Topic 5 - The role of education in society

Question 1

MARXIST THEORY

Answer 1

Marxists are critical of the capitalist system and the inequality it produces.
Contrast to functionalists – a conflict view.
Society and education based on class division and exploitation

Question 2

Althusser argues that the working class are controlled by the ruling class through 2 types of ‘apparatus’:

Answer 2

Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs)

and

Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs):

Question 3

Repressive State Apparatuses (RSAs):

Answer 3

Physical control through institutions such as the police, justice system & the military.

Question 4

Ideological State Apparatuses (ISAs):

Answer 4

Control over people’s ideas, beliefs and values (no physical force is used). These apparatuses pass on the ruling class’s dominant ideology. This is done through institutions such as the family, religion & education.

Question 5

ATHUSSER: THE IDEOLOGICAL STATE APPARATUS

Answer 5

Althusser believes that education has replaced religion as the most important ISA.

The education system passes on ruling-class ideology & teaches basic skills needed to perform in capitalist society.

The W/C are essentially forced to fail & end up taking up low status, low paid, alienating work roles.

The R/C ‘go to the top of the pile’ & go on to university where they are trained to fill their R/C roles.

All of this means that social class inequalities are reproduced.

Ideology (sets of beliefs and ideas) is used to justify inequalities .

Workers accept their place and believe they deserve their position.

Meritocracy is a myth that has to be constantly reinforced so that inequalities are legitimised.

Question 6

BOWLES & GINTIS:
SCHOOLING IN CAPITALIST AMERICA

Answer 6

Bowles & Gintis researched schools in the USA & concluded that education rewards those who will be submissive and compliant workers, e.g. rewards for punctuality.
Education limits student development rather than encouraging it.

Question 7

THE CORRESPONDENCE PRINCIPLE AND THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM
(BOWLES & GINTIS)

Answer 7

The relationships and structures in education mirror those in work.
This operates through a hidden curriculum – not subjects but ideas, e.g. competition and hierarchy.
School prepares working-class pupils for work.

Question 8

Bowles & Gintis believe that the R/C are able to manipulate the W/C through the hidden curriculum.

This consists of things that pupils learn informally for their experience of going to school on a daily basis. The hidden curriculum teaches the W/C the values needed within employment:

Answer 8

subservience

motivation

acceptance of hierarchy

fragmentation of knowledge

legitimisation of inequality

Question 9

THE MYTH OF MERITOCRACY:
THE LEGITIMATION OF CLASS INEQUALITY

Answer 9

Danger for capitalism if the poor recognise the inequality of the system, as they may rebel.

The system must prevent rebellion.

Education is a ‘myth making machine’ designed to justify inequality by promoting the idea that failure is due to lack of hard work rather than injustices & inequalities of capitalist society.

The myth involves beliefs that:

Education is the path to success in work.

Those at the top deserve to be there as they have worked the hardest.

Likewise, those at the bottom are to blame themselves.

Question 10

CRITICISMS OF BOWLES & GINTIS

Answer 10

They ignore other factors such as gender & ethnicity.

Not every student passively accepts the rules, regulations and ideology that the education system passes on. This can be seen in the work of Willis (1970).

Question 11

PAUL WILLIS:
‘LEARNING TO LABOUR’

Answer 11

Willis conducted a study of 12 W/C ‘lads’ in their final year of school using unstructured interviews & observations (link to Methods).

He found that the lads had a counter school culture which directly opposed the values of the education system (& capitalism).

They rejected values of subservience, motivation & acceptance of hierarchy.
The lads actively chose to fail so that they could land their ‘dream jobs’ of manual labour.

Ironically, not accepting the system (through their counter-culture) meant the ‘lads’ ended up doing the unskilled labour that capitalism needed.

Question 12

CRITICISMS OF WILLIS

Answer 12

Small sample (unrepresentative / cannot generalise findings)

The lads could have exaggerated / lied.

Willis ignores ‘conformist culture’ within education & only focuses on one small subculture

Feminists argue that Willis ignores females in his study & suggest that his work tells us more about masculinities rather than social class

Question 13

EVALUATION OF MARXIST APPROACHES

Answer 13

Postmodernists say we now live in a different type of society – education reproduces diversity, not inequality.

Marxists disagree with one another on whether pupils are indoctrinated or have free will.
Ignores other forms of inequality – gender, ethnicity and sexuality.

Question 14

Marxists argue that:

Answer 14

Education maintains and perpetuates the capitalist system by making sure there are lots of willing and docile workers and a small ruling class

Education brainwashes children into accepting their position in society

Education encourages the correct values and beliefs to uphold capitalism

Question 15

The New Right suggest there are two main problems with state education in the UK

Answer 15

1) Britain has a declining and inefficient economy with too many working class people dependent on welfare benefits from the Government

2) Education is failing to raise standards among some students and to provide jobs

Question 16

New Right perspective on education

Answer 16

Education should provide social solidity to promote national identity and a stable society

Education is integral to the economy and training future workforces

Role allocation is necessary, and a meritocratic system ensures students are allocated into most suitable jobs

Question 17

What are the problems of education according to the New Right

Answer 17

The state control of education has led the UK to become a inefficient economy. This is due to state control crushing people’s initiative and stifling enterprise.

