Theories of Education

Question 1

What did Durkheim believe was the function of education?

Answer 1

• Transmits shared culture in order for people to feel sense of social solidarity
• Teaches the skills needed to enter the labour market (specialised division of labour)
• Allows people to achieve higher status

Question 2

What did Parsons believe was the function of education?

Answer 2

• School acts as a bridge between the family and wider society
• Children learn the univeralistic and impersonal standards that apply to everyone
• Reinforces meritocracy and achieved status

Question 3

What did Davis & Moore believe was the function of education?

Answer 3

• Allocates future roles to people based on talent, skill and effort
• The most able gain the highest qualifications and the best jobs

Question 4

How is the New Right theory of education similar to Fuctionalism?

Answer 4

• Some people are naturally more talented than others, so education should be meritocratic and competitive, and prepare children for work
• Pupils should be socialised into shared values and have a sense of national identity

Question 5

How does the New Right perspective of education differ from funtionalism?

Answer 5

The system is failing because it is run by the state and therefore doesn’t cater to its customers. The creation of an education market would drive up standards as schools compete to attract the most students

Question 6

What do Chubb and Moe argue about the function of education in America?

Answer 6

Private schools perform better than state schools because they cater to consumers, marketisation of education is positive as schools must improve to appeal to parents

Question 7

What is marketisation of education?

Answer 7

Schools should compete for customers in order to raise standards, and testing regimes (OFSTED, SATs) are put in place to help governments monitor schools and create incentives to raise standards.

Question 8

What is privatisation of education?

Answer 8

Private companies within the education market compete with schools to provide educative services to raise standards and improve efficiency (eg: private tuition services)

Question 9

What is globalisation of education?

Answer 9

Education is seen as the key to success in the global market, so global companies (exam boards, providers of education resources) invest in education

Question 10

How does Gerwitz criticise New Right perspective of education?

Answer 10

Competition only benefits middle class parents who can use their economic and cultural capital to access the best schools for their children
- Skilled choosers have money, skills and motivation to make informed choices towards their child’s education, and can afford to move house or pay private education fees to do so (middle and upper class)
- Semi-skilled choosers have the same concern for their child’s education, but lack the resources that skilled choosers have
- Disconnected choosers are less concerned with a school’s academic reputation and more focused on their child’s happiness (mostly working class)

Question 12

What does Marx argue the purpose of education is?

Answer 12

Education is part of the infrastructure and therefore serves the needs of capitalism. Capitalism requires the reproduction of the labour force to survive, This requires knowledge and skills for an effective efficient workforce being passed on, and the transmission of ruling class ideology. The result of this is skilled, submissive, obedient workers

Question 13

What does Althusser argue the purpose of education is?

Answer 13

Capitalism is maintained by the ideological state apparatus, which encourages conformity by transmitting ruling class ideology, and repressive state appartus which forces conformity when the former fails. Education:
- Reproduces ruling class ideology justifying the capitalist system
- Socialises workers into accepting the dominant ideology (norms and values serving the interests of the ruling class)
- Creates an efficient labour force
- Legitimises inequality by promoting the pretense of inequality of opportunity and the myth of meritocracy, allowing the ruling class to maintain their wealth, power and privilege
- Reproduces labour power to create a passive, unquestioning, disciplined workforce

Question 14

What is a key point from Althusser regarding education

Answer 14

Education serves the needs of capitralism by passing on ruling class norms and values, therefore legitimising capitalism and creating a submissive workforce.

Question 15

What is Bowles & Gintis’ “Correspondance theory”?

Answer 15

There is a very close similarity between social relationships in the workplace and in school. Education prepares students for work in capitalist society through the Hidden Curriculum

Question 16

What did Bowles & Gintis find about the Hidden Curriculum through their study of 237 New York highschoolers? (5 points)

Answer 16

• Traits such as consistency and dependability were encouraged
• Traits such as creativity and individualism were discouraged
• Students are punished if they do not submit to authority
• Students gain little satisfaction from work, preparing them for an alienating capitalist system
• Students are taught the myth of meritocracy, causing them to believe that capitalism is fair and rewards hard work rather than privilege

Question 17

What did Paul Willis find in his study of 12 teenage boys in Wolverhampton: “Learning To Labour?” (5 points)

Answer 17

• In working class culture, manual labour is seen as masculine while school work is inferior and effeminate
• Boys create a counter-school subculture, feeling superior to teachers and academic students, failing to see any value of education
• They resented authority in both school and work, and were focused on having a laugh rather than achievment
• They were eager to leave school and gain masculine manual jobs on the factory floor
• The boys recognise the myth of meritocracy and their own ascribed status as working class, and thus condemn themselves to be exploited by capitalism and use counter-school and factory floor subculture to cope with alienation.

Question 18

How does Marilyn Howard describe the impacts of material deprivation on education?

Answer 18

Children from lower income households have lower energy and vitamin intake, causing more school absences and inability to concentrate. Additionally, children from low income households are more likely to have emotional and behavioural problems.

Question 19

What barriers to education due to material deprivation do Smith & Noble identify? (4 points)

Answer 19

• Insufficient funds for uniform, resources and trips
• Ill health caused by poor diet and housing
• Negative home environment
• Marketisation of schools creates inequality in more deprived areas

Question 20

What does the Department for Education data show regarding children on FSM (free school meals)?

Answer 20

25% of FSM pupils achieved 5s in GCSE english and maths compared to 52% of non-FSM students

Question 21

What did Callender and Jackson find about young people’s fear of debt?

Answer 21

Working class students are more fearful of debt than middle class students, and therefore 5 times less likely to apply for university

Question 22

What did Barry Sugarman argue were the 4 key barriers to educational success within working class subculture?

Answer 22

• Immediate gratification
• Present time orientation
• Fatalism
• Collectivism

Question 23

What do the New Right argue is the main cause for working class underachievement in education?

Answer 23

Working class children lack the norms, values, attitudes and behaviours necessary for academic success due to inferior primary socialisation and culture

Question 24

What did Douglas claim was the main reason for working class underachievement?

Answer 24

Lack of parental interest

Question 25

What did Bernstein argue was a leading cause for working class underachievement?

Answer 25

Working class children use restricted language codes while middle class children use elaborated language codes which are shared by the education system

Question 26

What does Bourdieu argue about the importance of cultural capital?

Answer 26

Middle class children posess the knowledge, attitudes, tastes and abilities required for success due to the way they are socialised. This allows them to obtain more educational and economic capital due to their pre-existing cultural capital

Question 27

What was Becker’s labelling theory?

Answer 27

Becker interviewed 60 Chicago highschool teachers and found that they judged students based on their perceptions of an ideal student. Factors of judgement included appearance, conduct, manner, language and work ethic

Question 28

What did Rosenthal & Jacobson find regarding teacher’s labelling students?

Answer 28

They carried out a field experiment where they gave children fake IQ tests and labelled a random 20% as “spurters”. After one year they found that these children had achieved higher than their peers due to increased expectations and attention from teachers due to this label.

Question 29

What is setting and streaming?

Answer 29

Streaming involves separating pupils into different ability groups of classes. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy as students live up to their teacher’s expectations.

Question 30

What did Gillborn find happened due to setting and streaming?

Answer 30

Teachers are less likely to see ability from black and working class students, so they are placed in lower streams. As a result, these students achieve less than their white and middle class peers.