic standards and status is achieved
4
Q
Davis and Moore
A
- See education as a device for selection and ROLE ALLOCATION. (focus on relationship between education and social inequality.
- Inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles are filled by the most talented people.
- Education acts as a proving ground for ability which ‘sifts and sorts’ them according to ability.
5
Q
Evaluation of the functionalist perspective
A
- Marxists argue education only transmits ideology of ruling class not shared values.
- New Right: state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work.
- (interactionist) Wrong: functionalists have an ‘over-socialised view’ of people as mete puppets.
6
Q
New Right approach to education system
A
- Argue that state provision of education has failed because of its ‘one size fits all’ approach.
- Local consumers have no say so schools are unresponsive and inefficient.
- Lower standards of achievement for pupils -> less qualified workforce -> less prosperous economy.
- New Right’s solution is marketisation of education, promoting competition with bring diversity, choice and efficiency to schools.
7
Q
Chubb and Moe: Why has state education failed in the US?
A
- Not created equal opportunity and has failed needs of disadvantaged groups.
- Inefficient because it fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy.
- Private schools deliver higher quality education because unlike state schools, they are answerable to paying consumers.
- 60,000 pupils from low-income families in 1,015 state and private high schools, pupils consistently do 5% better at private.
8
Q
New Right: Two roles for state
A
- Impose a framework on schools within which they have to compete. By publishing Ofsted, state provides information.
- Schools transmit a shared culture through national curriculum.
9
Q
Evaluation of New Right
A
- Gerwitz argues that competition between schools benefits middle class (cultural and economic capital)
- Real cause of low educational standards is inadequate funding.
- Marxists: education does not have shared culture
10
Q
Althusser: ideological state apparatus
A
- Repressive state: maintain rule of bourgeoisie through force or threat of it (police, courts and army)
- Ideological state: maintain rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling peoples values and beliefs (religion , media education)
11
Q
Althusser: functions of education
A
- Reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation.
- Legitimises class inequality through ideology
12
Q
Bowles and Gintis: Role of Education
A
- Capitalism requires a workforce vulnerable to exploitation through acceptance of hard work, low pay and orders from above.
- This is the role of education is a capitalist society.
- ROE: Reproduce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable.
13
Q
Bowles and Gintis Study
A
- Of 237 NY high schools
- Those showing sings of obedience tended to gain high grades whilst those who showed independence did not.
14
Q
Correspondence Principle
A
- Bowles and Gintis argue that there are parallels between school and work in the form of hierarchy.
- They call this the ‘correspondence principle’
- This operates through the hidden curriculum (lessons that are learnt in school but not directly taught)
15
Q
Myth of Meritocracy
A
- B and G argue that the ‘myth’ of equal opportunity and rewards being based on hard work is a myth.
- This legitimises inequality and strengthens capitalism
16
Q
Bowles and Gintis: Summary
A
- Role of Education: Obedient workforce accepting inequality as inevitable.
- Study of 237 New York High Schools.
- Correspondence Principle and hidden curriculum
- Myth of Meritocracy
17
Q
Willis
A
- Shows pupils can resist attempts to indoctrinate them
- Willis notes similarity between anti-school counter-culture and shop floor culture.
- Through boredom, find ways of amusing themselves and such acts guarantee unskilled jobs.
18
Q
Willis’ Study
A
- Studied a group of 12 working-class boys
- They are scornful of of conformists
- Rebelled against school by smoking, drinking and disrupting classes
- Saw meritocracy as a ‘con’
- Saw manual work as superior and intellectual work as effeminate.
19
Q
Evaluation of Marxist approaches
A
- Postmodernist argues that in today’s post-Fordist economy, a very different kind of labour force is required so education reproduces diversity, not inequality.