The welfare system, has led to a culture welfare dependency rather than looking for work.

State control means high government spending on education and benefits which is a drain on a country’s resources and results in high taxes and less money to invest in industry.

Question 18

Chubb and Moe (1988)

Answer 18

argue state education imposes one type of school which does not consider different abilities and needs

They further argue education does not match needs of global economy resulting in loss of talent and opportunity

Question 19

how would marketistation Improve the economic growth of the country.

Answer 19

An ‘education market’ will raise standards, which will give pupils better life opportunities as well as improve the economic efficiency and growth of the country. Furthermore, rising standards are essential in a global economy, where workers lacking high-level skills will lose their jobs to more highly-skilled workers from other countries.

Improve society. Raising standards means higher educational qualifications for those at the bottom (the working class), which in turn means better employment prospects, which will give working-class people a chance to escape from dependency on the welfare system

Question 19

What does the New Right Propose to do?

Answer 19

New Right propose incorporating marketisation into the education system

Parents are consumers of education and have the right to choose the school they feel is best for their child

This means schools compete (like a business) to attract customers (parents/students)

By competing for each pupil, school would need to continually improve their service to attract customers

By instilling competition in education standard would rise in the UK (similar to private schools)

Question 20

How would marketisation in education improve society

Answer 20

Improve society. Raising standards means higher educational qualifications for those at the bottom (the working class), which in turn means better employment prospects, which will give working-class people a chance to escape from dependency on the welfare system.

Question 21

What would the states’ role be?

Answer 21

The state should create the framework for competition between schools (e.g. league tables and a national curriculum) which would provide parents with the information required for them to make choices.

The state also needs to ensure that the school transmits society’s shared culture through a curriculum that emphasises a shared national identity (e.g., assemblies & lessons).

Question 22

functionalists beliefs about education

Answer 22

Functionalist argue that education, as an institution, acts as a secondary form of socialisation, where young people are allocated roles within society depending on their ability in a variety of different ways.

Question 23

Davis and Moore role allocation (functionalists)

Answer 23

some individuals have greater talents

different social positions require different talents

the most able need to fill the more demanding roles

schools identify the most able and ensure that they are trained for demanding tasks

Question 24

the hidden curriculum

Answer 24

an important form of socialisation that affects class, gender and ethnicity. It refers to the many different ways that students pick up messages about class, gender and other expectations e.g. who possesses authority. This is done in a variety of ways. E.g. when teachers ask pupils to stand up when they enter a class room. Such actions enforce the idea of respect for authority even if.

Question 25

functionalist - Education an fulfils economic by:

Answer 25

integrating young people into their roles as workers. Giving qualifications and merits are rewards hard work in the same way that wages are a reward for the labour process

meeting economic needs by producing a literate, hardworking work force
allocating roles for people based on ability.

In a meritocratic society, education ensures that the most suitably qualified people get the best jobs.

Question 26

functionalist - education has a socialising function by

Answer 26

integrating young people into their roles as loyal citizens, through some lessons e.g. citizenship and through the hidden curriculum

promoting a sense of national identity e.g. through history

transmitting values from one generation to the next

Question 27

Suggest three functions that education may perform for individuals and/or society

Answer 27

Sifts and sorts those most able into the most important jobs
Creates an obedient and passive workforce willing to work boring tasks and follow workplace rules.
Bridges the gap between family values and societal values

Question 28

Parsons meritocracy

Answer 28

Therefore, individuals that work hard will be rewarded in society, whilst those who do not will not be rewarded. Instead of people holding positions in society based on what their parents did and being born into a high or low status (ascribed status) people, through their efforts and their abilities, attain achieved status.

Education sifts and sorts people into their appropriate jobs.

Question 29

Evaluating Parsons on education

Answer 29

marxists - They argue that the proletariat are persuaded to believe that the rich and powerful reached their positions through their hard work and natural ability rather than because of their privileged birth because this then leads them to accept inequality as fair. They argue instead that class inequalities are reproduced in the next generation and that the education system plays a key role in this. As such they argue that the myth of meritocracy plays an important part in developing a false class consciousness.

Question 30

Emile Durkheim (1903)
2 main functions of eduaction

Answer 30

social solidarity
specialists skills

Question 31

social solidarity

Answer 31

individuals must feel like they are part of one body

the teaching of a country’s history in school instils in children a sense of shared
heritage and commitment to a wider social group

school mirrors the workplace as we have to to cooperate with people who are neither family nor friends according to a set of impersonal rules that apply to everyone

Question 32

specialist skills

Answer 32

education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play their part in the social division of labour

Question 33

There are four positive functions that education performs
(functionalism)

Answer 33

Creating social solidarity (value consensus)

Teaching skills necessary for work

Bridge between home and school

Role Allocation and meritocracy