The Role of Education

Question 1

What is the overall functionalist view of the role of education

Answer 1

Society is a system mad e up of different institutions scuh as education, religion and the family - they share a value consensus
Functionalists believe in interdependence

Question 2

What is interdependence

Answer 2

Each institution performs a separate function. They rely on other institutions performing their role to maintain social order (organic analogy)

Question 3

What are the four roles of education according to functionalists

Answer 3

Durkeim: Social Solidarity
Durkeim: Specialist skills
Parsons: Meritocracy
Davis and Moore: Role allocation

Question 4

Explain what is meant by ‘Durkeim- Social solidarity’ for the role of education (functionalists)

Answer 4

Society needs solidarity - feel apart of community
Without it - social order is impossible + people would act on selfish desires
Education system create social solidarity by transmitting and teaching society’s shared culture from generation to the next
e.g history - shared heritage, british values
School is like society in miniature version - shows to follow rules and work with new people

Question 5

What are the two criticism for the role of education is to create ‘Durkeim- social solidarity’

Answer 5

Marxists: educational institutions do not transmit the culture of society as a whole, they only teach the ideology that serves the interest of a minority - the ruling class
Lacey, Hargreaves & Willis’ studies: shows that the transmission of norms and values is not always successful. Some students reject school values and form anti-school sub-cultures

Question 6

Explain what is meant by ‘Durkeim - Specialist skills’ for the role of education (functionalists)

Answer 6

Modern industrial economics have complex divisions of labour, production of one item involves coorperation of many different specialists (Iphone)
To be successful in promoting social solidarity, each person must have specialist skill and knowledge to perform role within division of labour
Education teachers individuals these specialist skills to play part in society and help it run smoothly

Question 7

What are the criticism for the role of education to create ‘Durkeim: Specialist skills’

Answer 7

Education system does not teach specialist skills effectively: The Wolf review of vocational education (2011) claims that high quality apprenticeships are rare and up tp a third of 16-19 year olds are on courses that do not lead to higher education or jobs

Question 8

Explain what is meant by ‘Parsons: Meritocracy’ for the role of education (functionalists)

Answer 8

Education is the bridge from family to wider society - prepares children for society
School is a ‘focal socialising agency’
Needed as the family and society operate on different standards - children learn new way of living
Within family:
Children judgeed particularistic standards
Childs status is ascribed - fixed at birth
School:
Judges univeralistic and impersonal standards (same pass mark)
Persons status is achieved based on meritocratic principle - everyone is given equal opportunity to achieve - work hard and gain reward (job promotion)

Question 9

What are particularistic standards (Parsons meritocracy)

Answer 9

Rules that only apply to that individual

Question 10

What are universalistic standards (Parsons meritocracy)

Answer 10

Everyone is judged on the same standard

Question 11

What are the three criticism for ‘Parsons: meritocracy’ as a role of education (functionalism)

Answer 11

Dennis Wrong - functionalists have an ‘over-socialised view’ of people as puppets of society (deterministic): They wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all that they are taught and never reject school values
Western education systems are not meritocratic, intelligence and ablilty onyl have limited influence on educational achievement: Research reveals private education aand inequalities tied to social class, gender and ethnicity signficantly influence achievement
New Right: Current state education system is failing to prepare young peoplefor work

Question 12

Explain what is meant by ‘Davis and Moore: Role allocation’ for the role of education (functionalism)

Answer 12

School select and allocate pupile to future work role
Education ‘sifts and sorts’: meritocratic proving ground for ability. They assess students ability - helps match them to jobs suited to them
Inequality is necessary: not everyone is equally talented, society ensures ‘most important’ roles are filled by able people
Society offers higher rewards for most important jobs - encourage everyone to comete in education for best jobs. Society select people with highest qualifactions

Question 13

What would feminists say according to functionalists claim on the role of education being for role allocation (criticism)

Answer 13

Girls out perform boys in edcuation- so they should get higher jobs?
Shows it is not meritocratic or based on qualification

Question 14

What is Bowles and Ginitis criticism for role allocation and explain it

Answer 14

Myth of meritocracy: children of the weathly obtain high qualifications and well-rewarded jobs regardless of their ability
E.g Bourdieu argues that MC students possess more cultural capital and therefore can gain more qualifications than WC students. The education system disguises inequality by claiming a ‘meritocracy’ so that those denied success blame themselves rather than the system
= makes inequality legitimated - made to appear fair

Question 15

What is Neo-liberalism

Answer 15

An economic approach that has heeavily influenced government policy

Question 16

What are the principles from Neo-liberalism regarded education

Answer 16

Free market- state should not interve and try to regulate a free market economy. Should not provide service such as education, health and welfare
Value of education lies on how well it enables the country to compete in the global marketplace
Can only be achieved if schools became like businesses: empower parents and pupils as they would become consumer
Drive up standards as schools have to compete to attract consumer

Question 17

What is New Right and their overall view on education and how it should be ran

Answer 17

Conservative political view - incorpate neoliberal economic ideas
Believe the state cannot meet people needs and that people are best left to meet own needs through free market strongly in favour of marketisation of education
Schools should be ran like a business: league tables, Ofsted
Formula funding (more power to parents and pupils to choose (in theory)

Question 18

What are the three similarities between NR and the functionalist view and what are they similar to

