Role of education Flashcards
(20 cards)
According to Durkheim, what two functions do education serve?
Social solidarity; transmission of a shared culture by teaching english history integrating indioviduals into society
Teaches specialist skills so prepares students to work in modern economy
According to Parsons, what functions do the education system serve?
‘focal socialising agent’ that acts as a bridge from familys particularistic standards and ascribed status to universalistic and achieved status, preparing them for wider society
How is school arguably a society in minuature?
Both have meritocratic standards where students fail/suceed based on their own efforts.
-Both competitive and individualistic
What is role allocation?
Davis and Moore- schools select and allocate students to their future job roles based on talent and complexity of the job.
-Everyone competes equally and are ‘sifted and sorted’ based on ability so most able do the most important jobs
What is human capital?
Blau and Duncan- support Davis and Moores view and argues that education provides us with the human capital (skill/knowlege/qualifications) needed to maximise our benefit to the economy
How can the functionalist view of education be criticised?
Marxists- argue that education doesnt transmit sodietys shared values but instead values of ruling class
-Meritocracy is a myth as discrimination mean some groups do not achieve
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What is the general New right view on education?
Schools should be run like businesses and state interference in the education system should be reduced
How are the functionalist and New Right View similar?
-School should socialise individuals into shared values and national identity
-Education should be run on meritocratic principles
-Some students are more talented than others
How doe the New Right criticise state run education
Argue state run schools are not answerable to their consumers so have lower standards/ poorer results and thus less qualified work force
Whats the New right solution to poor state school provisions?
Marketisation/ create an ‘education market’- reduce state power and instead make schools more answerable to their consumers
-Increase competiton between schools to drive up standards
What do Chubb and Moe argue should be done about state schooling?
Found that low income students in private schools do 5% better so education system is not meritocratic
-Argue that we should introduce a voucher system so parents can buy education for their child (consumers choice)
-Drives up standards as schools have to compete to attract customers so improve standards
What are the two roles of the state according to the New right?
-National curriculum to ensure shared national identity
-Creating framework for competition e.g publication of league tables/ national curriculum so equal opportunity to succeed
Evaluations of New Right view?
-Competion may not benefit all students/ parents equally m/c parents have educational +cultural capital to chose best schools
-Marxists argue that the education system doesnt enforce a shared national identity but instead the culture of the r/c
What is Althussers view on the role of education?
School is an ISA that reproduces and legitamises class inequality
reproduces-continuously sets w/c students in lower sets limiting achievement
Legitimises- tells students that their failure is their own fault not due to structural inequalities, preventing revolution
What is the role of the education system according to Bowles and Gintis?
Argue it operates to create the next generation of conformist, obedient workers.
-Does this through the hidden curriculum whcih teaches pupils to accept heirarchy and alienation
Explain Bowles and Gintis correspondence principle
Correspondence principle- structures in education mirror that of the work force
e.g alienation due to students lack of control over education, alienation in work due to lack of control over production.
Fragmentation of knowledge in unconnected subjects corresponds with fragmentation of work by carrying out small, meaningless tasks
What do Bowles and Gintis mean by the ‘myth of meritocracy’
Argue that there are structural barriers that prevent the working class from having the same levels of sucess as their r/c peers
-But the idea of meritocracy disguises this and ensures that the w/c accept inequality
How do Bowles and Gintis criticuse role allocation?
Their research found that the most obedient students got the highest grades. Education rewards those who are the most conformist, allowing them to reach highest jobs in society, not natural ability
Willis: learning to labour
Studied 12 w/c boys
-Found they were able to partially see through the myth of meritocracy and flouted schools rules by smoking, being disruptive etc. forming a counter-school culture
-Idefied strongly with manual jobs and ridculed. girls and ear’oles for being inferior
-Their resistance to school still fueled capitalist needs by allocating them to manual jobs capitalism needs to be performed
Evaluation of marxist view?
Postmodernists- meta-narrative which is outdated, class divsions no longer improtant in a post-fordist society
Feminists- ignores patriarchy
-Willis has been criticised for romanticising the boys despite their sexist attitudes, also may be unrepresentative
