The role of education in society

Question 1

Functoinalist perspective
(Parsons 1961)

Answer 1

Meritocracy

• education is the ‘Focal socialising agency - acts as a bridge between family and wider society
• in the family - children judged by pluralistic standards (rules only applying to them). Roles are ascribed and fixed
• in school + wider society - judged by universalistic values + impersonal standards. In society everyone has to obey the law. In schools each student sits the same exam

Question 2

Functionalist perspective
(Durkheim 1903)

Answer 2

Durkheim believed in two main functions of education

Social solidarity
* Social solidarity - a sense of commnity, which stops individuals only persuing thier selfish desires
* education transmits societys culture from one generatoin to the next. Such as history lessons creating a sense of shared heritage
* ‘Society in minature’ - prepare children for life in wider society, such as teaching kids to cooperate with others like in the workplace

Specialist skills
* argues that edu atoin teaches individuals the specialist skills and knowledge they need to play thier part in the social division of labour

Question 3

Functionalist perspective
(Davis and Moore)

Answer 3

Role allocation
* inequality is necessary to ensure the most important roles in society are filled by skilled people
* society must offer high rewards for these jobs so everyone competes for them and the most talented can be selected

• education acts as a proving ground for this. It ‘sifts and sorts’ according to ability, those able to gain high qualifications gain entry to the best schools

Question 4

Marxist perspective
(Althusser, ideological state apparatus)

Answer 4

Education is an ideological state apparatus (ISA) - means for the bourgouis to controll the peoples ideas, values and beliefs

Education:
* reproduces class inequality by transmitting between generations
* legitimates class inequalities by producing ideologies that diguis its true cause.
* Persuades workers to accept inequality as inevitable and that they deserve this position in society

Question 5

Marxist perspective

Marxist perspective
(Myth of meritocracy)

Answer 5

• Bowles and Gintis describe education as a ‘myth making machine’ - keep the proletariat from realising their repression and rebelling
• B+G argue meritocracy doesnt exist and achievment (or high income) isnt based on merit but on family and class
• ‘poor are dumb’ theory - blames pverty on the nidividual rather than capitalism (‘im poor becuase im not clever/hardworking).

Question 6

Hidden curriculum
(Bowles and Gintis)

Answer 6

Hidden curriculum
* norms and values are taught indirectly and are part of school organisation
* such as:
- wearing a uniform (comitment to school over indivdual identity)
- respecting hierachy (used to being subordinate)

Question 7

New right
(Chubb and Moe 1990)

Answer 7

State run education in the US has failed becuase:
* hasnt created equal oppertunity and fails the needs of disadvantaged groups
*