role of education in society Flashcards
1
Q
functionalist and new right perspectives
A
- functionalism (consensus perspective), they think every social institution is beneficial for society
- education is a vital institution which help to ensure and maintain social stability through value consensus, social harmony and social cohesion
2
Q
functionalist perspective: basic functions
A
- formal curriculum (formal subjects taught in classroom, e.g - history, english, geography, R.E- have written and defined outcomes)
- hidden curriculum (learning that is unwritten and occurs informally, social and cultural messages that are passed on while in school)
- functional prerequisite (basic needs for society to survive by passing on core values and culture)
3
Q
bridge between family and society (parsons)
A
- durkheim said ‘schools are society in miniature’
- parsons sees schools as important places of secondary socialisation
- home (primary socialisation)
- school (secondary socialisation)
- society (secondary socialisation with universalistic values and achieved status based on meritocracy)
4
Q
human capital - trained and qualified labour force
A
- investing highly in education is justified as people’s knowledge and skills are being developed, which is important for a successful economy
- functionalists see this development of ‘human capital’ as necessary to provide a properly trained and flexible labour force
- education system - preparation for division of labour
5
Q
role allocation in a meritocratic society (davis and moore)
A
- education system means selecting people for different level roles in job market
- schools have the role of testing pupils in ability groups, pushing most able who will go on to get high exam results
- in a meritocratic society, access to jobs and wealth depend on educational qualifications and skills
- same opportunities provided for all, free compulsory society (equality of opportunity)
6
Q
new right perspective
A
- new right is political rather than sociological but position on social policy reflects functionalist perspective
- new right argues educational policy should not be concerned with promoting equality but training the future workforce for positions
- most able should be guided in most difficult positions and vice versa
- believe education should socialise young people in collective values and citizenship, building social cohesion and social solidarity
7
Q
marketisation of education
A
- new right theorists (chubb and moe) believe education system should be privatised
- they say choice and competition ensures higher quality education leading to more skilled and qualified workforce
8
Q
marxist views
A
- marxism is a conflict perspective
- see education as a form of social control, through schooling, young people are encouraged to conform and accept their social position
- marxists argue that education system reproduces existing social class inequalities, passing them on from one generation to the next (class reproduction)
- meritocratic system makes out those who fail in education so because of their lack of ability/ effort
9
Q
louis althusser - class reproduction
A
- criticised the education system of capitalist societies for its class reproduction:
- of an efficient and obedient labour force
- of necessary skills for a capitalist economy
- of ruling class ideology
- of workers who accept this dominant capitalist ideology and their position in society
- argued that in order to stop working class rebellion they need to assume ruling class ideology is the only way it can be
10
Q
false class consciousness
A
acceptance of your social position through failure to recognise what is/is not in your best interests - e.g working class accepting ruling class dominance
11
Q
the education system
A
- passes on ruling class ideology and justifies the capitalist system
- develops right attitudes and behaviours to ensure future workers accept and submit to exploitation, whilst future managers are ready to rule
12
Q
pierre bourdieu - reproduction of class inequalities
A
- was brown to a working class family in a small village in southern france called denguin
- his dad was a small farmer turned postal worker with little education but wanted best education for his son
- he gained admittance to a prestigious uni, where he studied philosophy under a famous marxist thinker, louis althusser
- became v significant in social research and theory
13
Q
pierre bourdieu - main concepts
A
HABITUS
FIELD
CAPITAL
14
Q
HABITUS
A
- your ‘norm’, what’s natural to you
- your understanding of life that’s deeply ingrained in you
- your habits and skills
- bourdieu said each social class has different ‘habitus’ and education is based on middle class norms and values
15
Q
FIELD
A
- life is a game with different fields
- each field has its own set of rules
- social fields are; education, law, religion, workplaces, art, music, sport
- social actors (people) occupy different positions in the game of life
- how well you navigate fields depends on your knowledge and competency of the game
16
Q
