Functionalist Research Methods

• 'Armchair theorising'- Durkheim didn't carry out any empirical research, was simply expressing his opinion based on his functionalist beliefs

Weakness:

-Assumes that norms and values transmitted by the education system are those of society as a whole, rather than those of a ruling elite or ruling class

-Does not consider capitalist society influence, or the ISA (Marxist view, Althusser)

• 'Armchair theorising'- didn't carry out any empirical research, was simply expressing his opinion based on his functionalist beliefs

Weakness:

-Idea of meritocracy is undermined by the statistical patterns which show that not all children have equal chances of success- no matter how some pupils try they will never achieve their full potential, may be due to material deprevation or cultural deprevation

-Like Durkheim, Parsons fails to recognise that the value consensus may be that of the ruling class