the functionalist perspective on education

Question 1

what is social cohesion?

Answer 1

social cohesion refers to the bonds or ‘glue’ that bring people together and integrate them into a united society

Question 2

what is social mobility?

Answer 2

the movement of groups or individuals up or down the social heirarchy

Question 3

what are functional prerequisites?

Answer 3

the basic needs that must be met if society is to survive

Question 4

what is the hidden curriculum?

Answer 4

the hidden ciriculem concerns not so much the formal content of subject lessons and examinations (the overt curriculum) as the way teaching and learning are organized

Question 5

what is social solidarity?

Answer 5

the integration of people into society through shared values, a common culture, shared understandings and social ties that bring them together and build social cohesion

Question 6

what are particulartistic values?

Answer 6

they are rules and values that give a priority to personal relationships

Question 7

what are universalistic values?

Answer 7

they are rules and values that apple equally to all members of society, regardless of who they are

Question 8

what is a meritocracy?

Answer 8

a society where jobs and pay are allocated on the basis purely of peoples individual talents, abilities, qualifications and skills

Question 9

what is human capital?

Answer 9

the knowledge and skills possessed by a workforce that increase that workforces value and usefulness to employers

Question 10

what is the division of labour?

Answer 10

the division of work or occupations into a large number or specialized tasks, each of which is carried out by one worker of a group of workers

Question 11

what is the equality of educational oppurtunity?

Answer 11

the idea that every child regardless of their social class background, gender or disability, should have an equal chance of developing their talents and abilities and of doing as well as their ability will allow

Question 12

what is marketization?

Answer 12

the process whereby services, like education or health, that were perviously controlled and run by the state, have government or local council control reduced or removed altogether, and become subject to the free market forces of supply and demand, based on competition and consumer choice

Question 13

what are the 4 roles of education to functionalists?

Answer 13

-passing on societies cultures and values, linked to building solidarity
-providing a bridge between values and status of the family and the universalist if values and achieved status of society
-developing capital, having trained and qualified workforce
-selecting and allocating people for roles in a meritocratic society and legitimising social inequality, sifting and sorting

Question 14

what does social solidarity mean?

Answer 14

the integration of people into society through shared values and a common culture, shared understanding and social ties that bind them together

Question 15

-functionalism is a ______ ______
-_____ view on society
-__________ theory
-our behaviour is directed through ______
-behaviour is ______ & ______

Answer 15

-consensus theory
-positive
-macrostructural
-institutions
-patternable & predictable

Question 16

what is the role of education to functionalists?

Answer 16

-see society as interrelated whole
-every institution performs 1 or more important functions or job
-industrial societies are seen as basically economically efficient, democratic and meritocratic, believed to operate in interests of all their citizens
-believe formal education systems contribute to economic efficiency and effective functioning to societies as a whole
-functionalist sociologists (Talcott Parsons) recognised that relationships between formal education systems and the expanding were important for several reasons

Question 17

Durkheim (____) saw the main role of education as the transmission of norms and values of society

Answer 17

1925

Question 18

education helps ____ individuals within society towards _____ _____ = sense of belonging & commitment to that society or what Durkheim called _____ ____

Answer 18

-unite
-common goals
-social solidarity

Question 19

-teaching history helps individuals learn about their society and develop a sense of commitment to it

Question 20

norms and values taught through _____ ______

Answer 20

hidden curriculum

Question 21

what is the hidden curriculum?

Answer 21

attitudes and behaviour which are taught through the schools organisation and teachers attitudes but which are not part of the formal timetable

Question 22

Durkheim saw schools as _______ __ ______ individuals learn to interact with others and follow fixed set of rules, essential in later life

Answer 22

societies in miniature

Question 23

what does societies in miniature mean?

Answer 23

that smaller groups, like families or schools, can show us how larger society works because they have similar behaviors and rules. Studying these small groups helps us understand big society better

Question 24

-believes education helps teach specific skills necessary in an ______ _______ with specialist jobs (advanced division of labour), not taught by parents who lack specialist knowledge

Question 25

Durkheim argued that whilst family based on affective relationships, society is based on instrumental relationships (based on mutual see interest) , as children progress through school their experience with adults become more formal easing the transition

Question 26

Talcott parsons (19__) believed education has three main functions to enable a child to move away from ______ standards to ______ standards

Answer 26

1961 particularistic universalistic

Question 27

what are particularistic values?

Answer 27

rules & values that give a priority to personal relationships

Question 28

what are universalistic values?

Answer 28

rules and values that apply equally to all members of society regardless of who they are

Question 29

parsons believed education is a _____ between the ______ & ______ ______

Answer 29

bridge family wider family

Question 30

-before attending school children are socialised within family with particularistic values used, they’re are treated effective

Question 31

what is effective?

Answer 31

a family that is good at making its members happy and providing them with support

Question 32

what is instrumental?

