Theories on the role of education

Question 1

Functionalist theory on the role of education

Answer 1

Positive view on education
Argue it performs several functions through which it helps maintain social solidarity thus benefiting both individuals and society

Question 2

Durkeim

Answer 2

1. PROMOTES SOCIAL SOLIDARITY: (sharing of norms and values)
   
   • by transmitting society’s norms and values onto the next generation.

Schools are ‘society in miniature’ - prepare children for life in the wider world by teaching us to cooperate with others, follow instructions, punctuality.

2. PASSES ON SPECIALIST SKILLS:
   education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills needed by employers due to the complex division of labour.

CRITICISMS - (marxisits)
education system trnsmits r/c ideology

Question 3

Parsons

Answer 3

1. BRIDGES GAP BETWEEN FAMILY & WIDER SOCIETY:

• in the family, individuals are judged based on paticularistic standards and hold ascribed status.
• In the wider society, status is achieved. We’re judged on universalistic standards and we hold achieved status because society is meritocratic (rewards are based on effort + ability)

Through education, children get used to being judged on meritocratic and universalistic standards which prepares them for life in the wider world.

2. SECONDARY SOCIALISATION:

Education is the main socialising agency after the family, it passes on society’s norms and values to younger generations.

CRITICISMS - education system is not meritocratic, factors such as class, ethnicity and gender can affect achievement.
- students don’t always passively accept the values taught

Question 4

Davies and Moore

Answer 4

The most important roles in society should be filled by the most talented people.

• those filling the most important roles should be highly rewarded.
• this will create competition for the top jobs and ensure they go to the best people.

FUNCTIONS = sift & sort individuals to their future roles.
Through education, individuals show the level of their ability as the most able get the highest qualifications.

CRITICISM - NR claims that the state of education fails to prepare students for work because there is too much interference from the government.

Question 5

New right theory on the role of education

Answer 5

Negative view

The education system is failing to fulfil its purpose - prepare students for the world of work and carry out secondary socialisation - because it is run by the state.
- take a ‘ one size fits all’ approach ignoring the needs and wishes of the local consumers who use the school

The education system is inefficient - wastes resources. maintains low standards of education and creates a labour force that isn’t prepared for the word a work. All of these contribute to damaging the economy.

Question 6

How should education be run according to the new right?

Answer 6

• marketisation of education
• Chubb and Moe argue that opening the education system to market forces will create competition and give choice to consumers
• each family should be given vouchers with which they could pay for their children’s education. This would be the only source of income and would make schools responsive to parents wishes
• for schools to get more money, they would need to attract the most students - excellent results - increases competition, raise standards

Question 7

Criticisms of new right theory

Answer 7

competition and parental choice only benefits the m/c who can use their cultural and economic capital to get their children into the best schools

It’s not the state control of education that leads to low educational standards, it’s social inequality

• marxists argue - education passes on r/c ideology not shared values.

Question 8

Roles of education according to new right

Answer 8

Education system should:

• provide a framework within which schools compete against each other e.g ofsted
• ensure schools transmit shared values by imposing the national curriculum on all schools - integrates pupils in to the same set of values

Question 9

Marxist theory

Answer 9

Education is part of the superstructure - exists solely to serve the needs of capitalism to protect r/c power.

It does this by creating the r/c ideology in order to order to maintain false class consciousness.

Question 10

Althusser

Answer 10

Education system serves the interest of the r/c. This is because it is a part of the ISA - a part of the superstructure which control people’s ideas through family, education, religion & mass media.
education protects r/c power because it is a part of the ISA. If fulfils this function by:

• Reproduction of class inequalities - by failing each successive generation of the w/c so they can’t better themselves. (poor stay poor)
• legitimising class inequalities - by producing ideologies that design that truth so the w/c think the system is fair and just. e.g failed because of lack of revision.

CRITICISMS

1. over-emphasises the influence of class & ignores other factors which lead to social ineqaulity in education e.g class, ethnicity and gender.
2. Deterministic - assumes students passively follow the r/c ideology created by the education system when, in fact, students have free will and can see through it.

Question 11

Bowles and Gintis

Answer 11

ROLE – Produce obedient, unquestioning workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable.

It does this by:
1 .REPRODUCTION OF CLASS INEQUALITY through:
A) the correspondence principle - there are close links between school and work (schools mirror the workplace)
- both students are workers are alienated from their work
Therefore education prepares students for fordism.
Also, the education system rewards submissive, punctual and compliant students.

B) The hidden curriculum - things students learn through everyday life at school (to obey authority, be punctual)

2. LEGITIMISING CLASS INEQUALITIES - by producing ideas which justify the inequality.
   Education is a ‘myth making machine’. The biggest myth it creates is the myth of meritocracy. For Bowles and Gintis there is NO SUCH THING AS MERITOCRACY.
   - those who succeed do so due to their m/c background

Question 12

Criticisms of B&G

Answer 12

Deterministic - assume that students passively accept the r/c ideology

not all subjects indoctrinate students - e.g sociology opens their minds to social inequality

Feminists - ignores other social inequalities e.g gender.

Question 13

Feminists

Answer 13

Role of education = maintain patriarchy and gender inequality for the benefit of men at the disadvantage of women.

Does this through:
- textbooks [gendered language, more male examples, men and women portrayed in trad roles]
- curriculum [women missing from the content]
- subject choice
Kelly - girls tend to choose ‘feminine subjects
- teacher/student interactions
Stanworth: gendered attitudes. saw boys as more accsdemically able than girls]
Spender:
+C: ignore the improvements made to E.S since 1960s
e.g. remiving sexist images from books