Sociologists & Evaluations

Question 1

Durkheim (Functionalist)

Answer 1

Education serves two functions:
- Fostering social cohesion through shared values
- Teaching specialised skills for the division of labour

Question 2

Parsons (Functionalist)

Answer 2

Bridging effect - schools teach secondary socialisation to ‘bridge’ them into society, teaching them societal norms and values not learned through primary socialisation

Question 3

Evaluating Functionalists

Answer 3

• Ignores societal divisions like class and gender
• Marxists - education reinforces class divisions through hidden curriculum
• Ignores labelling and self-fulfilling prophecy
• Ignores patriarchal reinforcement (Feminists)

Question 4

Schultz (Functionalist)

Answer 4

Human capital - emphasises value of skills, knowledge and experience through education
Education helps reduce social conflicts by providing equal opportunities

Question 5

Davis and Moore (Functionalist)

Answer 5

Role allocation - education sorts individuals into suitable economic positions for their skill levels
‘sifts and sorts’ students through meritocratic assessments

Question 6

Bourdieu (Marxist)

Answer 6

Criticises Davis and Moore - children from affluent backgrounds have cultural capital that gives them an advantage.
Education is not based on talent, but reinforces class inequalities

Question 7

Althusser (Marxist)

Answer 7

Repressive State Apparatus (RSAs) - police, courts; suppress challenges from the working class
ideological State Apparatus (ISAs) -religion, media, education; shape peoples ideas, values and beliefs

Education reproduces and legitimates class inequality

Question 8

Bowles and Gintis (Marxist)

Answer 8

Correspondence Principle - Schools hierarchy reflects that of the capitalist workplace
Hidden Curriculum - schools teach values of capitalist society, prepares w/c for exploitation
Myth of Meritocracy - education legitimises class inequalities as meritocratic effort

Question 9

Cohen (Marxist)

Answer 9

Youth training programs are designed to shape young people’s attitudes to fit lower-status, low-paid jobs instead of encouraging them to aspire to higher-status roles

Question 10

Willis

Answer 10

Lads study
Studied 12 w/c anti-school boys - rejected schools dominant ideology and formed ‘counter-culture’ - resistance reinforced capitalism for setting them up for alienating jobs
Believed manual labour was more respectable than intellectual work