The role of education in society

Question 1

Durkheims functionalist perspective on education:

Answer 1

• Social solidarity, transmits societies culture (norms/values)
• Cooperating with others prepares us for work
• Teach specialist skills and knowledge for future labour

Question 2

Parsons functionalist perspective on education:

Answer 2

• Meritocracy, the school is the bridge between family and wider society, focal socialising agency
• within the family a childs status is ascribed but at school and in wider society its achieved

Question 3

Davis & Moore functionalist perspective on education:

Answer 3

role allocation
- students matched to jobs they are best suited to based on abilities
- favour inequality, most important roles, talented people
- education, ability, highest qualifications= highest rewards

Question 4

Evaluate functionalist perspective

Answer 4

• Marxists disagree, only transmits ideologies of of ruling class, capitalist society
• Equal opportunity doesn’t exist, influenced by other factors, class, gender, ethnicity

Question 5

Neoliberalism perspective on education

Answer 5

• argue the state should not provide services (education, healthcare)
• a free market economy
• country compete in global marketplace (operate like businesses)

Question 6

New right perspective on education

Answer 6

• Marketisation, operate like businesses with consumers to bring diversity and meet peoples needs
• favour competition and socialising shared values

Question 7

Chubb and Moe, new right perspective on education

Answer 7

• failed needs of disadvantaged
• doesn’t teach economy skills
• private schools higher quality, answer paying parents
• pupils from low income families do 5% better in private schools than state
• each family given a voucher to spend on education from a school of their choice , schools more responsive to parents, schools receive income

Question 8

New right two roles for the state

Answer 8

• ofted reports, league table results, parents can make informed choice
• schools transmit shared culture, national curriculum

Question 9

evaluate new right perspective

Answer 9

• Ball, competition between schools benefits MC, uce cultural and economic capital to gain access to more desirable schools

Question 10

What is the marxist perspective on education?

Answer 10

Capitalist class are minority class own means of production, profit by exploiting labour of WC

WC sell labour to capitalists, own no means of production. Pay pay, lack control

Question 11

Althusser ideological state apparatus

Answer 11

Transmit bourgeois values and beliefs to reinforce class inequality through education, the media and religion

Question 12

Althusser education system 2 functions:

Answer 12

• reproduce class inequality, transmit values
• legitimise class inequality, WC accept inequality is inevitable. accept rather than challenge

Question 13

Bowles and Gintis capitalism

Answer 13

• capitalism requires workforce willing to accept hard work and low pay.
• reproduce obedient workforce

Question 14

Bowles and Gintis correspondence principle

Answer 14

Relationships and structure in education mirror the workplace

• operates through the hidden curriculum. indirectly taught norms and values through interactions

Question 15

Bowles and Gintis, myth of meritocracy:

Answer 15

• meritocracy, everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed
• believe it doesn’t exist, main factor is class background
• justify UC privileges
• ‘poor are dumb’

Question 16

Willis, lads counter-culture

Answer 16

• participant observation, 12 WC boys
• opposed to school, boring/meaningless
• disrupt, smoke, drink
• reject meritocratic ideology
• lads identify with manual work
• unskilled work capitalism needs them to perform

Question 17

evaluate marxist perspective

Answer 17

• Morrow & Torres, marxists take a ‘class first’ approach, ignores all other factors. ethnicity, gender, sexuality equally important
• Feminist, MacDonald, ignores patriarchy, McRobbie, females absent from Willis’ study