The role of education + theories

Question 1

Generally what is the functionalist theory of education

Answer 1

• Society has basic needs including the need for social order. To survive society needs social solidarity through everyone sharing the same norms and values. Otherwise society would fall apart
• Social institutions such as education perform positive functions for both society and for individuals by socializing new members of society and by helping create and sustain social solidarity
• Functionalists tend to focus on the positive contribution education makes to society

Question 2

What are the main two things Durkheim says about education- functionalism

Answer 2

Durkheim identifies two main functions of the education system:

• creating social solidarity
• teaching specialist skills

Question 3

What did Durkheim say about social solidarity and education- functionalism

Answer 3

• the school teaches the child the norms and values of society from one generation to another through the overt curriculum and hidden curriculum. Eg. the hidden curriculum teaches children to wear a uniform which prepares children for wearing a uniform in the workplace

Question 4

What did Durkheim say about teaching specialist skills and education- functionalism

Answer 4

• individuals must be taught specialist skills such as computer programming so they can take their place within a highly complex division of labour in which people have to co operate to produce items

Question 5

Criticisms of Durkheim and the functionalist view of education

Answer 5

• Criticism of social solidarity: studies by Willis and Hargreaves for example show that the transmission of norms and values is not always successful. Comprehensive schools place too much stress on developing the individual and not enough on the responsibility of the individual pupil to the school.
• Some pupils openly reject the values of the school and form anti school subcultures . Willis lads openly embraced values which were the opposite to those of the school and conformist students
• In terms of providing a trained and qualified labour force- most occupational skills are learnt on the job or through firms own training schemes- rather than through educational qualifications

Question 6

What did Parsons say about education and functionalism

Answer 6

-Parsons sees school as the “focal socialising agency” in modern society acting as a bridge between the family and wider society

• He also says that education helps to socialise young people into the basic values of society. School transmits two major values:
  the value of achievement- everyone achieves their own status through their own effort (meritocracy)
  the value of equality of opportunity for every students to achieve their full potential

like Durkheim parsons argues that the school represents society in miniature. School prepares young people for their adult roles

Question 7

Criticisms of Parsons- functionalism

Answer 7

• Dennis Wrong argues that functionalists such as Parsons have an “over socialised view” of people as mere puppets of society. Functionalist wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all that they are taught and never reject the school values
• He assumes that Western education systems are meritocratic i.e they reward students primarily on the basis of objective criteria such as achievement; ability and intelligence. The existence of private education and inequalities tied to social class, gender and ethnicity challenges the view