the role of education Flashcards
(9 cards)
Who argues that the primary function of education is social solidarity?
Durkheim
The education system helps to create social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture (shared beliefs and values) from one generation to the next. For example the teaching of a country’s history instils in children a sense of shared heritage and a commitment to a wider social group. This can also be achieved through the hidden curriculum
Who argues that the education system provides pupils with specialist skills?
Durkheim
Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour where the production of even a
single item usually involved the cooperation of many different specialists. This cooperation promotes social
solidarity but, for it to be successful, each person must have the necessary specialist knowledge and skills to
perform their role. Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that
they need to play their part in the social division of labour
Who says education system acts as a bridge between the family and wider society?
Parsons
sees school as a key agent of secondary socialisation, acting as a bridge between family and wider society. In families, children are judged by particularistic standards and have ascribed status. In contrast, schools and society use universalistic standards and promote achieved status. Education prepares children for a meritocratic society, where success is based on individual effort and ability
Who argues that education performs role allocation?
Davis and Moore
education as a device for selection and role allocation. They argue that inequality is
necessary to ensure that the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people. It would be
inefficient and dangerous to have less able people performing roles such as surgeon or airline pilot. Not everyone
is equally talented so society has to offer a high reward for these jobs. This will encourage everyone to compete
for them and society can then select the most talented individuals for these positions.
Education plays a key part in this process as it acts as a proving ground for ability. The most able gain the highest
qualifications which gives them entry to the most important jobs in society
Who argues that education system is an ideological state apparatus?
Althusser
He argued that education:
• Reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation, by failing each successive
generation of working class pupils in turn.
• Legitimates (justifies) class inequality by producing ideologies (sets of ideas and beliefs) that disguise its
true cause. The function of ideology is to persuade workers to accept that inequality is inevitable and that they
deserve their subordinate position in society. If they accept these ideas, they are less likely to challenge and
threaten capitalism
Who criticises the functionalist view and says that meritocracy is a myth?
Bowles and Gintis
claim that meritocracy is an
ideology legitimating inequality by falsely claiming that everyone has an equal opportunity and that unequal
rewards are natural as a result of unequal ability.
Bowles and Gintis argue that education reproduces an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable.
From their own study of 237 New York High School students and the findings of other studies they concluded that
schools reward precisely the kind of personality traits that make for a submissive, compliant worker
What is the correspondence principle?
Bowles and Gintis
that there are close parallels between schooling and work in capitalist society. This is
known as the correspondence principle – the relationships and structures found in education mirror or correspond
to those of work. For example:
• Both schools and workplaces are hierarchies, with head teachers or bosses at the top making decisions
and giving orders.
• Alienation through students’ lack of control over education (e.g. over what to study and timetabling)
reflects alienation through workers’ lack of control over production (e.g. managers decide what, how when and
where to produce).
What is the hidden curriculum?
Bowles and Gintis
the correspondence principle operates through the hidden curriculum – that is all the
‘lessons that are learnt in school without being directly taught. For example, through the everyday workings of the
school, pupils become accustomed to accepting hierarchy and competition, working for extrinsic rewards and so
on. In this way schooling prepares working class pupils for their role as the exploited workers of the future,
reproducing the workforce capitalism needs and perpetuating class inequality from generation to generation
What does the new right argue regarding education?
Chubb and Moe
- state run eduction in the United States has failed the needs of disadvantaged groups
- private schools deliver higher quality education because they are answerable to paying consumers - the parents
- argue for the introduction of a market system in state education that would put control in the hands of the consumers (parents)
- proposes a system whereby each family would be given a voucher to spend on buying education from a school of their choice, this forces schools to become more responsive to parents wishes since the vouchers would be the schools main source on income
