theories of education Flashcards
neoliberalism
a political philosophy that all areas of society should be run as if they were a business to make them more efficient
durkheim key concepts:
- a specialised division of labour
- specialised skills
- social solidarity
parsons key concepts:
- education acts as a bridge
- meritocractic principles
- particularistic (home) and universalistic standards (school) status
davis and moore key concepts:
- role allocation
- the need for inequality
- shifting and sorting
semi skilled choosers:
parents who have a high level of concern for their children’s education, but do not have the same abilities or resources as skilled choosers
disconnected choosers:
parents who are less concerned with the academic reputation of a school and are more concerned with their child’s happiness
skilled choosers:
parents who have the money, skills and motivation to make informed choices about the school they send their child to
marketisation
- according to neoliberalism, marketisation is the key to raising
standards in education - schools, colleges and universities should compete for customers in a free market
- this will incentivise them to raise standards so that they attract more ‘customers’
e.g. SATs and OFSTED are put in place to help governments monitor schools and raise standards.
privatisation:
- private sector participation in the education market
- this raises standards and improves efficiency
e.g. government employing private companies to provide catch up tuition to schools after COVID – rather than teachers.
globalisation:
- where global organisations are increasingly involved in disseminating
educational policy and education is seen as key to success in the global market. - global companies can be involved in education, for instance exam boards and
producers of educational resources like Pearson
1988 Education Reform Act:
- introduced formula funding, in which schools would be given funding based upon the number of student they have
the creation of OFTSED
governemnt organsation that inspected. monitered and graded schools and educational establishments, which were available for parents to read
academies and free schools
- state (government) funded schools independent from local authorities
- they typically have more autonomy over things like curriculum and term dates
standardised testing
government tests to ensure schools are reaching targets and age related expectations
league tables
a way of ranking schools based on criteria such as academic performance, student-teacher ratios, and a school’s facilities
idealogical state apparatus
institutions that encourage conformity on the working class by transmitting ruling class ideology, teaching us to accept capitalism as normal and fair
repressive state apparatus
institutions that force conformity on the working class to keep them in their place
-e.g. the police and the army
correspondece principle
- the theory that there is a very close similarity, between the social relationships at school and at work
- school prepares young people for work in capitalist society, teaching the majority to be passive unquestioning workers of the future.
false class consciousness
- a false picture of society which disguises the reality of the exploitation workers experience in capitalist system
- this stops them initiating revolution.
reproduction of labour power
where new generations of workers must be produced to create the profits on which capitalism depends
submission to authority
where students have to submit to teacher’s authority in school which prepares them for the workplace
external rewards
where students get little satisfaction from their work and are motivated by gaining grades this prepares them for dissatisfying work
alienation
where workers feel a sense of disconnection and dissatisfaction from their work.
legitimising inequality
where the education system provides an explanation or justifies inequality through the myth of meritocracy
