Topic 5-The Role Of Education In Society(unfinished)

Question 1

Functionalism

Answer 1

Based on the belief that society is a system of interdependent parts which are held together by society’s shared culture or consensus.

Question 2

Consensus

Answer 2

An agreement between societys members that values are important in order to avoid conflict

Question 3

Durkheim

Answer 3

Identified social solidarity and specialist skills he did this by emphasising 2 main function that education has.

Question 4

Social Solidarity

Answer 4

society members should feel themselves being members of one body or a community or elsewhere without social solidarity society will not be able to cooperate and have a social life because everyone would try to persuade their own selfish desires.

Question 5

Specialist Skills

Answer 5

In order for social solidarity to occur each individual member should be able to have the necessary skills and knowledge that their jobs requires them.Education tends to teach that in order individuals to play a big part in the social divison of labour.

Question 6

Parson

Answer 6

Meritocracy-school is the socialising agency in modern society.
School acts as a bridge between family and the wider society and is needed cause these 2 operate on different principles.
School and society prepare us to move away from family because these are both based on meritocratic principles

Question 7

Family-Parson

Answer 7

A child is judged by particularistic standards(rules that are applied only to one particular child) and that the child status is ascribed(fixed the birth)=different genders have different roles

Question 8

School and Wider Society-Parson

Answer 8

Judges individuals by universalistic and impersonal standards(laws and all students judged by the same exam)
A person status is achieved through their aptitudes and abilities rather then ascribed(work-promotion/scaked based on ability,school merits/pass gails exams.

Question 9

NOTES

Answer 9

After primary socialization in the family,the school takes over as a focal socializing agency and provides a BRIDGE between family and society as a whole.
WITHIN THE FAM
-child is judged by particularistic standards(rules applied only to that particular child)
-child status is ascribed(given at birth)
IN WIDER SOCIETY
-treated and judged by universalistic standards(same laws apply to everyone)
-Parson status is achieved(not ascribed)
-based on meritocratic principles(status is achieved on the basis of merit/worth)

Question 10

Parson

Answer 10

Schools prepare us to move from family to wider society cause school and society are based on meritocratic principles.
=everyone has been given equal opportunities + individuals own abilities and efforts

Question 11

Davis and Moore-role allocation

Answer 11

-schools also perform role allocation=the process of selecting and allocating pupils to their future work roles in order to asses their abilities and aptitudes(natural ability to do sm)-schools match them to the jobs they are best suited to.
-argue inequality is important so that the most important role in society are filled by the most talented people

Question 12

Duncan and Blau=human capital(workers skills)

Answer 12

argue modern economy depends for prosperity(conditions of being successful/thriving especially in economic well being)
-meritocratic education system does this best it enables each person to be allocated to the job best suited to their abilities=maximize their productivity & makes most effected use of their talents

Question 13

EVALUATION-Duncan and Blau

Answer 13

-Education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of minority(ruling class)-Marxist
-Education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work=Neoliberals & New right
-Equal opportunities dont exist-achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than ability
-Not everyone is equally talented so society has to offer higher reward for these important jobs therefore it encourages everyone to compete for them and society can select the most talented -EDUCATION is important as it acts as a key ground to identifying these aptitudes and abilitys

Question 14

Neoliberalism

Answer 14

An economic doctrine has had a major influence on education policy
-argue state should NOT provide services such as education health and welfare & its based on the idea that the state should NOT dictate individuals how to dispose their own property & not try to regulate a FM
-it claims schools should become more like businesses, empowering pupils and parents as + using comp between schools to drive up standards this brings value to education

Question 15

New Right

Answer 15

-Conservative political view that incorporates neoliberal economic ideas.
-BELIEF: state cannot meet the needs of people and that they are best left to meet their own needs in the FM-favour marketisation of education

Question 16

SIMILARITIES between the New right and functionalist views

Answer 16

Believe that some people are naturally more talented than others
-Both favour meritocratic principles of open competition+one that serves the needs of economy BY preparing young people to work
-Believe education should socialise pupils into shared values(ie-comp/national identity)

Question 17

DIFFERENCE between the New right and functionalist views

Answer 17

-NR believe that the current education system is not achieving these goals-failure is due to it being run by the state.
-argue the state takes a ‘ONE SIZE FITS ALL’ approach by discarding local needs and imposing uniformity(same,equal)
-local consumers who use,the school have no say therefore state education systems are unresponsive and inefficient=schools that waste money/get poor results are not answerable to their consumers=means lower standards of acheivement for pupils,less qualified workforce,less prosperous(fluroshing) economy.

