functionalists perspective on education Flashcards
(8 cards)
what are the main functions of education according to Durkheim
- it provides secondary socialisation
- it allocates roles in society
- teaches you skill required for economy and society
functionalists see education as a agency of socilisation.. - it helps maintan social stability through developmemyt on social cohesion, value consesnus, scoial harmony
education is seen as peparing young people for adulthood and working life. giving them tey ebiity to be better and go though social mobility.
Emile Durkehims view on education.
- Specialist skills - hidden curriculum,
Diverse division of labour like diversity in wider world. Durkheim believes specialist skills help fulfil the rpelwvenment of a docile workforce for buissnesses. - Promoting social solidarity - history literature common identity. Sports communal gathering passes on shared heritage = modern day organic solidarity people form new bonds vs traditional bonds of society and also threatens it =
Durkheim - education promotes a sense of solidarity in order to promote moral education
Application- promotes social solidarity through change of curriculum in 2015 Michael Gove 2013 remover American history and non British authors to promote more common indentities in education
- compulsory teaching of British values - democracy - individual liberty, rule of law = promoting social solidarity
evaluattion of emile durkheims view of 1. Specialist skills 2. Social solidarity
hargreaves suggests that education encourages competition and and individualism rather tge social solidarity,. - they do this through setting people based on there ability
- Marxists - whose values are being based on? Our heritage? What was there values? Instead of believing we learn history and English literature to underand a common identity but it is for the dominant class we learn about. E.g. royals.
- ethnocentric curriculum - focuses on England to much doenst include teachings about India, Africa despite the diversity in England
- British values can include the marginalisation of some groups which imply a this is not social solidarity. Evident is the British values have cause a huge prronlme of the tolerance about disucisisnh other faiths in school for instance Islam or chiristianity. Can cause a panics that Christian faith is in threat especially I. Comparison to the increase in faiths like Islam since the 2000.
Talcott parsons view on education.
Parsons suggest education performs as secondary socialisation and he follows and adds on to what drukkheim believes.
Parsons believes secondary socialisation is a main function of education this is done rough the education system building a bringe between home and society allowing children to grow into wider society and get taught functions and process of society whilst they grow to add do society. Organic analogy- Durkheim suggested when discussing family’s. One of the main process in society is value consenus used through laws. Education, government implying it is an important factor in society so children should under stand the concept of it.
As education acts as a bridge between home and society and reflects value cones it leads to students learning other values like the importance of time keeping and obedinave in wider society.
Parsons also argued education should promote individualism not collectivism .
Education achieves this through the hidden curriculum. Heirachy, punctual, uniform conformity.
Through normals and values of schools
Assesmnegs - achieve status uni
Competition between students
Application
Shook Uniform and disciplinary to make students Independent. At home you can act one way in school you act another. Regulations, rules isolation sanctions.
Furthermore students who are late to class are sanctioned detention. All this is done to enforce universal standards of behaviour on people. Educational policy ofsted said schools should be teaching cultural capital. - literacy enables you to achieve higher in later life.
Schools all have to ensure they provide social, moral spiritual and cultural duration. Not always done explicitly. Hidden curriculum to amble students to understand wider society.
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Evaluation of parsons - functionalist
Marxists - hidden curriculum prepares students for exploitation.
- transmits values of capitalism- students do not learn society’s value consensus but values of the capitalist after all they benefit.
Postmodernist - fragments nature if society means socialisation by bastions agents. Importance of spreading values through education is diluted as individuals choose their own identity’s - subcultures
- disagree with universal values
Clash of working class and middle class values in education to underachievement. - habits. - how education might interfere with we experience
Dave’s and Moores view of education
Support the idea that schools are based upon meritocracy
Argue that for society to function there needs to be a system of unequal rewards. The ability to access the higher levels of reward is what motivates us to do well.
Through intense competition the best get to the top.
Education facilitates role allocation. It does this by sifting and sorting people into appropriate jobs - the more intelligent will gain higher qualification and gain access to higher paid jobs.
Evaluation of Davis and Moore
Marxists suggest that schools reproduce inequality - those with high earning parents go on to achieve higher grades at school.
Not all who get the best qualification go on to earn the highest salaries.