CAPITAL
A
- cultural capital
- social capital
- economic capital
17
Q
cultural capital
A
- your social resources
- what you’re surrounded by
- the higher your social class, the higher your cultural capital
18
Q
social capital
A
- family connections
- your social network
- who you know
- parents can help you get to places in life
- position is more important than your actual knowledge
19
Q
economic capital
A
- financial resources
- having lots of money brings more opportunities
- wealth = power
20
Q
factors that are valued in society
A
- clean home
- being polite and having manners
- good education
- ambition and hard work
- clean clothing
- good speech
- being well informed and having intelligent discussions
- being clever with your money
- obedience to rules and laws
21
Q
bourdieu
A
- argued that the possession/ lack of possession of different types of capital shapes opportunity in society
- upper, middle, working class cultures are different and the education system favours the culture of upper and middle classes, giving them an advantage
- working class skills, knowledge and way of speaking are devalued by education system giving them less chance of success
22
Q
illich and friere - schooling, repression and hegemonic control
A
- illich argues schools are repressive institutions
- they promote conformity, passive acceptance of inequalities and interest of the powerful
- don’t encourage critical, independent thought
- illich suggests schools reward those who accept the school regime with qualifications and access to higher education
- those who don’t conform or who question authority of teachers and value of school, find barriers put in their way which prevent them from getting qualifications
- friere sees schools as repressive institutions as well
- says learners are conditioned to accept oppressive relations of domination and subordination
23
Q
bowles and gintis - schooling and the long shadow of work
A
- argue (like althusser) that schools are reproducing a submissive, disciplined workforce therefore the world of work influences the organisation of education
- meaning the world of work casts a long shadow over education - the hidden curriculum corresponds with features of the workplace (correspondence theory)
- also critise education for legitimising inequality, saying education system helps to maintain and explain class structure in society, helps people to accept their position within class structure
- reject the functionalist view that inequality arises from fair and meritocratic system
- argue social class background, ethnicity and gender are the main factors, influencing success/ failure
24
Q
school processes and their influence on outcomes: interactionist views
A
- interactionism is a micro approach
- interactionists favour small scale, detailed research of what actually happens in schools and the effect on individuals
- they seek to find out how interactions with others impact individual’s experiences of education and their achievement
- main concern is to understand underachievement of some pupils - finding out why some don’t achieve their potential
25
key factors of school processes and their influence on outcomes: interactionist views
- school ethos and hidden curriculum
- teacher stereotyping: pupil identities, labelling and the self fulfilling prophecy
- school organisation: banding, streaming and setting
- student responses: pro school and anti school subcultures
26
school ethos and hidden curriculum
ethos= the distinctive character, spirit and attitudes of a people, culture and era
- valuing and encouraging potential of all pupils
- emphasis on equal opportunities and an intolerance of any racist, sexist behaviours
- role of parents as helpers in schools
- communication with parents
- emphasis on academic success
- cultural trips
- emphasis is on social, moral and spiritual developments of pupils
- the ethos is reflected in the hidden curriculum
- manners, punctuality, uniform
27
teacher stereotyping
stereotyping= having a standardised image or conception of a type of person
labelling= the process of defining people in a certain way according to preconceived ideas
- student labels: stupid, dumb, naughty, slow, lazy, good, clever, thick
28
the halo effect ———— self fulfilling prophecy
a good impression is formed of a student and the teacher acts on this impression, encouraging that student in their work. this treatment helps the student to do well in school, they have positive interactions with the teacher and want to do well
29
self fulfilling prophecy ——— the halo effect
teacher adopts negative impression of a student and only notices negative behaviours, picking on them and creating poor relationships. teacher doesn’t help the student and student does not progress, creating a self fulfilling prophecy
30
the ideal pupil
(becker - 1971) discovered that teachers evaluate students in terms of their ‘ideal pupil’ - the one who fits in their perception of the type of student they want to teach
31
(hempel- jorgenzen) identifying the ideal pupil means looking for:
