BIG QUESTION - topic 1
What are the roles and functions of the education system?
What is the Functionalist Perspective on education?
Society is a system of interdependent parts held together by a shared view or value consensus (agreement)
Who was Emile Durkheim?
Durkheim was a French sociologist and is regarded as the ‘founder of functionalist society’
What was Durkheim’s perspective on education? (1903)
He believed there were 2 main functions of education:
Socialisation- education transmits societies shared norms and values which helps to create a sense of social solidarity (togetherness)
Economic- education provides the specific skills for work
Who was Talcott Parsons?
Parsons was an American sociologist who built on what Durkheim said and developed ideas further (Bridge)
What did Talcott Parsons establish in relation to education? (1961)
That education has these main components:
-It acts as a bridge between family and wider society
-it socialises children into basic norms/values
-ensures schools are built on meritocratic principles
-organic analogy - education is like a major organ within the body
What are Particularistic Standards?
Rules and expectations applied to individuals based on their unique relationship to the person or group applying the standard.
What are Universalistic Standards?
Norms, rules, and values that apply equally to all members of a society, regardless of their individual characteristics, family ties, or social background
Why did Parsons argue that exams were good within society?
-They place value on individual achievement
-Encourage equality of opportunity
-Help to select the right people for the right jobs within society
What did Davis & Moore believe about education? (1945)
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore believed that the main function of school is to select students for future roles in society (role allocation)
What do all functionalists argue?
-education benefits society as a whole
-education promotes the norms and values of society as a whole
-education promotes social solidarity
-educational achievement is based on merit
-education selects the most appropriate people to do particular jobs
What is the Marxist perspective on education?
Is that education plays a key role in the reproduction of inequalities in wealth and power within society, maintaining the capitalist system. For marxists, education is a major agent of social control.
What Is the Capital class (or Bourgeoisie)?
The minority class. They are the employers who own the means of production (land/ factories/ machinery/
offices). They make their profits by exploiting the labour of the majority (Proletariat)
What is the Working class (or Proletariat)?
They are the majority who are forced to sell their labour power to the capitalists since they own no means of production of their own and so they have no other means of income.
What is the superstructure?
Non-economic social institutions like the media, education and the family
What is the economic base?
The means of production/ how wealth is produced
What is false consciousness?
concept describing the proletariat’s failure to recognise their own exploitation under capitalism, leading them to adopt the ideology and beliefs of the bourgeoisie
What is Aluthusser’s perspective on education? (1971)
He believes that schools are transmitting an ideology which states that capitalism is just and reasonable
and
that schools prepare pupils to accept their future exploitation
What key ideas did Althusser develop?
Reproduction of inequality (each generation of working class children fail which creates an un-educated workforce who carry on capitalism)
legitimation of inequality (persuades people to accept inequality)
Whats an ideological state apparatus? (ISA’s)
Maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling peoples ideas, values and beliefs. The ISA’s include religion, media and the education system
Whats an repressive state apparatus? (RSA’s)
Maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it. The RSA’s include the police, courts and army. When necessary, they use physical coercion (forces) to repress the working class
What did Althusser argue would happen if these ideas were accepted?
People would be less likely to challenge or threat capitalism
What did Bowles and Gintis argue? (1976)
That the capitalism requires a workforce with the kind of attitudes, behaviours and personality-type suited to their role as alienated and exploited workers willing to accept hard work, low pay and orders from above
What did Bowles and Gintis conclude about schooling rewards?
They concluded that schools reward personality traits that make for a submissive, complaint worker, while those who showed characteristics linked to obedience and discipline (punctuality) tended to gain higher grades
