The Role Of Education

Question 1

What approach is functionalism?

Answer 1

Consensus

Question 2

What approach is Marxism?

Answer 2

Class conflict

Question 3

What approach is neoliberalism and the new right?

Answer 3

A conservative, free market approach

Question 4

What is value consensus?

Answer 4

An agreement among society’s members about what values are important

Question 5

What did Durkheim see as the two main functions of education?

Answer 5

Creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills

Question 6

What is social solidarity?

Answer 6

Society’s individual members feel themselves to be part of a single ‘body’ or community.

Question 7

What would happen without social solidarity according to Durkheim?

Answer 7

Each individual would pursue their own selfish desires so social life and cooperation would be impossible

Question 8

How does the education system help to create social solidarity?

Answer 8

Transmits socity’s culture from one generation to the next. Eg history helps instil in children a sense of shared heritage and commitment.

Question 9

How does the school prepare us for life in wider society?

Answer 9

‘Society in miniature’. Eg teamwork and cooperation is learnt according to impersonal rules that apply to everyone

Question 10

Why does education teach specialist skills?

Answer 10

So they have the skills and knowledge to play their part in social division of labour

Question 11

What does Talcott Parsons see school in modern society as?

Answer 11

‘Focal socialising agency’ that acts as a bridge between family and wider society

Question 12

What are particularistic standards?

Answer 12

What the child is judged on within the family. This is rules that apply only to the particular child.

Question 13

What is ascribed status?

Answer 13

Status fixed by birth

Question 14

What are universalistic and impersonal standards?

Answer 14

What the school and wider society judge us on. The rules and laws apply to everyone. This is why school is important to transition from family to society

Question 15

What is achieved status?

Answer 15

A status gained by own effort or will. This is our status in society

Question 16

What is a meritocracy?

Answer 16

Everyone is given an equal opportunity and individuals achieve rewards through their own effort and ability. Parsons thinks society and school is based on meritocratic principles.

Question 17

What do Davis and Moore see education as?

Answer 17

A device for selection and role allocation.

Question 18

What do Davis and Moore argue about inequality?

Answer 18

It is necessary to ensure that the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people. Not everyone is equally talented so society has to offer higher awards for harder jobs- this encourages competition and therefore the best people in the best jobs.

Question 19

How does education act as proving ground for ability?

Answer 19

It ‘sifts and sorts’ us according to our ability.

Question 20

What is human capital?

Answer 20

Workers skills. Modern economy depends for its prosperity on human capital. Productivity and talent is maximised

Question 21

How is functionalism criticised?

Answer 21

• the education system does not teach specialist skills adequately. Good apprenticeships are rare and those on vocational courses struggle to find work.
• all topics show there is ample evidence that equal opportunity does not exist. Musty of meritocracy
• marxists argue that the education system does not instil shared values but transmits the ideology of the ruling class.
• Wrong argues functionalists have an ‘over socialised’ view of people as mere puppets of society.
• new right argues the education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work.

Question 22

what is neoliberalism and what do they argue?

Answer 22

An economic doctrine that has major influence on education policy. They argue that the state should do not provide services such as education, health and welfare. They have influenced all governments since 1979. It is based on the idea that the state should not dictate how to dispose of their own property and should regulate a free market economy

Question 23

Why do neoliberals want schools to become like businesses?

Answer 23

The value of education lies in how well it enables the country to compete in the global marketplace. Making schools like businesses empowers parents and pupils as consumers and uses competition between schools to drive up standards.

Question 24

What is the central belief of the New Right?

Answer 24

Incorporates neoliberal ideas. The belief that the state cannot meet people’s needs and that people are best left to meet their own needs through the free market. Therefore they are in favour of the marketisation of education.

Question 25

How are the new right and functionalism different?

Answer 25

The new right believe current education system is not achieving the goals held by both theories. It is failing because it is run by the state.

Question 26

What do the American sociologists Chubb and Moe argue about state run education?

Answer 26

It has failed because-
It has not created equal opportunity
Fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by economy- inefficient
Private schools deliver higher quality education because they are answerable to paying consumers

Question 27

What percentage better do pupils from low income families do in private rather than in state?

Answer 27

5%

Question 28

What do Chubb and Moe argue for the introduction of?

Answer 28

A market system in state education that would put control in the hands of consumers. This allows consumers to shape schools to meet their own needs.

