Role of Education in Society

Question 1

What is functionalism?

Answer 1

Society is a system based on independent parts held together by a shared culture or value consensus

Question 2

Which sociologist argues about social solidarity?

Answer 2

Durkheim

Question 3

What is Social Solidarity?

Answer 3

The educational system meets a functional pre-request of society by passing on the cultural and values of society school acts as society as a miniture

Question 4

What is an example of social solidarity ?

Answer 4

Teaching of a country’s history instils in children a sense of shared heritage

Question 5

Which sociologist describes school as a bridge between family and society?

Answer 5

Parsons

Question 6

What are particularistic values?

Answer 6

Values and Rules which only apply to that particular person in a given situation eg.Home

Question 7

What are Universalistic values?

Answer 7

Values and rules which apply to all members of society equally

Question 8

What is Parson’s idea about the education system creating a bridge between family and society?

Answer 8

Schools provide a link between the family and wider society which allows students to move from (particularistic values) the ascribed status (what child they are in the family/sex) to the meritocratic and universalistic values and wider society as their status is achieved

Question 9

What sociologists talk about human capital?

Answer 9

Blau and Duncan

Question 10

What is Human Capital as a role of education?

Answer 10

An economy depends on using its ‘human capital’ its workers skills, a meritocratic education system does this best as it allows each person to allocated to best allocated to their job based on their ability

Question 11

Which sociologists explained the Role Allocation function of education?

Answer 11

Davis and Moore

Question 12

What is the function of Role Allocation?

Answer 12

The education system is meritocratic meaning that the most able people get the most important roles in society(would be dangerous for a less able person to take up this role) not everyone is equality talented so these jobs are highly rewarded compared to lower skilled jobs this creating inequalities

Question 13

Functionalist evaluation

Equal opportunity

Answer 13

There is ample evidence that equal opportunity does exist achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than achievement

Question 14

Functionalist evaluation-

Tumin

Answer 14

criticises Davis and Moore’s argument for putting forward a circular argument. How do we know a job is important? because it is highly rewarded. Why are jobs highly rewarded? because they are important

Question 15

Functionalist evaluation

Marxist criticism

Answer 15

Functionalist believe that education instils the views of society as a whole but Marxists would say that education in a capitalist society only transmits the ideology of the minority- the ruling class

Question 16

Functionalist evaluation-

Intrractionalist Wrong

Answer 16

Wrong arhues that functionalists have an oversocialised view of people as mere puppets of society. Functionalists imply that students passively accept all they are taught and nver reject the school’s valued

Question 17

Neoliberals and the New Right

Answer 17

The educatipn systems fails to adequately prepare young people for wolrk

Question 18

What are similarities between the New Right and the functionalist view point?

Answer 18

1. Both believe that some people are naturally more talneted than others
2. Both favour an education system ran on meritocratic principle of open competion and it serves the needs of the economy by preparing people for work
3. The education system should socialise pupils into shared values such as competion and instill a sense of national identity

Question 19

What does the New Right Perspectuve argue about education?

Answer 19

The marketisation of education- Creating an ‘educational market’ so there will be increased competion between schools and parents act as the consumers so the schools will raise standards in order to meets the needs of pupils,parents and employers

Question 20

Why do Chubb and Moe argue that rhe state-run education in the US has failed?

Answer 20

It has not created equal opportunity and failed the needs of disadvantaged groups and private schools deliver much more higher qulaity education as they are unanswerable to fee paying parents

Question 21

What were Chubb and Moe’s study and findings?

Answer 21

Comparison of acheivement of 60000 students from 1015 state schools and private school finding that pupils from low income families do 5% better in private schools than state schools

Question 22

What is Chubb and Moe’s consumer choice arguement?

Adding a market to state education

Answer 22

A family would be given a voucher to buy education from a schools of their choice which would force school to become more responsive to parent’s wishes sicne the vouchers would the school’s primary source of income thus increasing educational standards

Question 23

What does the New Right Perspective say are the 2 roles of education for the state?

Answer 23

1. Imposes a framework on schools within which they have to compete for example by providing ofted and league tables of schools’ exam results this gives parents information to make more informed descisions
   2.The state ensures that schools transmit a shared culture by imposing a single national curriculem meaning that children are socialised into a single cultural heritage

Question 24

What introduced league tables?

Answer 24

The 1988 education reform act

Question 25

Evaluation of New Right perspective

Gewirtz and Ball

Answer 25

Gewirtz and Ball argue that competion between schools benefit the middle class as they can use their economic can cultural capital to access more desirable schools

Question 26

New Right Evaluation

Cause of low educational standards

Answer 26

The cause of low educational standards are due to social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools

Question 27

New Right Evaluation

Marxist critiscm

Answer 27

Education does not impose a shared national culture but imposes the culture of a dominant ruling class and devalues the culture of the working class and ethnic minorities