Theories of Education

Question 1

what are the 3 main functions of education put forward by functionalists

Answer 1

• Secondary socialisation
• role allocation
• providing necessary skills for the economy

Question 2

what does Functionalist sociologist, Durkheim argue about education/

Answer 2

that education performs the role of secondary socialisation
- positive functions for society:
- teaches universal norms and values

Question 3

What are Durkheim’s teachings on education?

Answer 3

• education promotes social solidarity
• teaches rules and how to follow them
• teaches specialist skills

Question 4

What is the teaching of social solidarity (Durkheim)

Answer 4

• social solidarity is the ties that bind people together in society (shared identity)
  instilling social solidarity
• ## focuses on shared heritage . history literature music . students understand aspects of culture

Question 5

how is social solidarity applied too contemporary education?

Answer 5

• miccheal Gove reforms t curriculum 2018 began with history and compulsory teachings of British values

Question 6

what are the marxist criticisms of Durkheim’s teaching of social solidarity?

Answer 6

• • who’s history and culture is being passed on . marxists say that it is the ruling classes and it is done to serve the ruling classes
• • Ball argues that there is a ethnocentric curriculum focuses on ‘little englandism’

Question 7

What is the teaching of specialist skills in education (Durkheim)

Answer 7

Durkheim proposes that education provides pupils with the skills they would need fro joining the workforce

Question 8

how does education achieve teaching of specialist skills?

Answer 8

• core knowledge national curriculum
  -specialist knowledge, subject choice at a-level
  -vocational skills, B-tech
• creation of red brick universities

Question 9

teaching of specialist skills applied to social policy

Answer 9

• standardised assessments for testing key skills
• teaching bursaries for shortage subjects
• reforms to the curriculum, global skills

Question 10

what are criticisms of teaching specialist skills?

Answer 10

• marxists argue that pupils are taught fragmented knowledge rather than learning the connections between subjects
• over teaches students creating over qualification and competition which means lower wages
• feminists argue that girls are discouraged from certain subjects
• doesn’t account for the unemployed

Question 11

what does Parsons put forward s a further function of education

Answer 11

secondary socialisation - bridge between home ad society

Question 12

as well as secondary socialisation what other important function does education have? parsons

Answer 12

• roel allocation - sifting and sorting people into the most appropriate jobs for adult life

Question 13

how does education achieve role allocation

Answer 13

education does this meritocratically
- rewards effort hidden or informal curriculum
- competition between students assessments, norms and values of the school

Question 14

what are the contemporary applications of secondary socialisation

Answer 14

for example school uniform policies, disciplinary policies, sanctions for breaking the rules like a detention

Question 15

what are the. criticisms of Parsons

Answer 15

• Marxist argue that there is a hidden curriculum however it prepares students for exploitation
• postmodernists disagree fragmented nature of society means socialisation by various agents

Question 16

what was the research of Davis and Moore?

Answer 16

like Parsons, focused on role allocation, sifting and sorting and meritocracy
- education prepares students for roles based on their ability
- social stratification leads to intense competition facilitates role allocation

Question 17

how does education achieve social stratification

Answer 17

• shifts and sorts by ability
• most able end up in higher positions in society
  promotes ideas of social mobility and meritocracy
  lower ability end up in low skilled positions

Question 18

what are the contemporary applications of social stratification

Answer 18

setting and streaming
university enterance
subject chioice

Question 19

what are the criticisms of Davis and Moore social stratification

Answer 19

• marxists - meritocracy is.a myth making machine
• feminists - gender pay gap not explained
  privately educated students more advantaged

Question 20

what are the new right views on education

Answer 20

• education needs to be more competitive, more choice, winning and losing and less about collaboration and fairness to be properly meritocratic

Question 21

what did Chubb and Moe argue

Answer 21

The reasons why private schools perform better than public schools was because the schools were answerable to paying parents - parentocracy - value consensus set by parents
marketisation

Question 22

what are the criticisms of new right views on education

Answer 22

• execesive competition in schools
• reasons for good exam results in private schools is more complex than just the role of market and the power of parents
• new right impose the national curriculum which goes against their minimal government intervention ideology