Question 29

What system do Chubb and Moe propose to introduce market into state education?

Answer 29

Each family is given a voucher to spend on buying education from a school of their choice. This forces schools to be more responsive to parents wishes who would be their main income.

Question 30

What are the new right’s two roles of the state in education?

Answer 30

1. The state imposes framework on schools within which they have to compete. Eg ousted reports and league tables.
   . The state ensures that all schools transmit a hared culture through the national curriculum. Education should affirm the national identity and create a single cultural heritage. They are opposed to multicultural education.

Question 31

How is the new right view of education evaluated?

Answer 31

• Gerwitz and Ball argue that competition between schools benefits the middle class who can use their cultural and economic capital.
• the real cause of low standards is nit state control but social inequality and inadequate funding.
• the state imposing the national curriculum contradicts the idea of consumer choice.
• marxists are it does not impose a shared culture but a a culture of the ruling class.

Question 32

What re the capitalist class?

Answer 32

Bourgeoisie- minority class. The employers who own the means of production. Make their profits from the labour and exploitation of the proletariat.

Question 33

What are the working class?

Answer 33

Proletariat. Forced to sell their labour power. Work under capitalism is poorly paid and alienating

Question 34

What did Marx believe would ultimately happen to society?

Answer 34

Class conflict. The proletariat would unite to overthrow the capitalist system and create a classless, equal society.

Question 35

What does Louis Althusser believe keeps the bourgeoisie in power?

Answer 35

The Repressive state apparatus- police, courts and army. They use physical coercion when necessary to repress the working class.
The ideological state apparatus- controls people’s ideas, values and beliefs. Religion, the media and the education.

Question 36

What two functions does Althusser argue education performs?

Answer 36

Reproduces class inequality by transmitting from generation to generation. Successive failure.

Legitimate class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause. Less likely to challenge or threaten capitalism.

Question 37

What do Bowles and Gintis see the role of education as?

Answer 37

To reproduce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable.

Question 38

What did Bowles and Gintis conclude from their Trudy of New York high school students?

Answer 38

Schools reward the personality traits that make for a submissive, compliant worker. Education stunts and distorts students’ development

Question 39

What are Bowles and Gintis’ correspondence principle?

Answer 39

The relationships and structures found in education mirror to those of work.

Question 40

What does the correspondence principle operate through?

Answer 40

The hidden curriculum. The indirect lessons learnt in school. This prepares pupils for their role as exploited workers of the future.

Question 41

Give some examples of the hidden curriculum

Answer 41

Meritocratic
Uniform
Learning to accept authority
Team work and communication

Question 42

Give some examples of the correspondence principle

Answer 42

Hierarchy of authority among teachers and between teachers and students- hierarchy in the workplace
Alienation through students lack of control over education - lack of control over production
Extrinsic satisfaction
Competition and divisions

Question 43

Why did Bowles and Gintis call education ‘a giant myth making machine?’

Answer 43

The myth of meritocracy. Evidence shows that a high income and culture is the main factor in succeeding, not their ability. It makes the upper class seem to achieve fairly. This persuades the working class to accept inequality as legitimate, therefore they are less likely to overthrow capitalism. Blaming poverty on the individual, not capitalism. They think they didn’t work hard enough to succeed.

Question 44

What did Paul Willis find?

Answer 44

Learning to labour. Working class pupils can resist indoctrination. He combines his Marxist with an interactionist meaning approach.

Question 45

What was Paul Willis study and what did he find?

Answer 45

Qualitative research methods including participant observation and unstructured interviews. Studied the counter school culture of ‘the lads’ - 12 working class boys. Scorns the ‘ear’oles’ and use intimidatory humour. They find school boring and meaningless so flout rules. There’s a similarity between the shop floor culture and the anti school counter culture. See themselves as superior to effeminate non manual workers. Their resistance to school helps them to fit into the very jobs capitalism needs, ironic.

Question 46

Evaluation of Marxism-

Answer 46

• postmodernists criticise Bowles and Gintis’ correspondence principle. Today’s post-fordist economy requires schools to produce very different labour forces. It produces diversity not inequality
• b&g’s deterministic view fails to explain why pupils reject school values
• Willis romanticises anti social behaviour and sexist attitudes in the lads.
• small scale study = not representative