Role of Education- ideas + values

Question 1

Durkheim

Answer 1

P – 2 Main functions of education Solidarity and specialist skills
E – Durkheim (1903)- individual members need to cooperate and be cohesive
E – Socialised into shared set of values, e.g. assemblies educating a common history
L – Education promotes teamwork and skill development to serve an industrial economy
E – Marxism - Educations serves the needs of a capitalist society, indoctrinating WC for exploitation not social cohesion

1903

Question 2

Parsons

Answer 2

P – Define socialisation
E – Parsons (1961)- education is the ‘focal agency,’ acting as a bridge between family and society
E – Child judged by particularistic standards in family and universalistic standards in wider society, bridge acts as a proving ground for ability
L – Meritocracy instils shared value that hard work = success
E – Marxists- argue that the socialisation aspect of the role of education is not to create value consensus, but that education is uses as an ideological state apparatus, to transmit ruling class ideology

1961

Question 3

Mac an Ghaill

Answer 3

P – Feminists argue the education system reinforces a patriarchal culture
E – Hegemonic masculinity dominates the education system, controlling identities
E –Mac an Ghaill (1996)- teachers told boys off for ‘behaving like girls,’ ignore boys verbal abuse, blaming girls for attracting it
E- Or reverse effect where male teacher behaviour held protective attitude towards female colleagues, coming to ‘rescue’ them from threatening pupils
L – Both reinforce the idea that women are inferior and reliant upon men for acceptance and safety, maintaining traditional ideology
E – Marxist- ignores the affect of social class, the ideology is controlled to maintain capitalism not to subordinate women

1996

Question 4

Bowles + Gintis

Answer 4

P – Marxists see main role as reproducing an obedient workforce passively accepting inequality
E – Bowles + Gintis (1976)- study of 237 high school students, found parallels between schooling and work in a capitalist society
E – Operates via Hidden curriculum, uniform, obedience, hierarchical structure etc.
L – Children become accustomed to competition and working for extrinsic rewards
E – Willis (1977)- showed that students can see through the role of education and reject the hidden curriculum, thus rejecting ideology

1976

Question 5

Althusser

Answer 5

P – Multiple ways of controlling bourgeoisie, ISA + RSA
E – Althusser (1971)- Education acts as an ISA, controlling ideology by reproducing generational inequality via failure in school
E – Legitimated by concealing true causes, such as material deprivation, by blaming on ability leading to a myth of meritocracy
L – WC feel inequality is inevitable and passively accept subordinate position, reproducing an obedient workforce necessary for success of capitalism
E – Functionalists- based on conflict where the view should be consensus

1971