- hard work
- concentrating
- listening to teachers and others
- performing well academically
- good behaviour
- conforming to rules
- wanting to achieve well
32
rosenthal and jacobsen’s research
the ‘pygmalion effect’
teacher thinks student is smart ——
teacher focuses on student ——
student learns more ——-
student gets better grades ——
33
school organisation
- the tripartite system: from 1944-1960’s, all 10/11 year olds in britain had to sit the 11+ exam to determine whether they go to a grammar school/ secondary modern school
- separation of the more able, academic pupils and those less suited for academia
34
banding
some comprehensive schools try to ensure they have a range of abilities in each year group
35
streaming
a year group being separated into ability bands so they are in classes with similar ability pupils across most subjects
36
setting
pupils being separated into ability groups for particular subjects, someone may be top set for maths but bottom for english
37
tripartite system
- rather than creating meritocracy it reproduces class inequality
- it also reproduced gender inequality
- the tripartite system also legitimated inequality through the idea that ability is inborn (innate)
38
delayed gratification
putting work in now for reward later
39
a rising tide lifts all ships (renzulli)
- main focus of his speech park has been to apply the pedagogy (study of children and how they learn) of gifted education to all students
40
pedagogy
study of children and how they learn
41
the educational triage system
pupils:
- those who will pass anyway
- borderline c/d grade
- hopeless cases
42
differentiation
through identifying different abilities and treating them differently by bonding, streaming and setting
43
polarisation
pupils are divided by opposing groups, opposing ‘poles’,
top stream= success
bottom stream= failure
44
pro school subculture
‘ear- oles’
those who conform to academic aims, ethos and rules of schools. they work hard to get good grades, more likely to aspire to higher education
45
anti school subculture
‘aving a laff’
those who rebel against schools, developing anti school attitudes and behaviours opposing school aims. are labelled as failures
46
subculture of resistance
- some sociologists argue that by forming a subculture of resistance against the school, these students gain status amongst their peers by acting tough
- acting tough and rebelling against school aims, leads to increased likelihood of school failure
- others attracted to this group and also want to gain peer group status
- becomes a vicious cycle as it’s
hard to change and break away without losing face
- mac and ghaills research identified black caribbean working class boys as being amongst most likely form of anti school subcultures
47
department for education (DFE) identifies disadvantaged pupils as:
- those eligible for free school meals (FSMS)
- looked after children (LAC) or those who were previously looked after by the state
- children with parents in armed forces
- it’s assumed these children are disadvantaged in comparison to others because of low family income
48
summary of data
- it’s clear from the data evidence that those who are on free school meals perform less well academically than those who don’t get them
- this hasn’t significantly changed over the last 10 years
- the worst performing group by characteristic is gypsy/roma/traveller children
- next to worse is white, poor boys
49
life chances (max weber- 1948)
- the marxist, max weber was the first to coin the phrase ‘life chances’ to show how people differ in their opportunities to do well and live a long healthy life
- he observed that the higher somebody’s social class at birth, the more likely it is they will achieve well
- functionalists like parsons, suggested that inequality in contemporary western societies, in the uk is based on the principle of meritocracy
- these skills and talents are shown by qualifications, providing everyone with the opportunity to do well
- life is basically a game of probability and chances
50
a comparison of social class differences in relation to education
between lower working class families to middle class children of same ability have shown that:
- they are more likely to start school unable to read at all
- they are less likely to get places in best state schools
- they are likely to be placed in lower streams and sets
- they are 4x more likely to be excluded
- they are more likely to leave formal schooling for manual training at 16
- they are less likely to go into higher education
51
external factors
factors outside of school and over which school has no control
e.g - material deprivation, cultural deprivation, linguistic deprivation, situational deprivation
52
internal factors
factors inside the school which affect pupil progress
e.g - teacher stereotyping, ability setting, student response, school ethos
53
material deprivation - home
- poverty plays an intrinsic role in educational failure
- cooper and stewart found poorer children have worse cognition, behaviour and health all of which affect their ability to learn
