The Role of education Flashcards
1
Q
What is the functionalist perspective upon education?
A
- consensus view seeing society as essentially harmonious- it argues that:
- society has basic needs, including the need for social order- to survive society needs social solidarity via everyone sharing the same norms and values- otherwise society would disintegrate
- social institutions such as education perform positive functions for both society as a whole and for individuals, by socialising new members of society and by helping to create and sustain social solidarity
-conservative view of family
2
Q
According to Durkheim, what are the two basic functions education performs?
A
- Promotes social solidarity: without which society would fall apart- by transmitting society’s shared cultures education binds ppl together and enables them to co-operate. Teaching a common history and shared rituals is important to show pupils they share the same past and have a common purpose. Education also teaches children to follow universalistic rules which are essential for cooperation in society
- Education prepares young ppl for work: Industrial societies have a specialised division of labour which requires ppl to undergo often long periods of training for specific occupations. Education equips individuals with specialist skills needed to particpiate in work in a modern economy
3
Q
What is the functionalist Parsons views for education: socialisation and meritocracy/
A
- argues school is the ‘focal socialising agency’ of modern society
- secondary socialisation-> during primary socialisation within the family, each child is treated differently- as someone who is ‘special’. Wider society cannot function in this way- everyone has to be treated in same way. Education teaches these universalistic standards and acts as a bridge between family and wider society- in particular it socialises individuals into shared vales of a meritocratic society
- Meritocracy : ‘in a meritocracy, everyone is given an equal opportunity, and individuals achieve rewards through own efforts and ability’. Education values individual achievement and achieved status- encouraged to work to best ability. Based upon 2 key values
1. Individual achievement- status achieved via own efforts and abilities- not where you come from but what you do that gives your position in society
2. Equal opportunity for every individual - society in miniature- school = miniature version of wider society- both are meritocratic- school preps for life in modern society and its economy, which is competitive and invidudlaistic
4
Q
What is the functionalist view point of Davis and Moore: role allocation?
A
- for D and M-> main educational function= role allocation
- selection and allocation of individuals to their future work roles. They present a functionalist explanation:
- some ppl more talented than others
- some work roles are more complex than others and require greater skill
- for society to function efficiently, most talented individuals need to be allocated to most important jobs
- higher rewards are offered for these jobs to motivate everyone to strive for them- A meritocratic education system allows everyone to compete equally. It ‘sifts and sorts’ individuals so that the most talented get the best qualifications and are allocated to most important jobs
- as a result, society is more productive bc the most able ppl do most important jobs
5
Q
What is the Human capital theory?
A
- similar idea to D and M view- Modern industrial society is technologically advanced, so the skills of is workforce are its main economic assets or ‘capital’
- a meritocratic system educationally is best way to develop a suffiency skilled workforce and thus create greater econ efficiency and higher living standard
6
Q
What are evaluations of functionalism?
A
- education is not meritocratic, bc schools discrim against some groups and don’t give equal opportunity
- Hargreaves argues that schools place more value on competition and developing individuals than on developing a sense of social solidarity
- Marxists argue values transmitted by education are not society’s shared values, but rather those of the ruling class
- difficult to see a direct link between subjects studied at school and what is required of workers in their jobs- education not necessarily equip future roles- as most jobs are trained on the day or skills developed over a process- education is just to raise status of qualifications for job
- persons ascribed characteristics such as class background are more important in determining income later in life
7
Q
What is the New Right (also called Neo-Liberalist) View of education?
A
- state should not provide education- a free-market economy encourages competition and drives up standards- more like a business and operate in educational market
- should not be too concerned with promoting equal opportunity but training the workforce, making sure most able students have talents developed and are recruited into the most important jobs, while others= prep for lower level employment. Education should socialise young ppl into collective values and responsible citizenship, and thereby build social cohesion and solidairty to ensure a stable and united society
8
Q
How is functionalism and New Right compared?
A
- believe some ppl are naturally more talented than others
- agree w functionalists that education should be run on meritocratic principles of open competition
- believe education should socialise ppl into shared values and provide sense of national identity
- major difference however is F believe state can run an efficient econ system, NR cannot
9
Q
What is New Rights further with market vs the state and the solution?
