Role of education

Question 1

Althusser

Answer 1

Part of the ideological state apparatus - leading to the transmission of capitalistic values and ideologies

Question 2

Parsons

Answer 2

School is the bridge between work and the family - schools encourage universalistic values

Question 3

Willis

Answer 3

Anti-school subcultures - boys accept their position in school - teach them to accept mundane work life so they muck around

Question 4

Chubb and Moe

Answer 4

Private schools are better as they are answering to paying customers - state education doesn’t provide students with enough skills for the economy

Question 5

Davis and Moore

Answer 5

Role allocation - school sorts people into roles in society - this is why there is inequality as all roles must be fulfilled

Question 6

Durkhiem

Answer 6

Education teaches social solidarity and specialised skills for an economy based on a specialised division of labour.

Question 7

Bowles and Gintis

Answer 7

Correspondence principle/hidden curriculum - education prepares you for the exploitation and hierarchy in the workplace.

Question 8

Evaluation of functionalist perspective

Answer 8

Achievement is based on many other things such as class/ethnicity/gender etc. - not just the school.

Education transmits the ideology of a minority - the ruling class not shared values of society as a whole.

Assume that everyone accepts everything that they are taught and that it is not rejected. (same for NR)

Question 9

Evaluation of Neoliberal/New Right perspective

Answer 9

Gewirtz and Ball argue that competition in schools only benefit the middle class as the have educational/cultural capital to choose what schools they send their children to.

Critics argue that the real cause of low educational standards is because of social inequality and inadequate funding in state schools.

Contradiction between wanting parent choice and marketisation with imposing a National Curriculum which everyone must learn.

Question 10

Evaluation of Marxist perspective

Answer 10

Postmodernists argue that schools now promote diversity instead of inequality.

Bowles and Gintis take a deterministic view and assume that all pupils passively accept indoctrination and don’t have free will

Willis’ study romanticises the lad’s as w/c heroes despite their sexist and anti-school attitude. - the small scale of his study is not representative of other pupil’s experiences and can’t generalise his findings.

Schools don’t only promote capitalism but as MacDonald says it also promotes patriarchy as well.