Question 18

SOLUTION:marketisation of education-creating and education market

Answer 18

believe competition between schools and empowering consumers will bring greater diversity,choice + efficiency to schools + increase school ability to meet needs of pupils,parents,employees

Question 19

Chubb and Moe:consumer choice

Answer 19

-argue that state-run education in USA has failed because:
-Failed to meet needs of disadvantages groups + not created equal oppportunity
-inefficient cause it fails to produce pupils with skills needed by the economy.
-Private schools deliver higher quality education bc unlike the state schools-they are answerable to paying consumers(the parents)

Question 20

Chubb and Moe-feel not enough is being done to develop the marketisation of schools.

Answer 20

-State run schools dont create equal opportunity for students and fail to produce pupils who will meet the needs of the economy.
-They compared 60,000 low income pupils from private and state schools and found that students from private schools do 5% better than those from state schools

Question 21

Chubb And Moe=they proposed a system in which each family would be given a voucher to spend on buying education from a school of their choice

Answer 21

This would force schools to become more responsive to parents wishes,SINCE the vouchers would be the schools would have to compete to attract customers by improving their product.
-this principle is already at private sectors-they want to introduce the same market forces into the state sector

Question 22

The roles for the state:NR stress the importance of market forces in education doesnt mean they see no role of the state

Answer 22

-State ensures that schools transmit shared values/culture-by imposing the national curriculum-seek to socialise pupils into a single culture heritage
-Imposes a framework to schools which they compete within-league tables of exam results+ofsted reports give parents information,allowing them to make a more informed choice between schools.

Question 23

New right education should affirm the national identity

Answer 23

e.g-the curriculum should emphasise Britain’s positive role in world history and teach British literature _schools should be a Christian act of worship-Christianity is Britains main religion-NR opposes multicultural education

Question 24

Evaluation of the NR perspective:

Answer 24

-Marxists-education doesnt impose a shared nationla culture BUT culture of a dominant minority RC + devalues the culture of WC +ethnic minority
-Real cause of low educational standards is not state control BUT social inequality + inadequate funding of state schools
Gewirtz+ Ball argue that competition between schools benefits the MC who can use the cultural + economic capital to gain access to desirable schools

Question 25

A03-schools may spend more money on marketing the school rather than investing for new resources

Answer 25

-Full marketisation means that schools are more focus on league tables rather then pupils needs
-MC schools in MC areas get higher funding-dont face SAME problems that WC schools do -NR approach fails to tackle this
-Selection by schools(sink schools get the latest able):in open market schools select students in attempt to cream off guaranteed bad results

Question 26

NL+NR Theory=market system are driven by individuals making decisions about what to buy/consume

Answer 26

-SInce consumers have choice-providers/producers have to respond to those consumers IF NOT=consumers go elsewhere producers go out out of business
IMPACT OF EDUCATION:needs to run like a business,meaning each business schools compete with each other-done via marketisation-market themselves-give greater control to consumers-parents given a choice where to send their children schools need to attract as many parents as possible to receive funding=funding formula

Question 27

THE MARXIST PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATION:Marx-capitalism in 2 class system

Answer 27

The capitalism class/bourgeoisie-own the means of production(land).Make their profits by exploiting
-The WC =forced to sell their labour power to the capitalist -they have no means of production=no source of income
-this creates class conflict(ie)Realise they are being exploited demand higher wages etc

Question 28

Althusser:the ideological state apparatus

Answer 28

Marxist see the state as the reason why RC still maintain a dominant position

Question 29

Hoe school ideology control us?

Answer 29

-Trsnsmit ideology=meritocracy,mc values+norms
-prepare us for our future qualification’s WC decrease

Question 30

RC:Ideological state(ISA)&Repressive state apparatus(RSA)

Answer 30

ISA-maintain RC rules by controlling peoples ideas(values)beliefs-religion,education
RSA-maintain the rules of RC by force/threat-law,police,court
PERFORMS 2 FUNCTIONS
1.)Legitimase inequality-producing ideologies which justify inequality and hide the cause
2.)To reproduce inequality-transmit class-inequality from gen to gen

Question 31

Legitimase inequality-

Answer 31

persuade workers to accept inequality as inevitable + that they deserve this subordinate position in society-if they accept these ideas=to less likely challenging capitalism(those who fail to deserve this)

Question 32

Marx+Bowles and Gints regard work in capitalist + society as both exploitative and alienating-ii wants hardworking,obedient,motivated workforce

Answer 32

Capitalist society based on inequality
Bowles+Gints view suggest that education(system) prevents any rebelling-it does this by producing ideologies that serve and justify why inequality is natural and inevitable