Theories Of Education

Question 1

What are the 4 theories of education?

Answer 1

Functionalism
Marxism
Interactionism
New Right

Question 2

What do functionalists believe?

Answer 2

Society is like a human body
Different social institutions work together to maintain the health of the whole
Education makes society better

Question 3

Who are functionalists?

Answer 3

Durkhiem
Parsons
Merton
Davis and Moore

Question 4

What does Durkhiem believe?

Answer 4

Schools are a society in miniature that pass on norms and values needed for adult life
Give knowledge and skills for different jobs

Question 5

What does Parsons believe?

Answer 5

Education has 2 jobs

Question 6

What 2 things does Parsons believe education does?

Answer 6

Education is a bridge between particularistic values at home and universalistic values of higher society

Schools pass on 2 key values

Question 7

What are particularistic values at home?

Answer 7

Rules and values that give a priority to personal relationships

Question 8

What are universalistic values of higher society?

Answer 8

Rules and values that apply equally to all members of society, regardless of who they are

Question 9

What 2 key values does Parsons believe education passes on?

Answer 9

Value of achievement

Value of meritocracy (equal chance)

Question 10

What does Merton believe?

Answer 10

2 functions of education called Manifest function and Latent function

Question 11

What is a manifest function?

Answer 11

The first function of education which is the obvious function eg: teacher a curriculum

Question 12

What is the latent function?

Answer 12

The second function of education which is the hidden function eg: punctuality, respect for authority which help with later life

Question 13

What does Davis and Moore believe?

Answer 13

Social Stratification

Role of schools is to sift and sort people into the right jobs

Question 14

What do Marxists believe?

Answer 14

Education legitimises inequality through ideology

Question 15

Who are Marxists?

Answer 15

Althussers
Bowles and Gintis
Willis

Question 16

What does Althussers believe?

Answer 16

Education acts as an ideological state apparatus
Education tells students what the Bourgeosis want them to know so they do not challenge authority
Schools pass on false class consciousness to the Proletariat so they don't know they are being exploited

Question 17

Who are the Proletariat?

Answer 17

Working class who are exploited by the Bourgeoisie

Question 18

Who are the Bourgeoisie?

Answer 18

Rich people who exploit the working class

Question 19

What study does Willis produce?

Answer 19

Study of the Lads who did not accept fcc
Non-participant observation on 12 working class boys who created a anti-school subculture as they saw no value in education
Resisted school
Caused poor educational achievement 
Low paid jobs 
Exploited massively

Question 20

What does Bowles and Gitis believe?

Answer 20

Correspondence principle

Everything happens in school as preparation in the world of work

Question 21

According to Bowles and Gintis how are students prepared for the world of work?

Answer 21

Schools pass on the hidden curriculum which is a set of social norms and values

Schools pass the myth of meritocracy eg: wc blamed for their poor results but its due to their social class

Jug and Mug

Question 22

What is the Jug and Mug theory?

Answer 22

Teachers pour information into students encouraging perversity ensuring the proletariat do not rebel

Question 23

What do ineractionists believe?

Answer 23

Students are labelled by teachers which is what they become

Question 24

Who are Interactionists?

Answer 24

Becker
Hargreeves 
Rosenthal and Jacobson 
Lacey
Cicourel and Kituse
Willis

Question 25

What does Becker believe?

Answer 25

Middle class students are seen as the ideal students

Question 26

What does Hargreeves believe?

Answer 26

There is a 3 step process for labels to become fixed

Question 27

What are the 3 steps for labels to become fixed according to Hargreeves?

Answer 27

Speculation - Assuming/guessing a label
Elaboration - Finding evidence
Stabilisation - Label becomes fixed and stays

Question 28

What does Lacey believe?

Answer 28

Labels impact students in 2 ways

Differentiated and Polarisation

Question 29

What is differentiated according to Lacey?

Answer 29

Students put into different groups within school eg: sets

Question 30

What is polarisation according to Lacey?

Answer 30

Top sets develop an pro-school culture

Bottom sets develop an anti-school culture

Question 31

What do Rosenthal and Jacobson believe?

Answer 31

Labels eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 32

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 32

People acting in response to predictions of their behaviour, thereby making the prediction come true

Question 33

What research did Rosenthal and Jacobson try out?

Answer 33

Picked a random 25% of students and told the teachers they will do best
These students ended up doing better than the rest due to the teachers believing they were better

Question 34

What 4 reasons made the students do better in the Rosenthal and Jacobson study?

Answer 34

Climate - Teachers were nicer to the student
Feedback - Better feedback was given to these students
Response - Students had more opportnities to respond in class
Imput - Teachers taught more material to the better students

Question 35

What did Cicurel and Kituse research?

Answer 35

American guidance councillors 
Put working class students on more vocational courses to prepare for work
Put middle class students on more academic courses to prepare for higher education

Question 36

Who were the New Right inspired by?

Answer 36

Functionalists

Question 37

What do the New Right believe?

Answer 37

Power of individual choice
Like marketisation of education system - giving parents lots of choice (parentocracy)
Raises standards of schools as schools compete for students

Question 38

Who supported the New Right?

Answer 38

Chubb and Moe

Question 39

What did Chubb and Moore do?

Answer 39

Advocate voucher system of education
Parents could choose where to send their child
Stop capping (putting an upper limit of how many students can go to school)
All students should be given a place at school of choce