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Sociology - Education > Theories In Education > Flashcards

Theories In Education Flashcards

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1
Q

What were Durkheim’s 2 functions of education?

A

Social solidarity and specialist skills

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2
Q

Outline how education creates social solidarity with an example

A

Education teaches everyone the same values and beliefs which creates a value consensus so people feel properly integrated into society e.g British values

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3
Q

How does specifically history create social solidarity?

A

It teaches a shared heritage

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4
Q

What is a limitation of Durkheim’s social solidarity function?

A

That he assumes that the values being taught in schools are that of society and not just powerful groups

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5
Q

Who said that a function of society is to ‘act as a bridge’?

A

Parsons

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6
Q

Outline how society acts as bridge

A

It is a bridge between the particularistic standards in the family and the universalistic standards of society

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7
Q

Define the difference between particularistic and universalistic standards

A

Particularistic - where expectations depend on the individual
Universalistic - where the expectations of everyone are the same

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8
Q

Give an example of universalistic standards in school

A

Punctuality and the national curriculum

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9
Q

What was Parsons theory about how education mirrors society’s meritocratic principles?

A

Society in miniature

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10
Q

Define meritocratic

A

That if you work hard you will succeed

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11
Q

How does education act as society in miniature?

A

We are taught to follow a routine and how to work together as a team

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12
Q

Give a limitation of Parsons’ bridge function

A

That standards are not universalistic as feminists would argue men and women are held to different standards

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13
Q

Who came up with Role Allocation as a function of education?

A

Davis and Moore

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14
Q

How does education allocate roles?

A

It evaluates students skills and talents and select the role that most suits them

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15
Q

Why is role allocation beneficial?

A

Because it ensures that the most intelligent people fill the most important roles

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16
Q

Give 2 strengths of Davis and Moore’s function of education

A

It is supported by parsons

We use qualifications to decide who can take which courses at university

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17
Q

Give a limitation of role allocation

A

Marxists and feminists would argue that roles are not allocated on talent alone and instead are decided by class or gender

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18
Q

What was Schutz’s function of education?

A

Increasing human capital

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19
Q

Outline Schutz’s function of education

A

That high levels of spending in education is justified as it expands people’s skills and makes the workforce more qualified. Therefore they can then contribute to a more successful economy

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20
Q

What does Althusser believe the education system is?

A

An ideological state apparatus

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21
Q

What two things does education do according to Althusser with an example of how

A

Reproduce class inequality by ensuring that the class of origin remains the class of destination e.g foundation and higher papers

Justifying inequality by promoting meritocracy

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22
Q

Who believed schools were repressive institutions that promote conformity?

A

Illich

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23
Q

How does education promote conformity?

A

By rewarding those who follow the rules and excluding those who challenge it

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24
Q

Who supported Illich’s theory?

A

Frieire who believed schools exist to teach authority

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25
What is Bowles and Gintis’ reproduction theory?
The idea that the class of origin is the class of destination
26
What theory does Bowles and Gintis’ reproduction theory contradict?
Davis and Moore role allocation
27
Who put forward the correspondence principle?
Bowles and Gintis
28
Outline the correspondence principle
That “schooling takes place in the long shadow of work” so education mirrors the workplace through encouraging employability skills
29
Give 3 ways in which education mirrors the workplace
Fragmentation (day broken into subjects like a production line) Lack of creativity (how you are taught strict structures) Hierarchies (Head and deputy teachers to managers)
30
What do Bowles and Gintis’ call meritocracy and who does it contradict?
A myth | Parsons
31
How do Marxists believe we learn skills to make us employable?
Through the hidden curriculum
32
What do neo-Marxists believe?
That although schooling serves capitalism, they believe the working class has free will
33
Who studied working class lads resisting indoctrination?
Willis
34
What two theories does Willis’ study involve?
Marxism and interactionism
35
Outline where and who Willis was studying
12 working class lads from Birmingham
36
What did the lads create and what did it include?
A anti school counter culture which includes intimidatory humour and acts of defiance
37
What is the New Right’s basic principle?
That the state cannot meet the needs of every individual and therefore needs to intervene less
38
Which New Right theorists came up with the ‘voucher system’?
Chubb and Moe
39
Outline the voucher system proposed by the New Right
That state schools fail because there is not enough parental involvement. Parents don’t hand over money so don’t feel like they can make demands. If everyone had a voucher for the school of their choice then schools would forced to compete for students so the standards would rise
40
Who criticises the voucher system and what did they say?
Gerwitz said some parents are better equipped to choose than others. She split them into privileged skilled (who have material and cultural capital) semi skilled (who want the best for their children but don’t have money or knowledge) and disconnected (they dont really mind and will send them to the nearest school)
41
What do the New Right believe is the 2 roles of the state?
To provide a framework which schools compete within eg League tables Transmit shared norms and values through national curriculum and British values
42
When were British values introduced?
2011
43
Give 2 strengths of the New Right perspective on education
Provides pro active solutions unlike Marxism | Functionalists share the same idea that the state should transmit shared norms and values
44
Give 2 weaknesses of the New Right perspective on education
It is contradictory as it is against state intervention but then imposes a strict national curriculum It is not state control that stops children achieving but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools
45
What do interactionists describe self concept as?
How you see yourself which is a result of interactions with others
46
What is a self fulfilling prophecy?
When a teacher labels a student a certain way and then the student lives up to those expectations
47
How does Fuller’s research contradict the self fulfilling prophecy?
She studied year 11 black girls who channelled their anger at being negatively labelled into academic success - this is the self negating prophecy
48
Who studied the 3 stages of student labelling?
Hargreaves
49
Outline 3 stages of student labelling
Speculation - initial guess based on appearance, peer relationships, Elaboration - looks for evidence to support initial assumptions Stabilisation - teachers view is set in stone and they feel they know the student
50
Give a strength and weakness of Hargreaves
``` Ad - triangulation of teacher interviews AND class observations = more valid Disad - deterministic as view self fulfilling prophecy as inevitable ```
51
What is Gilborn and Youdell’s theory?
Educational triage
52
Outline Gilborn and Youdell’s theory
Children are placed into either “those who would pass regardless”, “borderline students” and “hopeless cases” and most time is spent on the the borderline students in order to get more C grades
53
Why do schools want more C grades?
Because of the funding formula which means that more passes = more students = more funding
54
Give a strength and a weakness of Gilborn and Youdell
Ad - fits with the context of the Education Reform Act 1988 which introduced the funding formula Disad - views teaching very cynically as if they are only doing it for the money
55
Who came up with the idea of the Ideal Pupil?
Becker
56
Outline the ideal pupil theory
Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers and found that the ideal pupil is white and middle class and teachers judge students who do not fit this mold more closely
57
Give a strength and a weakness of the ‘ideal pupil’ theory
``` Ad - middle class students do better Disad - ignores why teachers think this way which Marxists think is hegemony ```
58
Define hegemony
The dominant ideology
59
Give 2 disadvantages of interactionism as a whole
Marxists say it ignores macro effects | Feminists say the studies focussed on male students so may not apply to women
60
What do postmodernist say about Marxist theories and why?
That they are outdated because we are no longer in a fordist economy where it was focussed on low skilled workers
61
What do postmodernists argue education should teach and why?
Self motivation and creativity because our economy is now based on flexible specialisation (an adaptable educated workforce)

Sociology - Education (5 decks)

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