Theories of education Marxist: lesson 13

Question 1

What are the Marxist views on education?

Answer 1

• protects middle class interests & reproduces class inequality
• socialisation into accepting hierarchy ( protects interest of capitalist employers)
• maintains false class consciousness among workers

Question 2

What does Althusser 1971 believe?

Answer 2

• bourgeoisie can’t rule through force alone so must use ideology
• ideological state apparatus: institutions which transmit bourgeoisie ideology e.g education
• representative state apparatus: institutions which use force to maintain social control e.g police

Question 3

What does Bordieu 1977 believe?

Answer 3

• habitus: culture or world view associated with particular social group
• no habitus is better but middle class have power to frame theirs as superior
• education works to promote middle class habitus
• middle class have cultural capital

Question 4

Explain what Bordieu believes about Cultural Capital

Answer 4

• it’s an asset like economic capital
• middle class children socialised to understand complicated ideas so develop these interests
• middle class children understand education system more
• schools transmit middle class culture; working class children stop trying

Question 5

What does Illech 1995 believe?

Answer 5

• schools are repressive institutions
• aim to ensure compliance, obedience & conformity
• achieved through hidden curriculum
• schools should be abolished & reconstructed in alternative way, promoting creativity

Question 6

What does Freire 1996 believe?

Answer 6

• schools repressive
• pupils defer to teachers superior knowledge
• disobeying = will not succeed
• form of social control

Question 7

What do Althusser, Illech and Freire agree?

Answer 7

Hegemony: process which dominant culture maintains and preserves dominant position