Theories: Marxism And Education Flashcards
The reproduction of class inequality
Middle class parent use their material and cultural capital to ensure that their children get into the best schools and the top sets. This means that the wealthier pupils tend to get the best education and then go onto to get middle class jobs
The legitimation of class inequality
Marxists argue that in reality money determines how good an education you get, but people do not realise this because schools spread the ‘myth of meritocracy’.
Teaching the skills future capitalist employers need
Bowles and Ginitis suggested that there was a correspondence between values learnt at school and the way in which the workplace operates.
‘the correspondence principle’ is transmitted via the hidden curriculum which programmes students to uncritically accept failure, rules, hierarchy and inequality thus preparing them for the factory or office.
E.g students work for qualifications not satisfaction similarly to how workers work for wages, not satisfaction
Positive evaluations
The wealthiest 7% of families are able to buy their children a better education which in turn gives them a better chance of getting into the top universities
- a disproportionally high number of people are in elite jobs (medicine, law and journalism )
Negative - Paul Willis
Neo- Marxist studied a group of 12 working class boys during their last 18 months at school and their first few months at work and found that they rejected the hidden curriculum , chose to reject qualifications and saw school as success as they had redefined its aims as ‘having a laff’ with their mates
Ideological state apparatus
The education system justifies the capitalist system and selects people for the different social classes
What does illich say about school s
They are repressive institutions which promote conformity and encourage passive acceptance as students are not encouraged to be critical and think for themselves.
