the role of education (functionalism, marxism, new right)

Question 1

FUNCTIONALISM:

DURKHIEM - education system functions

Answer 1

1. creating a social solidarity (commitment to society)
   FOR EXAMPLE:
   - pledge of allegiance (USA)
   - citizenship and british values
   - teaching of british history/uniforms/assemblies
2. teaching specialised skills
   complex industrial societies require specialised skills for the economy

Question 2

FUNCTIONALISM:

PARSONS - focal socialising agency

Answer 2

• education is a bridge between having an ascribed status and an achieved status
• change from particularistic standards to universalistic standards

Question 3

FUNCTIONALISM:

PARSONS - meritocracy

Answer 3

• where rewards go to those who have talent, ability and hard work
• everybody has an equal opportunity, and individuals achieve rewards through their own effort and ability

Question 4

FUNCTIONALISM

DAVIS AND MOORE - role allocation

Answer 4

• the brightest and best will be filtered into the most important positions in society
• those with lower grades end up in lower skilled jobs

Question 5

FUNCTIONALISM

BLAU AND DUNCAN - human capital

Answer 5

• human capital (workers skills) - skills, knowledge and experiences
• modern economy requires human capital for prosperity
• meritocratic education system allocates people to their most suitable roles - makes the most effective use of their talents/maximises productivity

Question 6

MARXISM

ALTHUSSER - ideological state apparatus

Answer 6

• ideological state apparatus = religion, media, education - control ideas, beliefs and values
• education is an important ideological state apparatus as it fails generations of working class children and legitimises class inequality by producing ideology
• ideology - a false set of ideas to make children believe they deserve their low position in society and are less likely to challenge capitalism

Question 7

MARXISM

BOWLES AND GINTIS - creativity

Answer 7

• interviewed students in NYC and found schools tend to ignore creativity and independence (low grades) and reward the qualities that create obedient workers

Question 8

MARXISM

BOWLES AND GINTIS - myth of meritocracy

Answer 8

• everybody doesn’t have a fair chance and the myth of meritocracy justifies higher class privilege
• people blame themselves for their low paid work so don’t fight back

Question 9

MARXISM

BOWLES AND GINTIS - correspondence principle

Answer 9

close correspondence between school and work (hidden curriculum)

Question 10

MARXISM

PAUL WILLIS - lads study

Answer 10

• argues against the idea that the working class are brainwashed into passive, obedient workers
• carried out unstructured interviews and observations (interpretivist methods - marxists usually prefer positivist methods)
• he argued the lads were actively failing themselves - preparing themselves for the boring jobs they eventually found themselves in
• study only included 12 boys so not representative

Question 11

NEW RIGHT

NEOLIBERAL IDEAS

Answer 11

• free market (not gov controlled)
• privatisation
• reduced public spending
• consumer consumption

= drive up standards

Question 12

NEW RIGHT

CHUBB & MOE - working class study

Answer 12

• carried out research in USA found working class students performed better in private schools
• say its because they were answerable to the fee-paying customer = parents
• argue state schools should be run as private schools

Question 13

NEW RIGHT

IDEAS ON HOW THE EDUCATION SYSTEM SHOULD BE RUN

Answer 13

• government funded but not government controlled
• ofsted only check standards
• promote shared culture (like functionalism)
• marketisation policies
• 1988 education reform act (ERA)
• formula funding (bums on seats)
• national curriculum
• healthy competition as it drives up standards