the role of education in society Flashcards
the functionalist perspective on the family
functionalism is based on the view that society is a system of independent parts held together by a shared culture or value consensus - an agreement among societies members about what values are important. each part of society, such as the family, economy, or education system performs functions that help to maintain society as a whole.
functionalism = a consensus approach
durkheim: solidarity and skills
the sociologist durkheim, the founder of functionalist sociology, identified two main functions of education: creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills
what is social solidarity?
durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity, that is, individual members must feel themsleves to be part of a single ‘body’ or community. he argues that without social solidarity, social life and cooperation would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires.
social solidarity in education
the education system helps to create social solidarity by transmitting societies culture - its shared beliefs and values - from one generation to the next. e.g durkheim argues that the teaching of a countrys history instills in children a sense of a shared heritage and commitment to the wider social group.
school also acts as a ‘society in miniature’, preparing us for life in wider society. e.g both in school and at work, we have to cooperate with people who are neither family nor friends - teachers and pupils at school, colleagues and customers at work. similarly, both in school and work we have to interact with others according to a set of impersonal rules that apply to everyone
what is specialist skills
modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour, where the production of even a single item usually involves the cooperation of many different specialities. this cooperation promotes social solidarity but, for it to be successful, each person must have the necessary specialist knowledge and skills to perform their role.
durkheim argues that education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play their part in social division of labour.
schools can provide a diverse range of qualifications which gradually becomes more specialised
parsons: meritocracy
functionalist parsons draws on many of durkehims ideas. parsons sees the school as the ‘focal socialising agency’ in modern society, acting as a bridge between the family and wider society. this bridge is needed because family and family and society operate on different principles, so children need to learn a new way of living if they are to cope with the wider world
parsons mertiocracy in family
within the family, the child is judged by particularistic standards, that is rules that apply only to that particular child. similarly, in the family, the childs status is ascribed, that is, fixed by birth. for example, an elder son and a younger daughter may be given different rights or duties because of differences of age and sex
parsons mertiocracy in schools and wider society
by contrast, both school and wider society judge us all by the same universalistic and impersonal standards. for example, in society, the same laws apply to everyone. similarly in school each pupil is judged against the same standards (such as they all sit the same exam and the pass mark is the same for everyone.)
likewise, in both school and wider society, a persons status is largely achieved, not ascribed for example, at work we gain promotion or get the sack on the strength of how good we are at our jobs, while at school we fail or pass through our own individual efforst
how does parsons see school
parsons sees school as preparing us to move from the family to wider society because school and society are both based on meritocratic principles. in a meritocracy, everyone is given an equal opportunity, and individuals achieve rewards through their own effort and ability.
davis and moore: role allocation
functionalists argue that schools also perform the function of selecting and allocating pupils to their future work roles. by assessing individuals attitudes and abilities, schools help to match them to job they are best suited for.
d and m argue that inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles are filled by the most talented people. e.g it would be inefficient and dangerous to have less able people performing roles such as a surgeon or a pilot.
not everyone is equally talented and sp society has to offer higher rewards for these jobs. this will encourage people to compete for these jobs and therefore society can select the most talented individuals to fill these position.
education plays a very big part in this process since it acts as a providing ground for ability.
human capital
similarly, blau and duncan argue that a modern economy depends for its prosperity on using its ‘human capital’ - its workers skills. they argue that a meritocratic education system does this best, since it enables each person to be allocated to the job best suited to their abilities. this will make most effective use of their talents and maximise their productivity
evaluation of functionalism
- the education does not teach specialised skills adequately, as durkheim claims.
- there is evidence that equal opportunity in education does not exists, e.g achievement is greatly influenced by class background.
