Functionalism and Education

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  • Created by: BWards18
  • Created on: 31-05-17 13:33
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  • Functionalism and Education
    • The functions education performs ....
      • S - ocial control and solidarity - individuals unite as one society
      • E- conomic - Meeting the needs of the economy creating skilled workers
      • T - ransmitting norms and values  - Secondary socialisation
      • S - ocial selection - Meritocracy (Effort + Ability = Reward), the most able get the jobs
      • How does education fulfil these functions?
        • 'Hidden Curriculum' - teaching students to be obedient and integrating them into their future role as loyal adult citizens
        • Qualifications as reward, wages as reward for work (Correspondence Theory)
        • Sense of national identity - Pledge of Allegiance and History
        • Literarte, hard working workforce through national curriculum and A Levels
        • Select and allocate roles -meritocracy
    • Theorists
      • Durkheim
        • Believes education achieves two key functions ....
          • 1. Social Solidarity - Uniting society through the transmission of norms and values
            • E.g. Pledge of Allegiance  and History
          • 2. Learning specialist skills - To meet the needs of the economy
            • Through teaching literacy and numeracy
      • Parsons
        • Believes that schools are bridges between family and wider society
        • In the family the child is judged by particularisticstandards
          • Judged and treated on the basis of an individual
        • However, in education they are judged by universalistic standards
          • Rules and values applied equally to all members of society
        • Schools are a bridge between ascribed and achieved status through and meritocratic system
      • Hargreaves
        • Contemporary schools fail to transmit shared norms and values
          • They promote self discipline that undermines social soladity
        • Schools put top much emphasis on individual achievement
      • Davis and Moore
        • Believes education sorts people into appropriate roles, social stratification
        • Promotes a meritocratic system (Ability +Effort = Reward)
          • Necessary to incentives people to take the tougher more tiring jobs
    • Criticisms
      • Doesn't consider individuals experiences as they take a macro approach
      • Marxixts belivee meritocracy is a myth and social class determines success
      • Those at the bottom are blamed for failure

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