Theories of Education Flashcards
Emile Durkheim
(Functionalism)
Argues:
- education is part of a system
- role allocation
- calls the loss of common values ‘anomie’
- this is the disappearance of norms and values that were previously common to society
Talcott Parsons
(Functionalism)
Parsons argues that school is a bridge between family and society. For example, your family waits for you if you’re running late; the school bus doesn’t. The law doesn’t bend to accommodate your mistakes, so school bridges that gap, meaning expectations are the same for everyone.
What is social solidarity?
(Durkheim)
This is making sure society agrees with the same norms and values. In schools, PSHE lessons and assemblies teach norms and values. However, the attitudes of parents and peers can lead to some rejecting norms and values.
How does schools provide a qualified workforce?
(Durkheim)
Individuals learn the skills and achieve the qualifications needed they need for employment through vocational subjects. They also learn transferrable skills, such as problem-solving and time-keeping, that can be applied to the workplace. However, some students opt for more academic courses, rather than vocational subjects.
What is meritocracy?
(Parsons)
This means that all students get an equal opportunity to succeed. For example, certain students are entitled to free school meals. This means that all children have at least one cooked meal a day, so can concentrate. Meritocracy is also evidenced in standardisation (everyone does the same tests/exams), and support (SEND/textbooks/laptops). However, in many schools this isn’t happening, and labelling still occurs.
How does the bridge between family and education help children?
(Parsons)
It guides children to be ready for the workplace, by teaching them how to write CVs and carrying out mock interviews and work experience. However, not all students are prepared to enter the workplace. This is because they lack Maths and English, so go on to have low-paid jobs, as they require no qualifications.
What does role allocation ensure?
(Davis and Moore)
This ensures that all children know what part they want to play in society, by offering careers advice and introductions to areas of interest. However, not all students know what they want to do once they leave school.
What are particularistic values?
Parents treat their child as their own, unique, special child, rather than judging them by universal standards that are applied to every individual.
What are universalistic values?
Universalism searches for what is systematic and tries to impose the rules, laws, and norms on all of it’s members so that things can run more efficiently.
Marxism
- believes society is based on economic values
- rich exploit poor
- poor deliberately treated badly to keep class system
- believe in time workers will resist and create a classless society, which governs itself without a structure
What is the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA)?
(Marxism)
The RSA relies on force, which is used by the police, courts or army to maintain ruling class power.
What is the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)?
(Marxism)
The ISA uses religion, media and education to influence citizens’ ideas, values and beliefs that maintaining ruling class power is right.
Althusser
(Marxism)
He argues that education is an essential ISA that either reproduces class inequality; or as legitimising class inequality by creating ideologies that disguises its true intention which was to persuade the WC to accept the inevitability of inequality.
Schooling in Capitalist America (1976)
(Bowles and Gintis)
B+G developed an idea that capitalism needs a workforce that has the attitudes, behaviours and personalities of willing to accept hard work, low pay and orders from the ruling class. They argued that education means to continually train obedient workers willing to accept inequality as inevitable. In their study, they found that schools reward submissive and compliant worker personality traits. As a result, education doesn’t foster personal development; it stunts it. Those who showed independence achieved lower grades, and those who showed obedience and discipline achieved higher grades.
Willis: Learning to Labour
Whilst B+G argue that school indoctrinates children, Willis argues that the ‘lads’ resist this by forming a counter-culture of intimidation, smoking, drinking and skiving. As a result, they are imitating the culture of male manual labour, which, ironically, prepares them for those jobs.
What are the similarities between Functionalism and New Right?
They both developed the functionalist ideas of social solidarity and the teaching of specialist skills.
What are the differences between Functionalism and New Right?
NR= parents should be given choice in their child’s education
Chubb and Moe= LEAs are insufficient; prefer free market approach
What is habitus?
(Bourdieu)
The effects on individuals of background and experiences which create your disposition/perspective/expectations, leading to opinions and actions.
What is field?
(Bourdieu)
A structures space with an internal culture, rules and power relations.
What is capital?
(Bourdieu)
Capital can be either value, social, economic or cultural, and people are judged and ranked based on how much capital they have. However, it is distributed unequally.
What do sociologists influenced by Bourdieu say?
The education system deliberately chooses middle class subjects, study materials to maintain and reinforce class boundaries.
What does Bourdieu believe?
There is nothing inherently better or worse about different class cultures.