- poor diet and damp conditions cause tiredness, hunger which leads to school absence and lost education
- crowded housing means it may be difficult to find space to study/ concentrate
- poorer children are more likely to be young caters for a parent/ sibling
54
material deprivation - ‘free’ education -
- poorer families are less likely to send their children to preschool/nursery which may impact their development compared to others
- poorer families also less likely to buy books, games, educational toys for their children
55
material deprivation - catchment area
- schools which are generally in poorer catchment areas also suffer disadvantages compared to other schools in more affluent areas
- schools rely on parent contributions often generated through events organised through PTA, poorer parents less likely to raise funds
- only 33% of FSM pupils gain 5 GCSE passes
56
J.W.B douglas’ study - the home and the school
- conducted a longitudinal study, observing 5,362 children from birth in 1946 through primary and secondary school until 1962
- measured IQ and noted social class throughout
- found significant variations of achievement from children of same ‘high’ ability but different social classes
57
statistics
upper middle class - 90% (in education after 15)
lower middle class - 78%
upper working class - 67%
lower working class- 50%
58
cultural deprivation - parents attitudes to education
middle class home:
- value education
- encourage active learning
- read to their children
- sing nursery rhymes
- recognise values of activities such as trips to museums, zoos
- attend parents evenings
low working class home:
- lack of educational books
- lack of educational play
- don’t recognise important role of trips
- instruction without discussion
- think teaching is job of school not home
59
future orientation
(middle class) planning for future
(effect on education) recognise the need for hard work
60
present time orientation
(working class) now is more important than the future
(effect on education) wants to earn money rather than stay in education
61
deferred gratification
(middle class) putting off todays pleasure for future gain
(effect on education) money and fun doesn’t matter when you will have it later
62
immediate gratification
(effect on education) want a laugh more than study
63
fatalism
(working class) idea that you can’t change your circumstances
(effect on education) might give up at school
64
individual effort
(middle class) key to educational success
(effect on education) put effort into studies, it’s key to
65
collectivism
(working class) working together gets more gains than own effort
(effect on education) loyalty to the group is more important than own study
66
symbolic violence
how bourdieu referred to the way schools consider working class values as less desirable
67
linguistic deprivation - language use
- bernstein suggested that class differences in education are related to speech patterns
- speech and language skills are the important methods of communication and learning, that is inevitably follows that linguistic ability will influence educational understanding and achievement
68
language skills are needed for
- listening
- participating
- working
69
bernstein’s speech pattern
restricted code= narrower vocabulary, associated with the working class. informal, everyday speech, used between family and friends
70
bernstein’s speech pattern
elaborated code= wider vocabulary, associated with middle class. more formal speech, used between strangers or in a formal context
71
cultural influences on children’s educational achievement
- parent interest/ attitudes (douglas)
- parent ability to help (feinstein)
- sub cultural values (sugarman)
- restricted speech code (bernstein)
72
cultural criticisms
reay= blame the victim approach, ignoring school and social structure influences
73
cultural criticisms
exaggerated= tends to exaggerate the differences between social classes whilst ignoring similarities
74
cultural criticisms
overlooks practical issues= many parents have to work long hours and can’t attend parents evenings, this doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in children’s education
75
cultural criticisms
ignores lack of confidence= reay points out many w/c (working class) parents lack confidence in their ability to help their children/ talk to teachers
76
cultural criticisms
ignores internal factors= teacher labelling, setting and streaming, educational triage may have more an effect on social class achievement differences than external factors
77
positive discrimination
schools in disadvantaged areas are given extra favourable treatment
78
gender attainment gap
- browne (2008)
- shows us that the achievement of males and females in education has ‘roller coasted’
- up until 1980’s there was major concern about females low achievement levels
- during 1990’s females began to significantly outperform males
- concern nowadays is that males tend to underachieve compared to females
79
explanations for girls improved performance