Answer 32

providing economic support and more focused on practical or task oriented responsibilities

Question 33

-universalistic values applied in society as a whole -in society status is based on ____ ( the best people can get the best jobs) & status = achieved

Answer 33

merit

Question 34

Parsons believes that education ______ children into _____ ____ of society

Answer 34

socialises basic values

Question 35

-parsons believes education makes transition from _____ to _____ as a whole by getting people used to _______ values & _____ ______

Answer 35

family society universalistic achieved status

Question 36

-education socialises individuals into _____ _____ of society, the belief in individual _____ and value of ______ of opportunity, exam system encourages these values (fair & motivating)

Answer 36

major values achievement equality

Question 37

assesses students abilities to match with suitable jobs allowing everyone to make major contributions to society -lots of research shows meritocracy is a is a myth & your social class influences both your qualifications and job selection

Question 38

davis & moore allocation (____) what do they believe about education?

Answer 38

-1994 -it selects people for their future roles in society

Question 39

-davis and moore viewed education as a means of ____ _______, most able get best qualifications & progress to taking up more functionally important jobs in society (more rewarding jobs) what does this make people do?

Answer 39

-work more hard and makes education competent

Question 40

davis & moore saw education as ______

Answer 40

meritocratic

Question 41

what is social mobility?

Answer 41

movement of groups or individuals up or down social hierarchy

Question 42

what are criticisms of functionalism role allocation?

Answer 42

-blanden gregg & machin used data from British cohort study to compare life changes of british children with those in educational countries, results = disturbing -in comparison with 8 European & North American countries, Uk and USA had lowest level of social mobility -within UK social mobility has fallen & USA has remained stable -part of problem for british decline in social mobility has been that the better off have benefitted disproportionately from increased educational opportunities

Question 43

stronger link between family _____ & educational ______

Answer 43

income attainment

Question 44

davis & moore role allocation -in _____s the gap between those studying on in education at 16 has ______

Answer 44

1980s narrowed

Question 45

______ still exists in access to higher education the bottom 5th of society saw and _______ at higher education from _-_% -the top 5rh saw an even greater rise from __-__%

Answer 45

inequality increase 6-9 20-47

Question 46

functionalist would say date is done to ______

Answer 46

meritocracy

Question 47

marxists would say this is because ______ _____ are utilising changed to education for their own _____

Answer 47

richer families benefits

Question 48

human capital, _____ functionalists see expansion of schooling and higher education as necessary for ______ ______, _______ & _____ _______ -flexible workforce can undertake different jobs in _____ ______ -this _____ __ _____ is division of work into ______ _____

Answer 48

-shultz -properly trained, qualified & flexible workforce -modern economy -division of labour _specialised tasks

Question 49

functionalists are only interested in ______ data

Answer 49

quantative

Question 50

-functionalists believe in meritocracy but it’s not true and there is huge _____ in system

Answer 50

inequality

Question 51

quantitative data is too ______

Answer 51

limited

Question 52

not everything is _____

Answer 52

positive

Question 53

what is elaborate code?

Answer 53

for people with higher status (middle class) sophisticated language -people in working class do worse off in GCSEs due to elaborate code -setting working class up to fail?

Question 54

what is restricted code ?

Answer 54

for lower classes (eg working class) less sophisticated word knowledge

Question 55

what is social solidarity?

Answer 55

how connected & together people in a society feel -the integration of people into society through shared values, a common culture, shared understanding & social tired that bind them together

Question 56

evaluation of functionalist view -education does not benefit whole of society what are criticisms of this view?

Answer 56

-marxists argue education benefits ruling class or those that own means of production -feminists see education as benefiting men since only 2/10 directors in UK are female

Question 57

evaluation of functionalist view -education promotes the norms & values of society as a whole (Durkheim & Parsons) what are criticisms of this?

Answer 57

-marxists see education as promoting the values of powerful groups & is there to reinforce the proletariat please in society (WC). more manual less thinking occupations -hargreaves’s believes education through things such as exam system promotes competition & individualism rather than common shared values

Question 58

evaluation of functionalist view: -education promotes social solidarity (Durkheim) what are criticisms of this?

Answer 58

education can become divisive because of hierarchy of schools & universities which can separate social classes

Question 59

functionalist evaluation: -educational achievement is based on merit what are criticisms of this view?

Answer 59

-class, gender and social economic background influence achievement & more

Question 60

evaluation: -education selects the most appropriate people to do particular jobs, role allocation davis & moore what are criticisms of this view?

Answer 60

-other factors apart from qualifications influence the labour market social contacts for one not what you know but who you know

Question 61

evaluation: -education passes on societies culture from one generation the next what are criticisms of this view?

Answer 61

-marxists would argue this ignores inequalities in power, there is not value consensus -feminists would argue school passes on patriarchal values & disadvantages girls & women

Question 62

evaluation: -education legitimises social inequality what are criticisms of this view?

Answer 62

-Bowles & Ginitis argue that education system disguises fact there is no equality of opportunity in education -social class, ethnicity & gender are the main influences

Question 63

functionalists believe education teaches _______, _____ & _______ which are beneficial & necessary for society to function education does this and helps to integrate ______ ____ _______

Answer 63

attitudes, beliefs and values members into society

Question 64

what does Durkheim (____) believe that schools teach?

Answer 64

1961 -a sense of belonging & commitment to a bigger society -a shared belief in importance of cooperation -school assemblies, team games & anything that produces a sense of pride in pupils individual school helps to pass on these values

Question 65

to parsons what does school teach?

Answer 65

-a belief that individual achievement should be based on merit -a belief in individual competition through which individuals learn to make the maximum contribution to society