Role of Education - Marxism and Functionalism

Question 1

Which functionalist sees school as a “society in miniature”?

Answer 1

Durkheim

Question 2

What does Durkheim believe schools prepare students for?

Answer 2

Wider society

Question 3

Which Marxists believe that education prepares students for the workplace?

Answer 3

Bowles and Gintis

Question 4

How can Durkheim’s beliefs of schools preparing everyone for wider society contrast with Marxist arguments?

Answer 4

Marxists argue education in capitalist society only transmits ideologies of the bourgeoise which doesn’t prepare everyone

Question 5

What do feminists such as McDonald believe that Bowles and Gintis ignore?

Answer 5

Fact that schools reproduce patriarchy

Question 6

In what concept does Durkheim state that school is ‘society in miniature’?

Answer 6

Concept of social solidarity

Question 7

Social solidarity (Durkheim)

Answer 7

Everyone in society needs to feel like part of a community and school helps this by acting as a ‘society in miniature’

Question 8

Which functionalists believe education is a device for selection and roll allocation?

Answer 8

Davis and Moore

Question 9

Why do Davis and Moore believe inequality is necessary?

Answer 9

So the most talented people get the most important jobs

Question 10

Which Marxist believes that education legitimises class inequality?

Answer 10

Althusser

Question 11

According to Althusser, how does the education system legitimise class inequality?

Answer 11

By saying that it’s inevitable

Question 12

What do Davis and Moore believe the education system acts as for ability?

Answer 12

Acts as a proving ground for ability

Question 13

What is inequality in school based on according to Davis and Moore?

Answer 13

Intelligence and hard work

Question 14

What does legitimises mean?

Answer 14

Justifies

Question 15

Quote from Bourdieu (Marxist) about class inequality

Answer 15

“Education system legitimises and reproduces class inequalities”

Question 16

What does the education system legitimising class inequality mean?

Answer 16

It means the education system justifies reasons for people being in the positions they are in

Question 17

Why does Tumin criticise Davis and Moore?

Answer 17

He criticises them for putting forward a circular argument of jobs are important because they are highly rewarded and jobs are highly rewarded because they are important

Question 18

How do Postmodernists criticise the Marxist view of inequality?

Answer 18

They argue that education reproduces diversity instead of inequality and that the view is outdated because schools encourage self-motivation and creativity rather than alienation

Question 19

What does Althusser believe the education system is?

Answer 19

An ISA (Ideological state apparatus) concerned with passing on beliefs and values of Bourgeoise

Question 20

Davis and Moore’s concept of role allocation

Answer 20

Schools select and allocate roles of students in workforce

Question 21

What does Durkheim argue that the education system teaches?

Answer 21

Specialist skills needed to play a role in the social division of labour

Question 22

What does Bowles and Gintis’ concept of the ‘correspondence principle’ show?

Answer 22

It shows how aspects of school are mirrored in the workplace

Question 23

Examples from ‘correspondence principle’

Answer 23

School and workforce have a hierarchy
Privileges given to people who have been there for long
Extrinsic satisfaction (rewards external to work itself). Schools - good grades rather than interest in subject. Workplace - Pay rather than purpose

Question 24

How can Durkheim’s view of the education system teaching specialist skills be criticised?

Answer 24

It can be seen as incorrect as curriculum isn’t catered for specific jobs

Question 25

Criticisms of ‘correspondence principle’

Answer 25

Bowles and Gintis conducted their research in 1976 so one could argue that it was more applicable to workplace at the time then in the present day. Factories were most common workplace in 1970s and in the present day the workplace has been modernised and it very different.

Question 26

What do functionalists see as education success equally?

Answer 26

IQ + effort = success