A
- one size fits all- NR arguments based on belief state cannot meet people’s needs. In state run ed, ed inevitably ends up as ‘one size fits all’ that does not meet individual and community needs, or the needs of employers for skills and motivated workers
- Lower standards- state-run schools are not accountable to those who use them- pupils, parents and employers- and so are inefficient- schools that get poor results do not change bc they are not answerable to their consumers-result is lower standards and less qualified workforce
- for the NR, issue is how to male schools more responsive to their ‘consumers’. Marketisation is the introduction into areas run by the state of market forces of consumer choice and competition between suppliers.
- argue that creating education market forces schools to respond to the needs of pupils, parents and employers- for example, comp with other schools means that teaches have to be more efficient. A schools survival depends on its ability to raise the achievement levels of its pupils.
10
Q
What is Chubb’s and Moe- giving the consumer choice viewpoint ?
A
- C and M data shows that pupils from low-income families do about 5% better in priv schools. Suggests that state education is not meritocratic
- state education has failed to create equal opportunity bc it does not have to respond to pupils needs
- parents and communities cannot do anything about failing schools while the schools are controlled by state
- Private schools deliver higher quality education bc they are answerable to paying consumers- the parents
- the solution- C and M answer to the supposed inefficiency of the state schools is to introduce a market system in state education- that is, give control to consumers. This should be done via a voucher system in which each family would be given a voucher to spend on buying education from a school of their choice
11
Q
Do NR think state has any role in education?
A
- although the Nr want to reduce the state role in education, they do still see a limited role for it:
- state should create the framework for competition between schools
- the state still has to ensure school transmit society’s shared culture through a curriculum that emphasises a shared national identity
12
Q
What are the evaluations of the NR perspective?
A
- Gewirtz and Bau- both argues that not everyone gains equally from competition- they argue they use their cultural capital to get them into school
- critics argue the real cause of low educational standards is not state control but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools
- there is a contradiction between NR support for parental choice on one hand and state imposing a compulsory national curriculum on all its schools on the other
- Marxists argue ed does not impose a shared national culture, but imposes the culture of a dominant minority ruling class
13
Q
What is the Marxist theory for education
A
- are critical of capitalist system and inequality it provides
- contrasts functionalists- are a conflict view
- society and ed based on class division and exploitation
- Marxists believe that society is an unfair system is built upon exploitation of those who lack power, by those who possess it
- division= class conflict
- ## social institutions, one being ed system, reproduce class inequalities and play an ideological role by persuading exploited workers that inequality is justified and acceptable
14
Q
What does Neo-Marxist Althusser believe on education with the Ideological State Apparatus?
A
- w/c controlled by r/c through2 types of approaches and kept in power via:
-> Repressive SA (RSA)- when necessary to protect capitalist interests, the state uses force to repress w/c via the police, courts and army
-> ISA- controls ppls ideas, values and beliefs. Includes religion, mass media and ed system - education system performs ISA function via reproduction: education reproduces class inequality, by failing each generation of w/c pupils in turn and thereby ensuring that they end up in same kinds of jobs as parents
- another function via legitimisation: education justifies/legitimises class inequality by producing ideologies and disguises true cause
- w/c essentially are forced into failure and end up taking low paid working roles
- r/c go to the top of pule at University and trained to fill r/c roles- social class inequalities are reproduces
14
Q
What does Neo-Marxist Althusser believe on education with the Ideological State Apparatus?
A
- w/c controlled by r/c through2 types of approaches and kept in power via:
-> Repressive SA (RSA)- when necessary to protect capitalist interests, the state uses force to repress w/c via the police, courts and army
-> ISA- controls ppls ideas, values and beliefs. Includes religion, mass media and ed system - education system performs ISA function via reproduction: education reproduces class inequality, by failing each generation of w/c pupils in turn and thereby ensuring that they end up in same kinds of jobs as parents
- another function via legitimisation: education justifies/legitimises class inequality by producing ideologies and disguises true cause
- w/c essentially are forced into failure and end up taking low paid working roles
- r/c go to the top of pule at University and trained to fill r/c roles- social class inequalities are reproduces
