Role of functions of Education: Marxism Flashcards
Main Role
The main role of education is to maintain capitalism and reproduce social inequality
What are the four main roles of education
- Reproduction of social inequality
- Cultural capital
- Correspondence principal
- Myth of Meritocracy
Reproduction of social inequality ALTHUSSER
ALTHUSSER:
Ideological state apparatus: Education’s main role is to pass on the dominant ideology of the Ruling class ]
–.> Legitimises social inequality
Hidden curriculum is shaped to assist M/C achievement and deter W/C achievement, education encourages students to blindly accept capitalist values, through the hidden curriculum.
Private education prepares children of the elite for positions of power
Cultural capital BOURDIEU
Members of the upper and middle class have more access to cultural and economic capital which puts them at an advantage in comparison to those of lower status.
Dominant culture values are rewarded in the education system
Tests and assessments are geared towards the dominant culture.
Correspondence Principle BOWLES AND GINTIS
Schools processes mirror the world of work in order to prepare them for manual labour
–> wages not satisfication
–> Lack of obedience
–> achieved status
–> Boredom
–> hierachy of power
Myth of Meritocracy
Education claims to be meritocratic but schools discriminate in favour of the middle class eg. language
Hidden curriculum lowers working class ambitions
Private schools
Correspondence Principle evaluation
FUNCTIONALISTS: agree with skills for the employment but suggests this is for benefit of society
–> not all students become passive
–> The workers are infact being equipped with the neccessary skills for employment
Althusser Evaluation
FUNCTIONALISTS: agree with the Marxist ideas but suggest that they are beneficial for society.
DETERMINISTIC: more children from manual labour backgrounds are going into HE than ever before.
–> limited emperical evidence
Neo Marxist evaluation
Rejects the view that W/C passively accept their position to become compliant workers
Existence of anti-school subcultures, truancy and exclusion suggest both the hidden curriculum and correspondance principle have failed
Marxists often fail to acknowledge that gender and ethnicity often combine with class to produce success or failure
Social democratic evaluation
Suggest that Marxists exaggerate the effected education has on working class achievement
They point out that Govt polices such as comprehensivisation has improved the chances of the working class
Neo Liberal Evaluation
Saunder claims that middle-class educational success is due to biological differences
New Right evaluation
Chubb and Moore: argue that the Marxist fail to see how education has failed all social groups not just the working class
They believe that education has failed to equip all students with the skills needed to be successful in the global market place
Post Modernism Evaluation
Marxists fail to acknowledge that education actually reproduces diversity rather than inequality
Students create their own identities rather than being constrained by traditional structures are able to make their own choices about their identity eg. increasing numbers of trans students
