the role of education in society

Question 1

What 3 perspectives/theories are looked at in education?

Answer 1

Functionalism
The New Right
Marxism

Question 2

Who are the 3 functionalists for education?

Answer 2

Durkheim
Parsons
Davis and Moore

Question 2

What are functionalists view on education? (3)

Answer 2

Education is good for society
Education has positive functions for society
The education system provides equality and opportunity for everyone

Question 3

What is Durkheim’s (functionalist) 2 views on the functions of education?
How do both of these link with education?

Answer 3

Social solidarity=society is glued together
Specialist skills
*Education teaches both skills and social solidarity, both needed in the future e.g. job

Question 4

What does Durkheim state will happen if there is no social solidarity?
How does school act as a ‘society in miniature (small)’>preparing us for life in wider society?

Answer 4

Social life would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires
In school and work, we have to cooperate with people that aren’t friends or family e.g. pupils+teahcers, colleagues+customers

Question 5

Critisise Durkheim’s view on social solidarity

Answer 5

Society isn’t always glued together, schools create divisions:
-Teachers label students
-Sets and streams
-Bullying
-Racism, sexism, homophobia

Question 6

Critisise Durkheim’s view on specialist skills (2)

Answer 6

The specialist skills that schools teach, isn’t done adequately:
-In 2023, 7.2% of 16-17 year olds are NEETs (not in education, employment, or training)
There is little equality for specialist skills:
-Achievement is based on class, not ability and skills, as middle class are better equipped

Question 6

What is needed for the production of a simple item?
What does this promote?
Why is education important for specialist skills, according to Durkheim?

Answer 6

The cooperation of specialists
Cooperation promotes social solidarity, the people must have specialist skills
Education teaches individuals these specialist skills and knowledge>needed

Question 6

What are Parsons’s 2 views on eduation?

Answer 6

Bridge
Meritocracy=a system based on merit (goodness)

Question 7

What are you judged on in society? Why? E.g?
What is meritocracy, according to Parson?
How are schools a meritocracy?
Schools asses students’ abilities, and match them to?

Answer 7

Standards, because people don’t know you e.g. exams
People have power because of abilities and talents, not becuase of their money or social position
Exam success is based on ability and hard work
Relevant jobs
*child>books>jobs, social class, income

Question 8

What is school a bridge between, according to Parson?
How are standards/values shifted? Example of this?
Visualise a bridge, what is at the start and what is at the end of it, in terms of education in society?

Answer 8

The family and wider society
Particularist standards of the family, to universalistic values of society
E.g. in the family, you are special to your parents, and you are treated as an individual
Beginning=childhood
Ending=adulthood

Question 9

What does Davis and Moore argue? What is this?
Who gets the important jobs?

Answer 9

Role allocation=schools select and allocate students to their future work roles, based on a students’ ability
Most talented>high qualifications>jobs

Question 10

Who are the 3 Marxist’s for education?
What do they all agree on? (2)
What do they disagree on?

Answer 10

Bowles and Gintis
Althusser
Willis
Agree that the capitalist class benefit most from the education system
Agree that the education system produces workers, who make profit for the capitalists
Disagree in explaining how this happens

Question 11

According to Bowles and Gintis, what do schools teach us to be?
What do schools produce?
Who does this benefit? Why?
Give 2 examples of how schools>work

Answer 11

Be hard working and obedient, so that we will not challenge authority when we go to work
Subserviant workforce
The capitialist class as they are easier to control>more profit
School: extrinsic rewards (exam results)
Work: Pay rise, bonuses
School: hierarchy of teacher and head teachers
Work: Managers, supervisors

Question 12

How does Bowles and Gintis critisise Parsons’ view of meritocracy?

Answer 12

Students who conform=higher rewards, instead of those who are creative and independent
Schools are NOT meritocratic, but is an illusion of equality of opportunity
Students are made to think the system is fair

Question 13

What does Althusser argue?

Answer 13

The bourgeoisie maintain power by using:
-The repressive state apparatuses (RSA)
-The ideological state apparatuses (ISA)
State=government
Apparatus=equipment

Question 13

Explain the repressive state apparatuses (RSAs)

Answer 13

Maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force
E.g. police, courts, army

Question 14

Explain the idealogical state apparatuses (ISAs)

Answer 14

Maintain the rule of the bourgeoise by controlling peoples ideas, values and beliefs
E.g. religion, media, education system

Question 15

In Althusser’s view, why is the education system an important ISA?

Answer 15

ISA=controlling peoples ideas>bourgeoisie rule
-Education reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation, by failing WC pupils
-Education justifies class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise it’s true case. ideology=accept subordinate WC position>less likely to challenge capitalism

Question 16

Explain the “flase class consciousness” concept, by the Marxists.

