Theories Flashcards
1
Q
Functionalism
- Secondary Socialisation
A
- Learn norms and values beyond the family.
- norms: queuing up for dinner and being quiet in the library.
- values: competition e.g. sports day, working hard and respect.
2
Q
Functionalism
- Social Solidarity
A
- Students feel a part of society.
- Education helps to make sure that students are integrated fully into society, creating a value consensus.
e.g. American students pledge allegiance to their country.
3
Q
Functionalism
- Focal Socialising Agency
A
- School acts as a bridge between the family and wider society.
- family: particularistic standards
- wider society: universalistic standards
- Wider society is meritocratic, earn status through achievement.
e.g. qualifications.
4
Q
Functionalism
- Specialist Skills
A
- School teaches students specialist skills for work.
- Schools provide qualifications which become more specialist e.g. GCSEs, A-Levels
- Good for the economy.
- Also vocational work e.g. hairdressing.
5
Q
Functionalism
- Role Allocation
A
- Education prepares children to fit into the economy.
- School sorts students into different jobs based on assessments.
- Role allocation makes sure that the most talented and qualified individuals are allocated fairly.
6
Q
New Right
A
The education system is failing because it is controlled by the state; it would improve if the schools were run like businesses and parents should have a choice in the school they send their children to.
- Marketisation. Creates competition.
- Want to encourage parentocracy.
- Support privatisation. education being controlled by private companies. e.g. exam boards.
7
Q
Marxism
- Myth of Meritocracy
A
- Students don’t have an equal chance of success.
- Achievement is determined by a students class, not their efforts.
- W/C are more likely to fail because they are disadvantaged. Lack Cultural Capital.
- Schools make students think it’s meritocratic.
- Capitalism isn’t challenged because they think how they are treated is fair. Reproduces social class inequalities.
8
Q
Marxism
- Hidden Curriculum
A
- Things informally taught.
- Taught things such as making friends.
- Bowles and Gintis argue that it sends a powerful message about what is expected of them.
- Reproduces capialism.
Three examples of the hidden curriculum:
- being obedient
- accepting authority
- accepting values
9
Q
Marxism
- Correspondence Principle
A
- School mirrors the work place.
- B+G argue that school prepares us for future roles at work.
W/C= prepare for low paid, low status jobs.
M/C= encouraged into being owners of means of production in high paid, high status jobs.
SCHOOL→WORK
respect teacher authority→respect boss authority
school uniform→work uniform
hard work is rewarded through awards and grades→employees get rewarded through promotions
timetable→contracts
10
Q
Marxism
- Bourdieu
A
- Social class has a habitus. it’s own set of ideas and cultural framework
- M/C has the power to impose their habitus on the education system. They have an advantage.
- ‘Symbolic Capital’ is m/c gaining status and recognition from the school.
- W/C habitus is inferior, they are subject to ‘symbolic violence’.
- Keeps w/c in their place and they don’t go to uni; get low paid, low status jobs.
11
Q
Marxism
- Althusser
A
- Education is part of the ideological state apparatus.
- Schools persuade students to accept Capitalist values and beliefs such as being rewarded for hard work and obeying authority.
- W/C are in a state of false class consciousness.
- W/C fail because of their of their social background.
- W/C face material deprivation.
12
Q
Marxism
- Willis ‘the lads’
A
- Students are not simply brainwashed into being obedient workers. Some rebel.
- He studied 12 w/c boys who formed an anti-school subculture.
- Rejected school and didn’t work hard to achieve.
- They ended up in low paid, low status, unskilled jobs because they failed their exams.
- Even though they rejected school, they still ended up being exploited in their jobs by the m/c.
13
Q
Feminism
A
- Schools are patriarchal.
- Girls experience institutionalised sexism in school.
- Girls face the male gaze. male teachers and students look girls up and down, making judgments about their appearance.
- Girls feel pressure to conform to what they think is expected of them.
- Girls can be laughed at or bullied if they don’t conform to gender stereotypes.
14
Q
Feminism
- Archer ‘sexy nike’
A
- Studied w/c girls in year 10+11 in London.
- Girls’ main priority was to look good.
- Gain respect and status from their mates by dressing in a ‘sexy Nike’ appearance.
- They feared being labelled as ‘tramps’ if they didn’t.
- Girls would get into trouble on a daily basis for breaking school rules.
- This behaviour is a result of the male gaze, maintaining patriarchy.
15
Q
Feminism
- Gendered Subject Choice
A
- Girls choose traditionally female subjects (e.g. literature, art, health and social care).
- They avoid subjects that are considered to be male (e.g. physics, engineering).
- This is largely due to gender socialisation at home.
- Subject choices are also influenced by gender domains.
- Peer pressure is also a reason.
- Students face negative informal sanctions for behaviour judged to be different from what is seen as normal for boys and girls.
Girls labelled ‘butch’ for playing rugby.
Boys labelled gay for doing ‘drama’.
