Education

• Education plays a key role in preparing young people for adulthood, citizenship and working life. It promotes social cohesion and the opportunity for social mobility. 

4 basic functions

1) Passing on society's culture and bulding solidarity

2) Providing a bridge between particularistic values of the family and universalistic values of society (Durkheim - society in minature)

3) Developing human capital - a trained and qualified labour force (Schultz - develops people's knowledge and skills for a successful economy) 

4) Selecting and allocating people for roles in a meritocratic society, and legitamizing social inquality (Davis & Moore - role alloaction throught tests, exam results ect...)

1)Passing on society's culture - Marxists would argue that this view ignores the inqualities in power in society. There isn't a value consensus, and the culture and values passed on by the school are those of the dominant or ruling class. Feminists may argue the school passes on patriarchal values and disdvantages girls and women.

2) Education provides a bridge between values - There is some doubt as to how far contemporary society is really based on universalistic values and achieved status. Many in the upper class inherit wealth, and there are many elite jobs where ascirbes status characterisics such as social calss and gender have an important influence.

3) Education provides a trained and qualified labour force - No equality of opportunity in education as everyone does not start at the same point, and not everyone has the same chance of success in education even when they have the same ability.

4) Education legitamizes social inequality - Bowles & Gintis argue the education system simply disguises the fact that there is no equality of opportunity in education, and this it is social class particularly that are the main influences on educational success.

• They believe education reproduces and legitamizes the class structure
• Unlinke Functionalists and New Right, Marxists see education as a form of social control, encouraging young people to accept their social position and to not challenge the current patterns of inquality in power.

There are 4 key marxist sociologists who have studied the role of education and what it plays in reinforcing the values and ideologies of the ruling class:

1) Althusser

2) Bourdieu

3) Illich

4) Bowles and Gintis

Athusser: Education is the reproduction of an efficient and obedient labour force which follows the idea of the ruling class.

Bourdieu: Education legitamises class inqualities. Success in education is based on cultural capital so exclused the working class from this. 

Illich & Friere: School rewards those who accept thei regime with qualificatoins. Education is a repressive institution which makes children obey teachers and accept superior knowledge.

Bowles & Gintis: Focusses on the 'hidden curriculum'. Social relationships mirror those in the workforce.

• There is a lack of detailed research in schools, over emphasis on the hidden curriculum and to much beleif that student respect teachers authority.
• This perspective also ignores influence of formal curriculum - not all subject suit capitalist society. E.g. humanities and sociology encourge questioning and produce critical thinkers
• Employers complain that education isn't productng qualified and skilled conformist workers
• This perspective assumes people have no real ability to make choices. It also does not explain why so many working class children do well in education.

Postmodernism: Education is increasingly a reflection of individualism in society. (e.g. learning styles, multi-culturalism). They believe education is moving away from the traditional 'one-type fits all) education. 

Interpretivist: Explores education on a micro level and look at the processes that occur within education and explaining behaviour. 

Labelling: Meaning is attached to behaviour. This can be positive or negative and refers to the way in which teachers label students. Interpretivists explore how this can impact educational achievement. 

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: A person begins to intermalise the lavel given to them and begins to act out that label.

When students from the lower working class have been compared to middle-class children of the same ability it has been found that:

• They are more likely to start school unable to read
• They do less well in tests like the National Curriculum Tests
• Less likely to get places in the best state schools.
• More likely to be placed in lower sets.
• Obtain poorer exam results
• More likely to leave school at the minimum leaving age
• More likely to undertake vocational courses
• Less likely to go into higher educaiton

• Difference within social class and achievement is that the lower classes do not have money on their side. They may also not get pushed enough.

There are 2 types of social class differences:

1) Internal = Factors inside the school e.g. Teacher evaluation (sterotyping, labelling, self-fulfilling prophecy), cultural deprivation and culture clash, use of restricted language codes (elaborate)

2) External = Factors outside the school e.g. Lack of social capital, lack of cultural capital, parents attitudes, problem schools in deprived areas, material factors

Material Deprivation: Lack of resources and the lack of ability to purchase goods and services. compared with other members of society.

Material Deprivation: 

• Poverty and low wages 
• Poor diet and ill health
• Lack of money for educational resources
• Poor environment
• Cost of travel and fees post 16
• Damp, overcrowded, poor quality housing
• Lack of financial support