Answer 18

Both believe that some people are naturally more talented than others - link= Davis and Moore Role allocation
Both favour an education system runs on meritocratic principles of competition and one that serves world of work - link= Parsons: meritocracy
Both believe the education should socialise pupils into shared value such as competition and a national identity - link= Durkeim: social solidarity

Question 19

What is that difference between NR and functionalist views

Answer 19

NR do not believe current education system is achieving these goals because it is ran by the state and adopts ‘one size fits all’ approach
Locals who use the schools have no say (parents, employees)
= education is unrepsonsive and inefficient: schools that waste funding or fail are not answerable to consumers
Results in lower standards of achievement for pupil, less qualified work force and a less prosperous economy

Question 20

What is the solution according to NR for education

Answer 20

Marketisation of education- creating education market
Believe competition between schools and empowering consumers = greater diversity, choice and efficieny
Increases schools ability to meet pupils needs
‘Voucher scheme’ which consumers use to ‘buy’ educcation from a school of their choice
Control is in parents hands as where the students go, the funding goes too
Schools now have to work to attract students and their parents

Question 21

What is the evidence for the NR belief

Answer 21

60,000 pupils form lower income families in both state and private schools - consistently do 5% better in private than state (in private the schools remain answerable to paying consumers - parents)

Question 22

What do the NR believe the state should and shouldnt do

Answer 22

Impose framework which schools must compete to attract consumers
Ensure that schools transmit a shared culture through imposing national curriculum
Do not get intervene (contradictory)

Question 23

What are the criticism for the NR perspective on the role of education

Answer 23

Giewirtz and Ball: competition only benefits the MC as use cultural capital and level of economic acess for more desirable schools
Contradictory: NR says less government regulation and increased choice but claim state should impose nationa curriculum to transmit shared values
Marxists: edcuation doe not impose national curriculum but imposes culture of dominant minority and devalues everyone else
Ignores root cause of low educational standards: not state that is responsible but social inequality and inadequate funding for state schools

Question 24

What are the roles of education according too marxists

Answer 24

Althuesser: ideological state apparatus
Bowels and Gintis: Schooling in capitalist America (STUDY)
Bowels and Gintis: Correspondence Principle and Hidden curriculum
Bowels and Gintis: myth of meritocracy
Willis: Learning to labour (STUDY)

Question 25

Explain what is meant by Althusser: Ideological state apparatus as a role of education according to marxists

Answer 25

Bourgeoisie controls the state view:
Repressive state apparatus (RSA) - force or threat of force and when necessary use coercian to repress the WC
Ideological state apparatus (ISA) - controls peoples ideas examples being through religion, media and the education system

Question 26

How does the education system and the ISA (Ideological state apparatus) link

Answer 26

Education performs 2 main functions:
Education reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation by failing each successive generation for WC pupils in turn
Education legitimates class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause - persuade workers to accept inequality and it is inevitable

Question 27

Explain what Bowles and Gintis studied in schooling in capitalist america and summarise the findings/ meaning

Answer 27

Studied 237 New York High Schools and found:
Schools reward precisely the kind of personality of being submissive and compliant workers
Students who are independent and creative get lower grades
Schools help to produce obediant workers that capitalism needs
So: role of education is to stunt students’ development and reproduce an obediant workforce that will accept inequality and meet capitalist needs

Question 28

Explain the Correspondence Principle as a role of education according to marxists

Answer 28

Relationship and structure of school mirrors capitalist workplace:
Hierarchy - School: authority among teachers
Work: authority positions
Alientation - School: students lakc of control over education
Work: workers lack of control over production
Extrinsic Rewards - School: extrinsic satisfaction (grades rather than
interest in subject
Work: from payment rather than just doing the
job
Competition - School: competition and division among students
Work: among workforce e.g differences in status and
pay
Correspondence principle operates through the hidden curriculum (produce inequality)

Question 29

Explain the Hidden curriculum as a role of education according to marxists

Answer 29

Subtle ‘unofficial’ lessons you learn at school which embed behaviours necessary for a capitalist society such as through every day processess interactions within the school

Question 30

Explain Bowles and Gintis: myth of meritocracy as a role of education according to marxists

Answer 30

Society pretends to be meritocratic
Education reinforces this by making it seem as an ‘equal playing field’
Education makes ideology that justify poverty and inequality
Justifies privilegess of higher class and blame themselves rather tha blaming capitalism preventing them from succeeding
Reality: overriding factor are family and class background not ability or educational achievement - meritocracy is not real

Question 31

Explain the Willis: Learning to labour study and summarise the findings

Answer 31

Studied 12 WC ‘lads’ in transition from school to work
Wanted to see how schooling serves to benefit capitalism also how interpretations may help resist indocrination

found: lads knew meritocract was a con
formed a ‘counter culture’ which disaagreed with school values
Saw manual work as superior - interllectual as feminine
Because of this, becamed destined for jobs with low pay for capitalism - already used to boredom of school and carried to work

Question 32

How does Willis: Learning to labour criticise Bowles and Gintis myth of meritocracy for being deterministic

Answer 32

Both cause inequality
Bowels= indocrination and forced cause inequality
Willis= lads choice and free will cause class inequality through knowing myth of meritocracy

Question 33

What are the four overall evaluations for maxists views for the role of education

Answer 33

Postmodernists: education produces diversity as that is what is needed in society
Deterministic: some WC students reject indocrination and use education as a way of social mobility
Critical modernists: other factors being ignored that cause inequality , gender, ethnicity, sexuality
Feminists: patriarchy and gender inequality is ignored