Question 23

what is Althusser’s theory of education

Answer 23

• education is part of the ideological state apparatus

Question 24

what does the ideological state apparatuas do

Answer 24

• teaches students the necessary skills needed for employment
• reproduces the dominant ideology of the ruling class
  reproduces and legitimises inequality - does this through both the formal and hidden curriculum

Question 25

how do schools achieve the ideological state apperatas

Answer 25

• fragmented curriculum
• basic skills taught such as literacy and numeracy
• curriculum based on ruling class values - working class culture ignored
• the myth of meritocracy is promoted - leads to low self esteems if they are unable to negotiate the barriers of meritocracy

Question 26

what are the contemporary applications of the ideological state apparatus

Answer 26

• • national curriculum split into distinct subjects - fragmented
    =- students study for passing grade in maths and English until 18
• changes to curriculum under coalition government -
• growth mindset - policy shifts the blame on working class kids for not having a positive growth mindset

Question 27

What are the criticisms of Althusser?

Answer 27

• limited imperial evidence for his ideas
• functionalist views agree with marxists ideas but suggest that they are beneficial for society
• post modernists suggest education is a way of expressing ability in contemporary society

Question 28

What do Boles and Gintis argue about education?

Answer 28

• education reproduces the next generation of workers - however through the hidden curriculum

Question 29

What is the hidden curriculum? (Bowles and Gintis)

Answer 29

• students are prepared to be the next generation of workers not by the typical curriculum of maths, English … however through the knowledge and skills that are taught implicitly in schools

Question 30

how do schools reproduce the next generation workforce using the hidden curriculum````````````/

Answer 30

• correspondence principle - school mirrors the world of work
• for example prefect roles can mirror promotions …

Question 31

how does education legitimate equality according to marxists such as B and G and Althusser

Answer 31

• meritocracy
• WC students would be socialised into EC jobs
  whereas MC students would be selected for prefect due to their cultural characteristics for example

Question 32

How does education perform the correspondence principle in contemporary society

Answer 32

uniform policy prepares students to be formally dressed and presentable

vocational subjects and courses like B-tec and T-levels prepares students for working jobs

Question 33

What are the criticisms of Bowles and Gintis?

Answer 33

• functionalists may agree with the concepts of how education performs as a function in society such as the correspondence principle but argues that the benefits are greater and more wide-ranging for society
  -do all students conform to what is being taught
  -

Question 34

what was Paaul Willis’ study about?

Answer 34

case study of midland schoolboys, he called the lads
- formed an anti school sub-culture not value education instead mucked about…
- neo Marist theory as school taught them a different way to cope with capitalist exploitation
- also how education produces class inequality

Question 35

what are the criticisms of Willlis’ study

Answer 35

• close bonds with boys could have casued Hawthorne affect
• romanticised the boys as working class heroes
• did they choosee to fail

Question 36

what did Bourdieu argue

Answer 36

• cultural reproduction model
  reproducing the middle class culture

Habitus - tastes and attitudes of individuals WC habits - the result of how someone is socialised - ‘Nike identity’ Archer

Field - cultural framework of a specific context - education is a field in society which has been structured by upper class norms and values

Cultural Capital - the value a person’s cultural knowledge is within a field - MC have cultural capital in the field of education

Question 37

How does education lead to cultural reproduction?( Bourdieu)

Answer 37

school uniform policy

curriculum based on middle class knowledge

teachers judgments

Question 38

what are the criticisms of Bourdieu

Answer 38

• functionalist suggest education is meritocratic

-socialised into value consensus skills are needed to achieve

• students acquire cultural capital through their education

Question 39

how did Bernstein’s work relate to cultural capital and habits?

Answer 39

• teachers textbooks middle class children use elaborate language code
• working class pupils use restricted code casual speaking

MC at an advantage not because they are more intelligent but because they use the language code of the education system

Question 40

what is the evaluation of marxist views of education

Answer 40

1. lots of people who work in education are on the left so would not spread capitalist ideology
2. more teachers are working class understand more about the language codes and habits of WC pupils
3. meritocratic opportunities enable people to be more socially mobile
4. however there is more evidence of people not being socially mobile