Theories

Question 1

What are the 5 functions of education according to functionalists?

Answer 1

1. Secondary socialisation: learning norms and values beyond the family.
2. Social solidarity: According to Durkhiem, education makes students feel part of a community.
3. Focal socialising agency: school acts as a bridge between the family and wider society.
4. Specialist skills: education meets the needs of the work place.
5. Role allocation: sifting and sorting

Question 2

Evaluate the functionalist view on education

Answer 2

• Feminists are critical of the functionalist claim that schools teach norms and values that benefit everyone; they argue that it passes on patriarchal values thus disadvantaging women.
• Marxist sociologist Bourdieu disagrees with social solidarity, he argues that schools are middle class institutions (teaching middle class culture) therefore working class feel devalued.
• The functionalist claim that education promotes universalistic standards, not all students are judged the same (e.g Afro carribeanne)
• Marxists argue that meritocracy is a myth

Question 3

Do the new right perspective agree with functionalist view on education

Answer 3

Partly, they agree that it’s meritocratic , however they believe that it’s failing because it’s controlled by the government.

Question 4

Evaluate the new right and perspective

Answer 4

• Marketisation has turned schools into exam factories, focusing only on getting the best average grades thus neglecting the wellbeing of its students .
• Marxists argue that parentocracy is a myth, only middle class parents have it because they have cultural capital.

Question 5

How does Marxism argue that education maintains capitalism

Answer 5

According to Bowles and Gintis, education maintains capitalism in 3 ways:

• Myth of meritocracy: Marxists argue that it’s a myth, education isn’t fair and students do NOT have an equal of achievement because it is based on class and not ability)
• Hidden curriculum: which refers to everything taught informally in order to transmit ruling class norms + values; the action taught prepare pupils for low paid, boring,status lacking jobs.
• The corresponding principle: education meets the needs of the capitalist workforce by mirroring it e.g students accepting hierarchies of power and doing subjects they do not like regardless

Question 6

Explain how marxism claims that education reproduces social class inequality

Answer 6

According to Bourdieu, middles class habitus aligns with school as it imposes its power over the eduction system; therefore gaining symbolic capital.

And thus implying that W/C are devalued (symbolic violence) leading to the believe that education is NOT for them.

Question 7

Explain how marxism claims that W/C pupils are brain washed

Answer 7

According to Althusser, education plays a paramount role in acting as an ideological state apparatus, where it keeps the poor poor; and the rich rich by convincing its pupils that education is fair (“if you work hard then you will get good grades”)

Question 8

Outline 3 ways in which feminists claim that education reproduces patriarchal ideology

Answer 8

• Men heavily dominate STEM subjects such as physics, due to girls being discouraged because they don’t have a boy brain
• School leadership is male dominated, majority of head teachers are male while most teachers are female (men are in charge
• Male gaze