The role and function of the education system Flashcards
What are Durkheim’s views on the function of education?
Education should emphasise moral responsibilities and national solidarity.
Social solidarity should be achieved through the establishing of common values
What are Parson’s views on the functions of education?
Education forms a bridge between family and wider society.
Children get used to the meritocratic culture of society. In society universalistic standards apply and the individual will be judged by everyone’s standards. School is preparation for this
What are Davis and Moore’s views on the functions of education?
Education allocates people for the best job to match their talents using exams and assessments - meritocracy.
Education helps identify the few people needed for the most highly skilled jobs. It’s ok that these people end up making more money, because ultimately everyone benefits from the best people being in the best job they’re suited for.
What was the New Right (neo-liberal) view of the education system that developed in the 1970s and influenced the policies of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s?
Education is important for a healthy economy but needs to be run in a way so that schools are not a drain on the state’s resources.
What is the assertion of the New Right thinkers, Chubb and Moe (1988)?
Education needs to be treated like a business. Customers need to be pleased and as a result, schools need competition in order to remain dynamic and likely to improve.
What are criticisms of the Functionalist view?
Ignorant of the aspects of education that might be dysfunctional and benefit some groups in societies more than others.
Too much is assumed - a number of studies suggest not all pupils are socialised into the system.
Acceptance of an institution that is not fit for all. Does education prepare children with the skills that benefit all or just the few and then everyone else is left behind?
What are criticisms of the New Right view?
Competition creates undue stress on children, by treating them as adults.
The stress of school improvement and constantly needing to evidence progress has adversely affected schools (E.g. false data / teachers leaving the profession).
The wider marketisation of schools (schools having more direct control over their funds) has led to some financial bad practice).
Using a Functionalist perspective, why is education meritocratic?
The assessment and the exam system is the same for everyone at the point of taking the exam. Any student can study to pass if they are willing to work hard and overcome any perceived barriers.
Criticising the Functionalist perspective, why is education not meritocratic?
The view that education is meritocratic ignores how social divisions (class / race / gender) might affect achievement.
The existence of Private Schools is seemingly ignored. Social class impacts educational opportunity.
Whitty, Power and Sims (2013) found that students from Private Schools are more likely to get accepted to top universities with lower grades. Earlier research from the Sutton Trust (2010) found that students were 55 times more likely to get into Oxford or Cambridge.
Britland (2013) private tutors are increasingly used by middle class parents and not just for exam preparation.
What is the Marxist view of education?
The inequalities and social relations of productions in a capitalist society are reproduced over generations.
Working-class children are in general left behind by the system and end up in menial jobs, while the children of the wealthy are provided with an elite education or at least a cultural education that is applicable to middle class values which mean they are prepared to take up positions of power in society.
What is the Correspondence Principle (Bowles and Gintis)?
There is a close relationship between school and work. The school system prepares children to take their place as part of a hardworking, docile and obedient workforce.
This is achieved through a hidden curriculum of how school is organised
What is meant by Cultural Capital (Bourdieu)?
The education system tricks the working class into accepting failure and limited social mobility when in fact it is just the case that the system values the culture of middle and upper classes far more.
The argument is the cultural assets of the wealthy are regarded as worthy of investment and reward and given greater value as cultural capital. A process of cultural reproduction takes place where middle class culture gains higher status
What is the Feminist view of the education system?
Feminists (Heaton and Lawson, 1996) see the education system as reproducing a patriarchy through established norms in textbooks and other hidden curriculum messages within schools.
How can it be argued that education serves the purposes of capitalism?
The basic principles of achieving in a free market are established. Work hard and your efforts will lead to reward. You may need to rely on luck.
Role allocation - the best for the job - and with exams we also get used to losing out in life.
The system takes the child from the family and prepares them for the universalistic standard of working hard in life and trying to make sure your reward matches the effort you put in to trying to achieve said reward.
How can it be argued that education serves the purposes of patriarchy?
Liberal Fems - It’s getting better, but lots of parts of the education system still suggest more expectations are placed on boys than girls.
Radical Fems - It still exists to marginalise female concerns and oppress women.
Black Fems - Not all females have equally benefited from changes in gender expectations over the last twenty years.
