functionalist, new right and marxist perspective on education

Question 1

what functions does Durkheim say education performs?

Answer 1

-creating social solidarity
-teaching specialist skills

Question 2

what is social solidarity?

Answer 2

individual members feel apart of a community

Question 3

how does the education system create social solidarity?

Answer 3

-transmits society’s culture
-the teaching of a country’s history instils a sense of shared heritage

Question 4

how does school act as a ‘society in minature’?

Answer 4

-prepares us for life in wider society
-in school and work we have to cooperate with people we dont know

Question 5

what are specialist skills?

Answer 5

the skills needed for an individual to perform their role/job

Question 6

how does school teach specialist skills?

Answer 6

teaches individuals the skills they need for their part in the social division of labour

Question 7

what is the focal socialising agency and who came up with it?

Answer 7

-school acts as a bridge between family and society
-family and society work on different principles, children need to learn a new way of living
-Parsons

Question 8

what are particularistic standards?

Answer 8

norms and values that are specific to a particular group
-in the family

Question 9

what are universalistic standards?

Answer 9

norms and values that apply to everyone
-in society

Question 10

how is status different in families and work?

Answer 10

in the family status is ascribed(regarded), in work status is achieved

Question 11

how does Parsons link meritocracy to school?

Answer 11

-school prepares us to move from the family to wider society because they’re both based on meritocratic principles

Question 12

what is role allocation?

Answer 12

selecting and allocating pupils to their future work roles by assessing their aptitudes(natural ability) and abilities.

Question 13

who sees education as a device for role allocation?

Answer 13

Davis and Moore

Question 14

what does Davis and Moore argue?

Answer 14

-inequality is necessary to ensure that important roles in society are filled by talented people
-dangerous to have less able people performing roles like a surgeon

Question 15

how does education use role allocation?

Answer 15

used as a proving ground for ability, individuals are able to show what they can do

Question 16

evaluate the functionalist perspective.

Answer 16

-education system doesn’t teach specialised skills, people need more qualifications
-achievement is influenced by class background not ability
-how do we know jobs are important or better than others
-views people as puppets of society

Question 17

what is the New Right belief?

Answer 17

the state cant meet people’s needs

Question 18

what similarities are there between the New Right and functionalist views?

Answer 18

-believe some people are naturally more talented
-favour an education system ran on meritocratic principles of competition
-education should socialise pupils into shared values

Question 19

what do the New Right think about education?

Answer 19

-the reason for its failure, is because the state runs it
-takes a ‘one size fits all’ approach
-disregards locals needs

Question 20

what do the New Right think is the solution?

Answer 20

marketisation of education- competition between schools and empowering consumers will bring greater diversity

Question 21

what reasons does Chubb and Moe think state-run education in the US has failed?

Answer 21

-no equal opportunities, failing the needs of disadvantaged groups
-fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy

Question 22

what does Chubb and Moe base their arguments on?

Answer 22

-comparison of achievements of pupils from low-income families in both state and private high schools

Question 23

what does Chubb and Moe want to introduce?

Answer 23

-a market system in education that would allow the consumers to have control
-families would buy education from a school of their choice

Question 24

what roles does the state perform?

Answer 24

-imposes a framework on schools, where they have to compete e.g. league tables, ofsted reports
-ensure schools transmit a shared culture, national curriculum to socialise pupils into a single cultural heritage

Question 25

evaluate the new right perspective.

Answer 25

-competition benefits the middle class, they use cultural and economic capital for more desirable schools -real cause of low education is the social inequality and inadequate funding

Question 26

what does Althusser say are used to keep the bourgeoisie in power?

Answer 26

-the repressive state apparatus -the ideological state apparatus

Question 27

what is the repressive state apparatus?

Answer 27

maintain the rule of bourgeoisie by physical force or threat e.g. police, courts, army

Question 28

what is the ideological state apparatus?

Answer 28

maintain the rule of bourgeoisie by controlling people's ideas, values and beliefs e.g. religion, media, education system

Question 29

what does Althusser say education causes?

Answer 29

-reproduces class inequality by failing each successive generation of working-class pupils -legitimates class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause, persuade workers to accept inequality is inevitable, less likely to challenge capitalism

Question 30

what does Bowles and Gintis argue?

Answer 30

-capitalism requires a workforce, where people accept their role as alienated and exploited workers, willing to accept hard work, low pay and orders from above. -education produces an obedient workforce

Question 31

what did Bowles and Gintis find?

Answer 31

-did a study of high school students -found schools reward submissive, compliant traits -those who were independent and creative got low grades, whilst those who were obedient and punctual gained high grades

Question 32

what is the correspondence principle?

Answer 32

parallels between school and work in capitalist society. the relationships and structures in education correspond to those of work

Question 33

how does the correspondence principle operate?

Answer 33

through the hidden curriculum- all the lessons that are learnt in school without being directly taught e.g. competition and working for rewards

Question 34

what is meritocracy?

Answer 34

everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve, rewards are based on ability and effort

Question 35

what is the myth of meritocracy?

Answer 35

-justifies the privileges of the higher classes, making it seem as if they gained it through success/fair competition at school -persuades the working class to accept inequality as legitimate, so they are less likely to rebel

Question 36

what is the 'poor-are-dumb' theory?

Answer 36

Bowles and Gintis says the education system justifies poverty, blaming the individual rather than capitalism e.g. 'I'm poor because I wasn't clever enough/ didn't work hard enough'

Question 37

what does Willis find in his study?

Answer 37

working class pupils are able to resist attempts to indoctrinate them

Question 38

what did Willis study?

Answer 38

-the counter-culture of 'the lads', a group of working class boys making their transition from school to work

Question 39

what were 'the lads' values?

Answer 39

-find school boring and meaningless, smoke, drink, disrupt class -dont agree with schools' meritocratic ideology that working class pupils can achieve middle class jobs through hard work -identify strongly with male manual work

Question 40

what is the irony of the lads?

Answer 40

their counter-culture ensures their destiny for unskilled work that capitalism needs someone to perform

Question 41

evaluate the marxist perspective.

Answer 41

-'the lads' study romanticises them, portraying them as heroes despite their anti-social sexist attitudes, small scale so not representative -ignores other kinds of inequality -reproduce patriarchy as well as capitalism