1. changing attitudes and expectations
2. women’s movement and feminism
3. growing employment opportunities
4. female character traits
5. earlier maturity
80
changing attitudes and expectations
- sue sharpe’s study of working claw girls in 1970’s showed their main priorities for future were ‘love, marriage, husbands and children’. wen she repeated the study in 1990’s it was ‘jobs, career and being able to support themselves’
81
equal opportunities policies
- due to feminist movement many sociologists have argued that the educational system has become much more ‘gender aware’
- policies that are based on gender equality have become much more ‘mainstream’ and such gender stereotyping has/ is becoming less of a problem
82
WISE
women into science and engineering
83
GIST
girls into science and technology
84
the educational reform act (national curriculum) 1988
has created a situation where males and females study the same core subjects. this has created a more meritocratic education system whereby males and females compete on equal terms
85
women’s movements
protecting roles of women, whether in workplace or at home
86
motivation and hard work
- francis suggests these female character traits stimulate a more successful working environment amongst girls who are more likely to support each other in their learning
87
maturity
girls are more mature than boys by the time they sit their exams
@ age 16 girls can be up to 2 years more mature so more likely to view exams in responsible way, recognising their importance to future careers
88
explanations for boys lower performance
- lower expectations
- disruptive behaviour
- masculinity and anti learning subculture
- declining employment opportunities
- male perception
- leisure preferences
- attitudes to reading
89
education policy
- economic efficiency (for future workforce)
- raising educational standards
- equality of educational opportunity
90
economic efficiency
- great britain currently ranks
- to maintain/ bear this position we need a skilled labour force
- education needs to ensure strong, capable young people who can enter the workplace and meet needs of industry
- requires high levels of literacy and numeracy and could require emphasis on vocational learning such as apprenticeships
91
raising educational standards
- key to most policy britain needs well educated, creative and entrepreneurial individuals- we’re good at this
92
equality of educational opportunity
- key to a meritocratic society is having equal opportunities to develop talents and skills and gain qualifications
- this would mean every child, regardless of social class, gender, ethnicity and disability, having an equal chance of developing their talents and abilities as far as their aptitudes go
93
gillborn and youdell identify 4 factors of equal chance
- equality of access
- equality of circumstance
- equality of participation
- equality of outcome
94
gillborn and youdell
successive governments claim to have improved equality of access but rarely look at other three
95
hasley, heath and ridge
if there is really equality of opportunity, educational success should bear no relation to social class, gender or ethnicity of pupils but it does
96
equality of access policies
(foster act, 1870)
- state funded education has only existed for 150 years
- before 1870 education outside family was the preserve of the rich or a lucky few who managed to attend church schools
- but industrial isolation created the need for a more skilled workforce
- the foster act, 1870 was the first real educational policy which created state funded schools for children aged 5-10
- ensures that all children could access some free education and gain some literacy and numeracy skills
97
leaving age
1893- 11
1899- 12
1921- 14
98
the butler act 1944
key aim: providing free secondary education for all to remove inequalities in access between poor and rich
key action: the triparte system - tri - 3 types of secondary schools were established
99
grammar schools
- pass 11+ exam
- academic curriculum
- o level exams
- a level exams
- university
- high skilled career
- 20%
100
secondary modern schools
- fail 11+ exam
- basic curriculum
- school leavers certificate
- straight to work @15
- lower skilled careers
- 75%
101
technological colleges
- fail the 11+ exam
- training for manual labour
- technological colleges did not really happen
- 5%
102
the tripartite system - the good, the bad, the ugly
ideological aims
- selective and suitable education to provide different types of education to different types of pupil dependent on their aptitude - those suited to academia and uni study focus on those skills and qualifications those more suited to technological vocations would study that. the rest would gain a more basic education ready for the majority of occupations - lower skilled, practical and manual work
- equality of opportunity- for the first time, ability not money would determine schooling
- uses same IQ test for all, so is meritocratic
103
the tripartite system - reality
