Topic 1 - Functionalism

Question 1

What is the functionalist view on education?

Answer 1

• Societies manage to stick together and work successfully without falling apart
• Shared values and beliefs help members society to work together
• Tends to focus on the positive contributions education makes to the maintenance of the social system
• Social solidarity
• 3 functions of education; socialism, skills provision and role allocation

Question 2

What is socialization?

Answer 2

• Education socializes young people into key cultural things like; achievement, competition, equality of opportunity, social solidarity, democracy, religion and morality

Question 3

What is Talcott Parsons views?

Answer 3

• Education is the bridge between family and the wider society-socializing children to adapt to meritocratic view of achievement
• Education helps to produce value consensus-in turns helps produce order and predictability in social life-sharing some basic goals

Question 4

What is skills provisions?

Answer 4

• Education teaches skills required by modern industrial society; literacy, numeracy, specific skills for particular occupations and more specialized occupations

Question 5

What is the human capital theory?

Answer 5

• Better education and more highly skilled people can create more wealth through their work

Question 6

What is role allocation?

Answer 6

• Education allocates people to most appropriate jobs for their talents

Question 7

What is Durkheim’s view?

Answer 7

• Major function of education is to transmit societies norms and values
• “Society can only survive if there exists among its members a sufficient degree of homogeneity
• Without social solidarity, social life would be impossible

Question 8

What is Durkheim’s view on education?

Answer 8

• Educations teaching of history provides a link between the individual and society , developing a sense of commitment to the social group
• Pupils learn to co-operate with those who are neither family or friends
• Discipline is beneficial to the rest of society, “it is respecting the school rules that the child learns to respect rules in general”
• Teaches individual skills necessary for their future
• Exams encourage competition, individual achievement and hard work

Question 9

What are the criticisms of the functionalist approach?

Answer 9

• Countries are now more multicultural and it is therefore debatable whether there is a single culture on which schools could base their curriculum
• Marxists argue that the values are transmitted by education are not society’s shared values, but rather those of the ruling class
• Education is not meritocratic, because schools discriminate against some groups and don’t give them an equal opportunity to achieve
• Hargreaves argues that schools place more value on competition, developing individuals and the economic importance of education and downplays the significance of sharing culture
• It is difficult to see the direct link between subjects taught at school and what is required by workers in their jobs, education does not really equip people for occupations