Functionalist Perspective of Education
- Created by: Bryoni_s
- Created on: 05-11-21 09:36
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- Functionalist Perspective
- Durkheim - Solidarity and Skills (1903)
- Social Solidarity
- Everyone feels themselves to be a part of community + work towards shared goals
- 'Society in miniature' - preparing for life in wider society (interact with set of impersonal rules)
- School transmits culture (shred beliefs / values) throughout generations (teaching countries history gives shared heritage / commitment)
- Functions of education
- Specialist Skills
- Teaches specialist knowledge + skills needed for division of labour. schools provide diversity of qualifications
- Industrial economies have complex division of labour, involving many different specialists
- Promotes social solidarity but only successful when people have specialist skills / knowledge to perform role
- Specialist Skills
- Specialist Skills
- Teaches specialist knowledge + skills needed for division of labour. schools provide diversity of qualifications
- Industrial economies have complex division of labour, involving many different specialists
- Promotes social solidarity but only successful when people have specialist skills / knowledge to perform role
- Social Solidarity
- Parsons - Meritocracy (1961)
- School = bridge between family and wider society
- Based on meritocratic principles - everyone given equal opportunities. Individuals achieve rewards through own effort / ability
- At school / wider society judged on universalistic / impersonal standards
- Same standards / rules apply to all
- At home child is judged by particularist standards
- Rules only applying to particular child
- Person's status is usually achieved not ascribed
- School = bridge between family and wider society
- Davis and Moore - Role Allocation (1945)
- Industrial Societies are hierarchical
- Some jobs = more important + pay more (e.g. doctors)
- Some jobs = less important + pay less (e.g. hairdressers)
- Education 'sifts and sorts' according to ability
- Education is meritocratic (fair) - provides equal opportunity for all to achieve good qualifications
- Combination of ability and effort determines who gets best qualifications / jobs
- Blau and Duncan (1978) Human Capital - meritocratic system will make best use of talents + maximise productivity
- Inequality is necessary
- people compete for jobs, most talented are selected
- inequality id necessary so most important roles filled by most talented people. not all equally talented so offers higher rewards for those jobs
- Industrial Societies are hierarchical
- Criticisms
- Marxism
- Education system isn't meritocratic
- Class backgrounds influence education achievement, especially with private education
- Ideological?
- Reflects views of powerful, who tend to benefit from education
- Postmodernism
- Education kills creativity through teaching to the test (prep for standardised test)
- Internationalism
- Ignores negative experiences some people have in school (e.g. bullying / negative teacher labelling)
- Marxism
- Positives
- Schools try to create solidarity
- Team sports, assemblies, citizenship lessons
- Those with degrees earn 85% more than those without
- education id more meritocratic than in the 19th cent.
- Education has become more work focused with more vocational qualifications and apprentaships
- Schools try to create solidarity
- Durkheim - Solidarity and Skills (1903)
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