Education: the role and functions Flashcards
What is Durkheims perspective on education?
Durkheim believes that every institution in society has an important function. He believes that the education system is key for transferring norms and values in society, which will cause society to operate more smoothly and creating a sense of togetherness.
What are the 2 functions that education provides according to Durkhiem?
Secondary socialisation
Specialist skills
Secondary socialisation
After the family has provided primary socialisation on how to act in society, the education system, and other institutions will then act in maintaining those norms and values in society which can provide guidelines on how you should behave, and if those guidelines are broken, then breaking those values can be punishable.
Examples of norms and values taught in school
creating social solidarity - group work, secondary school sports day (team work)
work hard and achieve your full potential - using frees wisely, doing homework.
Specialist skills
Durkheim believes that the education system provides us with skills that are necessary to use in the workplace. these can be both general skills or specific skills needed for specific roles in society.
Examples of basic skills and specialist skills for jobs
basic skills:
communication, punctuality, respect
Specialist skills:
to be a scientist youll need: biology, chem, physics
baker: maths skills/conversions, dietary requirements - food tech
Davis and moore
what do they talk about and expand and add a couple of examples.
Role allocation - They believe that the education system is important in the selection of future roles/jobs. through testing, schools can evaluate your abilities and thus match you to the jobs role that they believe suits you best. The education system sifts and sorts and grades individuals in terms of talent and ability. For example, if you achieved high grades you are sifted and sorted to have a high status job e.g. a doctor whereas if you have bad grades, you are deemed to have a low status job e.g. bin collector.
Blau and Duncan
Example?
They state that role allocation provides human capital, which refers to the economic value on the knowledge, skills, attributes etc of a person. These factors allow people to work and produce some economic value. For example, when applying for a job and the job specification states you’ll earn between £35,000 - £40,000 human capital is being taken into consideration, if you have a higher amount of knowledge and skills than another person being interviewed you may earn more than £35,000.
can use for development.
Parsons
He argues that school is the main point where particularistic values become universalistic and ascribed status develops into an achieved status on the basis of meritocracy
Partciularistic values
treated based on who you are. e.g. are home, the older you are, the longer you can stay out.
universalistic values
treated equally, the same rules apply to everyone
e.g. at school everyone has to wear a uniform
Ascribed status
position we are given at birth e.g. royal
Achieved status
a position you obtain through working hard e.g. promotion to become a manager.
Meritocracy
Jobs given based on individuals talents and achievement rather than social status.
Evaluation for secondary socialisation
Students dont always accept norms and values. Not everyone follows what they are being taught.