- future outcomes were determined by a test taken @ age 10, which is not reliable indicator of children’s intelligence
- grammar school pupils were more likely to come from middle class families, many were privately tutored to pass
- those who failed the 11+ were more likely working class
- secondary modern schools were viewed as inferior
- those who did not pass often suffered low self esteem and a fatalistic attitude
104
the tripartite system - conclusion
- 10 is far too young to select future outcomes
- the tripartite system did not close the gap but reproduced class inequalities
- social class divisions in education and occupations remained
- it legitimised social class inequality by suggesting ability is inborn
- potential of many children was being wasted through being labelled less intelligent ‘failures’
105
comprehensive schools (harold wilson - labour)
key aims: to overcome the social class inequalities sustained by the tripartite system and provide the same educational opportunities for all children
key actions: the tripartite system was abolished in most areas, with the grammar and secondary modern schools being converted into comprehensive schools for all local children with no selection by examination
106
comprehensive schools
- several areas retained the 11+ and grammar schools although this is now reduced to only 4 areas: buckinghamshire, linconshire, kent and wirral medway
- 163 grammar schools still remain but most areas deliver an optional 11+ exam as one choice of several routes into secondary school (carter, 2018)
- comprehensive schools commonly employed banding, setting and streaming within the school
- teacher labelling is widespread in comprehensive schools
- it appears schools cannot compensate for material, cultural and linguistic deprivations as the sub cultural values of the working class
107
two views of comprehensives
1. comprehensives are great, they reward the most able, these people will run our country one day
2. comprehensives reinforce inequality they churn out the next lot of workers, working class kids are more likely placed in lower streams and given lower levels of work which does not encourage them to challenge the system
108
the comprehensive system - positives
- opportunities for all young people for longer - movement between streams is much easier than moving between different schools, allows for later developers
- fewer leave education without qualifications and more obtain higher standards (across social classes)
- more social mixing and therefore fewer social divisions
- reduced risk of labelling students as ‘failures’ and the self-fulfilling prophecy
- benefits of mixed ability teaching: presence of brighter students raises the performance of less without impairing progress of high flyers
109
the comprehensive system - negatives
- where grammar schools exist they tend to ‘cream skim’ brighter students so comprehensives are akin to secondary moderns
- some argue that high flyers are held back
- larger comprehensives reduce level of personal contact - less individual attention
- absence of selection is claimed to make it more difficult to stretch the most able
- manly comprehensives operate a streaming system: so no real mixed ability classes and selection still occurs with within same institution
- new right argues comprehensives failed to equip students with the skills needed for work
110
globalisation
shows how trade and technology have made the world more connected and independent
111
globalisation key points
- world has become more interconnected due to increased technology, communications, faster travel and economic competition
- McCuhan (sociologist) referred to the world as a ‘global village’ because we are so connected with other countries the world has shrunk
- interconnectedness has happened economically, politically, socially and culturally
112
how has globalisation influenced educational policy
- easy travel and immigration - the influence of immigrants into the UK
- modern technology - the UK needs to compete with the rest of the world
- manufacturing - manual jobs moved overseas
- skills - higher skills are required
- global market - what is the connection between education and the global market place
- transnational companies - why would global companies influence education
- PISA ranking - educational comparisons with other countries
- copying best practise - taking educational ideas from other countries
113
privatisation
when services once owned and provided by the state are transformed to private companies
114
endogenous
privatisation within education system
115
exogenous
privatisation outside the education system
116
endogenous examples
- local management with fewer external controls from government
- competition between schools for students
- efficient running of schools
- performance related pay for teachers
- parental choice of schools
- target setting
- performance/league tables
117
exogenous examples
- school services e.g staff training, catering, cleaning
- management
- school inspections
- school branding
- external exams
