the role of education

Question 1

What’s the functionalist view of education?

Answer 1

Functionalist sees education as a positive institution which benefits all individual, preparing them for their working careers

Question 2

What are the Marxists view of education?

Answer 2

Marxist believe education supports the need of capitalism at the expense of young people by reproducing existing class inequalities

Question 3

What are the two main functions of education according to functionalist?

Answer 3

durkheim -
social solidarity
specialist skills

Question 4

How does creating social solidarity a function for education?

Answer 4

Social solidarity is the idea of bringing people together

Education provides opportunities by transmitting norms, values, and** cultures** shares with wider community

Help socialise children as each institution works together like the human body

Question 5

How does teaching specialist skills a function of education?

Answer 5

According to durkhiem -

Specialist skills taught to pupil to play social division of labour with their own area of expertise to fit into society

Question 6

How does meritocracy function in education?

Answer 6

According to parsons -
‘Focal socialising agency’ - Bridge gaps between the family and the wider society

**Students **should be treated equally through inpersonaland universialistic standard- need to display individuals efforts in the world of work to improve status

Question 7

How does role allocation function in education?

Answer 7

According to Davis and Moore -
Inequality is needed and** everyone should compete for the jobs**

Competition importation to have most talented fill demanding jobs

‘Sift and sort’ according to ability with the best qualification get the job

Question 8

Evaluation of social solidarity

Answer 8

Faith schools - segregate white from ethnic

Question 9

Evaluation of specialist skills

Answer 9

Private school have more skills taught compared to state schools

Question 10

Evaluate meritocracy

Answer 10

according to bowles and gintis -
Myth of meritocracy - designed to make the working classes work hard. Class is the biggest indicator of success rather than ability.

Question 11

Evaluate** role allocation**

Answer 11

Labelling
streaming
self fulfilling prophecy

Question 12

What is VET?

Answer 12

Vocational educational training
Functionalist support as it sets ground for ability - teach skills needed for division of labour and provide a skilled workforce

Question 13

Evaluate new vocationalism

Answer 13

According to Marxists -
New vocational serves the need of capitalism at the expenses if young people by reproducing class inequalities

According to finn -
youth training scheme provides cheap labour for employer keeping unemployment down and reduce social unrest by taking youth off streets

According to buswell -
YTS channel girls into low paid traditional jobs - reproduce gender inequality

Question 14

How has VET reduced social inequality?

Answer 14

- meritocracy
- Role allocation and social solidarity
- durkhiem and parson on about VET

Question 15

what are the two functions of education according to marxist?

Answer 15

1. reproduce inequality
2. create an obedient workforce to serve capitalism.

Question 16

what does marxist believe the functions are for education?

Answer 16

• obediant workforce who are incapable of critical thoughts
• ideological tool used by ruling class to impose their values and beliefs to maintain their power.

Question 17

what are the ideological state apparatus?

Answer 17

althusser -
the ideological state apparatus maintains the rule of the ruling class by controlling peoples, ideas values and beliefs

Question 18

what is the repressive state apparatus?

Answer 18

althusser -
the repressive state apparatus maintains the ruling class by force or threat (e.g. police army etc)

Question 19

how does education reproduce class inequality?

Answer 19

althusser -
failing each successive generation of working class pupils in turn, it legitimates class inequality by producing ruling class ideology that disguise as true (ethnocentric curriculum)

Question 20

how does education produce obedient workforce to serve capitalism?

Answer 20

althusser -
they pursuade workers to accept that their inequality is inevitable, by accepting these ideas, they are less likely to challenge or threat capitalism.

Question 21

what is the myth of meritocracy?

Answer 21

bowles and gintis -
myth of meritocracy exist in education - the main factor determines whether or not someone has high income and class background not educational achievement
the myth serves the privilege of the higher class

Question 22

three ways which school mirrors the workplace?

Answer 22

1. dress code
2. accepting hierarchy
3. long hours in school/ time keeping skills

Question 23

what is the correspondence principle?

Answer 23

the correspondence principle is the mirroring of the education and the workplace operate through the hidden curriculum (dress code, obedience etc)

Question 24

what does the postmodernist believe the functions are for education?

Answer 24

giddens and beck - marxism is outdated
postmodernist reject the correspondence principle

Question 25

What are the two main functions of education according to postmodernist?

Answer 25

giddens and becks -
1. produce skillful workers
2. provide pupil with choice and freedom

Question 26

How does education producing skillful worker?

Answer 26

giddens and becks -
choice and freedom to carry out different roles exist and education should encourage the same

market requires a skilled,adaptable workforce able to use advanced technology and creativity.

Question 27

How does education provide pupils with choice and freedom?

Answer 27

giddens and becks -
**education has reproduces diversity (e.g. labour party introduce national curriculum)

Question 28

willis research on the role of education

Answer 28

willis research method: (triangulation) unstructured group interviews and covert observation having access to school cafeteria and record on diary (qualitiative) on 12 boys uncover counter school culture of the lads

reproduce cass inequality but w/c can resist attempts to indocrintate (convice) them - jobs school expect them to do were traditional manual jobs for men

anti conformists - counter school culture - disobey rules etc