The Role Of Education - Studies

?
View mindmap
  • The Role Of Education In Society - Studies
    • Durkheim (1903) - There are 2 functions of education
      • Social Solidarity: being a part of a community, transmits society's culture, shared beliefs and values from one generation to the next. e.g teaching history gives a sense of shared heritage.
        • 'Society in miniature' - prepares us for life in wider society, e.g cooperate with people who are neither family or friends.
      • Teaching specialist skills: each individual learns the specialist skills and knowledge they need to play their party in the social division of labour.
    • Parsons (1961) - education is a focal socialising agency in modern society, it acts as a bridge between the family and wider society.
      • In the family, a child is judged by particularistic standards and status is ascribed.
        • School and society are based on meritocratic principles.
          • Meritocracy: everyone is given equal opportunity to achieve rewards through their own efforts and abilities.
      • In school and wider society, everyone is judged with the same universalistic standards, status is achieved.
        • School and society are based on meritocratic principles.
          • Meritocracy: everyone is given equal opportunity to achieve rewards through their own efforts and abilities.
    • Davis and Moore (1945)
      • Role allocation: schools match pupils to the job they're best suited to based on aptitudes and abilities.
      • Inequality is necessary to ensure the most important roles are filled by the most talented people.
      • Not everyone is equally talented so society has to offer highest rewards for the more important jobs.
      • 'sifts and sorts' according to ability.
    • Blau and Duncan (1978) - modern economy depends on using its 'human capital' for its prosperity.
      • Human capital = workers' skills
      • meritocratic education system enables each person to be allocated to the job best suited to their abilities. It makes the most effective use of talents which maximises productivity.
    • The Wolf review of vocational educations (2011) - high-quality apprenticeships are rare. Up to a third of 16 - 19 year olds on courses that don't lead to higher education on good jobs.
    • Tumin (1953) - critics Davis and Moore for putting forward a circular argument.
    • Wrong (1961) - functionalists have an 'over-socialised view' of people as puppets of society. Imply pupils passively accept all they're taught and never reject school values.
    • Neoliberals and The New Right - education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work.
    • Chubb and Moore (1990) - State run education has failed because:
      • Not created equal opportunity, failed the needs of disadvantaged groups.
      • Inefficient, fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy.
      • Private schools deliver high quality education because they are answerable to paying customers.
    • Gewirtz (1995) and Ball (1994) - competition between schools benefits the middle-class as they use cultural capital to get into desirable schools.
    • Critics -   cause of low educational standards is social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools.
    • Marx (1818-83) - 2 class system.
      • Bourgeoisie: capitalist class, exploit the labour of the proletariat.
      • Proletariat: working-class, no control, underpaid.
      • Proletariat would overthrow capitalist system and creates an equal society.
    • Cohen (1984) - youth training schemes serve capitalism by teaching the attitudes and values needed in a subordinate labour force, not genuine job skills.
    • Althusser (1971) - Two elements of apparatuses which serve to keep the bourgeoisie in power.
      • Repressive state apparatus (RSA); control by force or threat, e.g. police, courts, army.
      • Ideological state apparatus (ISA): control peoples ideas, values and beliefs, e.g. religion, the media, the education system.
      • Education system performs 2 functions
        • Reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation, failing each successive generation of working-class pupils.
        • Legitimates class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause. if pupils believe inequality is inevitable they're less likely to challenge capitalism.
    • Bowles and Gintis (1976) - capitalism requires an obedient workforce to accept inequality as inevitable.
      • Schools reward the personality traits that make for a submissive, compliant worker.
      • Correspondence principle: relationships and structures found in education mirror and correspond to those of work.
      • Hidden curriculum: lessons learnt in school without being directly taught, e.g accepting hierarchy and competition.
      • Myth of meritocracy: high income not based on ability or educational success but based on class background.
    • Willis (1977) - working-class pupils can resist the tempts to indoctrinate them. Counter-school culture of 'the lads' who reject school rules and values.
      • Links lads anti-school counter-culture with shopfloor culture of male manual workers.
        • helps slot into manual jobs, destined for unskilled jobs.
      • Critics argue he 'romanticises' anti-social behaviour and sexist attitudes.

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Education resources »