(T1) What is the Role of Education, IQ and Knowledge

Question 1

What is social solidarity, and how does Durkheim relate it to education?

Answer 1

Education teaches shared norms/values, creating social solidarity (Durkheim). This builds a sense of community.

Question 2

What is the New Right perspective on education?

Answer 2

Advocates marketisation to improve standards. Schools should compete, and parents act as consumers.

Question 3

Bowles and Gintis: What is the correspondence principle?

Answer 3

Bowles & Gintis: Education mirrors the workplace via the hidden curriculum, preparing workers.

Question 4

Douglas (1964): What’s the link between IQ, class, and education?

Answer 4

Douglas (1964): Class, not IQ, predicts success. Material and cultural factors outweigh genetics.

Question 5

What are material factors in educational achievement?

Answer 5

Material deprivation (poor diet, no resources) harms achievement, especially for working-class students.

Question 6

What are cultural factors in achievement?

Answer 6

Cultural capital benefits middle-class pupils. Working-class pupils may face cultural deprivation.

Question 7

How do in-school processes affect pupils?

Answer 7

Cultural capital: Middle-class norms dominate the curriculum, disengaging working-class pupils.

Streaming/setting: Lower sets reinforce negative labels, reducing expectations and opportunities.

Labelling: Teachers label pupils, leading to self-fulfilling prophecies (Becker, 1971).

Peer groups: Anti-school subcultures resist school values; pro-school subcultures support achievement.

Identity: Positive school experiences build confidence, while negative labels harm self-esteem and motivation.

Question 8

What are Bernstein’s (1971) language codes and how do they impact education?

Answer 8

Elaborated code: Complex sentences with explicit meaning; used by middle-class families and aligns with school language.

Restricted code: Simple, context-dependent sentences; used by working-class families, less suited to education.

Educational bias: Schools favor the elaborated code, marginalizing working-class pupils. (Middle-class advantage)

Criticism: Blames working-class families instead of addressing systemic inequalities.

Question 9

How does education reinforce gender inequality? (Feminists)

Answer 9

Feminists: Schools sustain patriarchy through male-dominated content and gender stereotypes.

Question 10

How does globalisation affect education?

Answer 10

Policies focus on skills for a global economy and international comparisons like PISA rankings.