Marxism

Marxist theories say that the state, throughout history, has been a device for exploitation of the masses by the dominant class and will inevitably be superseded by a socialist, classless society.

Capitalism is an economic system where business people sell goods that are cheap to make (min wage) but at a higher price to generate profit.
2 social classes: Ruling class (bourgeoisie) who own means of production and the Working class (proletariat) who sell labour for wage as they don't own anything.

These two classes are likely to lead to class conflict and Marx predicted a revolution to overthrow the capitalist system and be replaced by an equal society.

Structure of society- The base (all things needed to produce) shapes the superstructure (everything not to do with production) while the superstructure maintains and legitimates the base.

Marxists argue that the capitalist class exerts control over the education system in order to reproduce and legitimate social inequality.

Louis Althusser believes there are two types of 'apparatus' that keep the bourgeoisie in power:

• Repressive State Apparatuses (RSA) - maintain the rule by force. e.g. police.
• Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA) - maintain rule by controlling people's ideas, values and beliefs. Includes religion, media and the eductation system.

Althusser argues that education reproduces class inequality by failing successive generations of workig class students. It also legitimates this inequality by training students to believe that inequality is inevitable and that we deserve the positions that we hold in society.

Althusser believes that schools transmit an ideology which states that capitalism is just and reasonable. Schools prepare pupils to accept their future exploitation. Pupils become managers and decision makers through their qualifications which legitimates their power over others.

Capitalism needs a subservient workforce who will accept hard work, low pay and orders from above. The best way to do this is by socialising people into it from a school age.

They studied 237 New York high school students and found that education rewards students who are obedient and compliant with good grades whilst independent and creative types tend to do badly. Message = school is there to train you rather than nurture your development and individuality is bad.

The Correspondence Principle - close correspondence between the way people and children are treated in the workplace and school. This is to get children used to their future exploitation and it achives this through the hidden curriculum.

Fragmentation: learning is fragmented into diffrent subject groups - Work is fragmented into repetitive and meangingless tasks.

Levels of education: Learning can be done in either sets or streams - Levels of work structure: higher and lower amounts of supervision.

Extrinsic rewards: Pupils work for qualifications, not interest in subject - Employees work for wages, not job satisfaction.

Alienation: Pupils lack control of education. It can be boring and tedious - Workers lack control over production. Can be equallly boring and tedious.

Competition: There is competition among pupils. E.g. who gets the highest grades - Division among workforce (pay, status and skill)

Hierarchy: Head teachers > Teachers, Older students > Younger students - Bosses, supervisors, skilled workers, unskilled workers.

Bowles and Gintis argue that schooling takes place in the 'long shadow of work'. The Hidden Curriculum is the idea that lessons are learned in school without directly being 'taught'. Through everyday life in school, students get used to accepting hierarchy