Answer 16

Suggests that the proletariat does not recognise that they are being exploited by the bourgeosie.
They also contribute to their own exploitation.

Question 17

What does Willis’ study show?
How does this differ from Bowels and Gintis’ view of education?

Answer 17

WC pupils can resist attempts to indoctrinate (brainwash) them
They see education as a straight forward process of indoctrination into the meritocracy

Question 18

Where is Willis’ study based?
What did he focus on?

Answer 18

-WC boys in a Midlands school
-Focussing on “the lads”=WC boys who were disruptive and had a negative attitude to education>anti-school subculture

Question 19

What did Willis find within the anti-school subculture? (4)

Answer 19

-It was cool to mess about and fail
-Pro-school subculture were called “ear’oles”
-They avoided praise from the teacher, instead, praise from the truant group.
-He found that there was alot of racism, sexism, and homophobia

Question 20

Why is it significant that in Willis’ study, the WC boys actively chose to fail?
However, how does this ultimately benefit the capitalists?

Answer 20

Willis is a Marxist
Marxist=system designed by the capitalist class to have this outcome
Study shows that it’s the boys themselves, not capitalists
There wasn’t a meritocracy, instead, inequality reproduced itself (via lad culture)>won’t be a revolution of workers

Question 21

What did Willis conclude from his study?
How does this contradict Bowles and Gintis?

Answer 21

School was not working well as an agent of socialisation
Pupils were actively rejecting the norms and values of society
They suggest school produces a subserviant workforce

Question 22

What is a strength of the Marxist approach?

Answer 22

Useful in exposing the myth of meritocracy
Shows the role the education system plays as an ideological state apparatus>serving capitalism by reproducing and legitimising class inequality

Question 23

How do feminists critisise Marxists?

Answer 23

Non-class inequalities e.g. ethnicity, gender, sexuality are equally as important
Marxist sociologists must explain how education reproduces and legitimises all forms of inequality, not just class

Question 23

One weakness of Marxists is that they disagree with one another on how reproduction and legitimisation takes place
Explain

Answer 23

Bowels and Gintis=deterministic -assume that pupils have no free will, and passively accept indorctrinition, failing to explain WHY many pupils reject school values
Willis -shows how pupils may reject school values, and this still leads to them getting WC jobs

Question 24

What do neoliberals argue? Why?
How can this be done?

Answer 24

The state should not provide services e.g. education, health, welfare
Value of education lies in how well it enables the country to compete in the global marketplace
This can be done if schools become like a business -empowering parents and pupils as consumers, using competition between schools>drive up standards

Question 25

What is the New Right perspective?
What is their main principle?

Answer 25

Conservative political view that incorperates neoliberal economic ideas
The state cannot meet people’s needs, people need to do this themselves though marketisation

Question 26

What are 3 similarities between functionalists and the new right?
What is the main difference?

Answer 26

Some people are naturally more talented than others
Favour an education system ran on meritocratic principles
Education should socialise pupils into shared values e.g. competition
*New right does not believe this is being achieved

Question 27

The new right argues a ‘one size fits all’, what is this?
What is there solution to this? Why?
What is a limitation of this?

Answer 27

They argue that the education system focuses on uniformity, not social needs
Marketisation, competition between schools will bring greater diversity, to meet the needs of pupils.
Marketisation>2010 academies -government still controls academies (via finances)

Question 28

Which New Right sociologists introduced marketisation in state education?
What do they argue?

Answer 28

Chubb and Moe: consumer choice
State ran education in the USA has failed because:
-failed the needs of the disadvantaged
-fails to produce skills needed by the economy

Question 29

What did Chubb and Moe find?
What did they do because of these findings?

Answer 29

Pupils from low-income families consistently do 5% better in private, than state schools.
Call for the introduction of the market system in education:
-each family would be given a voucher to spend on buying education of their choice

Question 30

What is a criticism of the New Right perspective?

Answer 30

Critics argue that the real cause of low educational standards is not state control, but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools.

Question 31

What are liberal feminists view on the role of education?

Answer 31

Celebrate the progress made so far in improving girls’ achievement
Optimistic -girls are outperforming boys in education>women can become higher paid e.g. politics

Question 32

What are radical feminists view on the role of education?

Answer 32

Patriarchy still works through school to reinforce traditional norms and to disadvantage girls
They see boys underachievement as ‘moral panic’:
-Boys have been improving, just not as fast as girls
-Schools are focusing on raising boys achievement>reflects male dominated system.