- functionalists see education as a process that instills the shared values of society as a whole, but marxists argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority - the ruling class
neoliberalism
neoliberalism is an economic doctrine that has a major influence on education policy. neoliberals argue that the state should not provide services such as education, health and welfare.
the new right
the new right is a conservative political view that incorporates neoliberal economic ideas. a central principle of new right is the belief that the state cannot meet peoples needs and that people are the best left to meet their own needs through the free market. for this reason, the new right favour the marketisation of education.
the similarities between the new right and functionalist views
- both believe that some people are naturally more talented than others
- both favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition, and one that serves the needs of the economy by preparing young people for work
- both believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values, such as competition, and instil a sense of national identity.
the difference between the new right and functionalism
the key difference with functionalism is that the new right do not believe that the current education system is achieving these goals. the reason for its failure, in their view, is that it is run by the state
the new right and education
the new right argue that state education systems take a ‘one size fits all’ approach, imposing uniformity and disregarding local needs. the local consumers who use the schools - pupils, parents and employers - have no say. state education systems are therefore unresponsive and inefficient. schools waste money or get poor results are not awardable to their consumers. this means lower standards of achievement for pupils, a less qualified workforce and a less prosperous economy.
whats the new rights solution?
the new rights solution to these problems is the marketisation of education - creating an ‘education market’. they believe that competition between schools and empowering consumers will bring greater diversity, choice and efficiency to schools and increase schools ability to meet the needs of pupils, parents and employers
chubb and moe: consumer choice
an example of the new right perspective on education comes from the work of chubb and moe. they argye that state rub education in the united states has failed because:
- it has not created equal opportunity and has failed the needs of disadvantaged goods
- it is inefficient because it fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy
- private schools deliver higher quality education because, unlike state schools, they are answerable to praying consumers - the parents.
chubb and moe base their arguments on a comparison of the achievements of 60,000 pupils from low income families.
two roles for the state
while the new right stresses the importance of market forces in education, this does not mean they see no role at all for the state. in the new right view, there remain two important roles for the state.
- firstly, the state imposes a framework on schools within which they to compete. e.g by publishing ofsted inspection reports and league tables of schools exam results, the state gives parents information with which ti make a more informed choice between schools
- secondly, the state ensures that schools transmit a shared culture. by imposing a single national curriculum, it seeks to guarantee that schools socialise pupils into a single cultural heritage.
the new right believe that education should affirm the national identity.
evaluation of the new rights
- Gewirtz and Ball both argue that competition between schools benefits the middle class, who can use their cultural and economic capital to gain access to more desirable schools.
- critics argue that 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 the new rights support for parental choice on the one hand and the state imposing a compulsory national curriculum on all its schools on the other
- marxists argue that education does not impose a shared national culture, as the new right claim, but imposes the culture of a dominant minority ruling class and devalues the culture of the working class and ethnic minorities.
the marxist perspective on education
marxists see education based on class division and capitalist exploitation. marx described capitalism as a two class system:
- the capitalist class - are the minority class. they are the employers who own the means of production. they make their profits by exploiting the labour of the majority - the proletariat or working class
- the working class - are forced to sell their labour power to the capitalist since they own no means of production of their own and so have no other source of income. as a result, work under capitalism is poorly paid, alienating, unsatisfying over which workers have no real control.
this creates potential class conflict. e.g if workers realise they are being exploited, they may demand higher wages, better working conditions or even the abolition of capitalism itself.
althusser: the ideological state apparatus
marxists see the state as the means by which the capitalist ruling class maintain their dominant position. according to althusser, the state consists of two elements or ‘apparatusses’, both of which serve to keep the bourgeoisie in power:
- the repressive state apparatuses (RSA), which maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it. the RSAs include the police, courts and army. when necessary, they use physical force to repress the working class
- the ideological state apparatueses (ISA), which maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling peoples ideas, values and beliefs. the ISA include religion, the media and the education system.
althuesser views on the education system
- education reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation, by failing each successive generation of working class pupils in turn
- education legitimates class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause. the function of ideology is to persuade workers to accept that inequality is inevitable and that they deserve their subordinate position in society.
