Complete Education Notes - Detailed
- Created by: emillycgoodman
- Created on: 29-05-19 13:59
a.the role and function of education
Functionalist Perspective of Education
DURKHEIM – social solidarity (1925)
-
Main role of education – transmission of norms and values of society in order to maintain a value consensus in society.
-
Unites individuals – sense of belonging and commitment to that society (social solidarity).
-
By teaching history, individuals learn about their society – sense of commitment.
-
Saw schools as society in miniature – individuals learn to interact with others and follow a fixed set of rules – preparation for later life.
-
Education teaches you skills your parents can’t – skills that are necessary for specific jobs.
-
EV – forcing obedience, no individualism, ignores impact on gender, class, ethnicity
PARSONS – socialisation/meritocracy.
-
meritocracy – the belief that people are judged according to their ability and effort, not according to who they are.
-
education has three main functions; bridge between the family and wider society, socialises children into society’s basic values, selects people for their future roles.
-
In the family, children are socialised with particularistic standards, in society universalistic standards are applied. education is based on merit + achieved status not ascribed status.
-
the exam system encourages meritocratic values because it judges people fairly and motivates them to be successful.
-
EV – doesn’t mention gender, class or ethnicity
DAVIS AND MOORE – role allocation
-
Education is a means of role allocation
-
‘sifts and sorts’ people according to their abilities
-
most important jobs are more highly rewarded – motivating talented people to work hard – education helps ensure most competent people fulfil the important roles
-
see education as meritocratic, like PARSONS
-
EV – late developers missed – affected for life
Strengths of Functionalism
-
structural – beyond the level of the classroom or individual schools.
-
links schools to wider society.
-
schools = transmitters of knowledge, norms/values and selecting mechanism
Weaknesses of Functionalism
-
largely ignores gender, class and ethnicity as inequality reasons – some groups benefit more than others
-
ignores the impact of teacher labelling on achievement
-
not a meritocracy – ability and effort aren’t the only factors that determine achievement
-
WILLIS – not all pupils conform to society’s norms and values
-
New right – disagree fails to prepare young people for work – vocational
-
Old boys network – who you know is more important than what you know
Marxist Perspective of Education
ALTHUSSER – the role of ideology
-
Education system as part of the ideological state apparatus
-
Education reproduces class-based inequalities by creating the belief that capitalism is somehow ‘normal’ and ‘natural’
-
School system designed to fail working class pupils
-
Enables reproduction of class system – w/c stay w/c
BOURDIEU – cultural capital
-
Main function – reproduce and legitimize ruling class
-
Socialise w/c into ‘culture of failure’ – so that they take up routine and dull work
-
Education system favours the m/c culture rather than popular culture.
BOWLES AND GINTIS – hidden curriculum
-
close relationship between schooling and work
-
The hidden curriculum: prepares a hardworking, obedient workforce that won’t challenge authority
-
conforming pupils – higher grades than those who challenge authority
-
schools teach acceptance of hierarchy – teachers give orders
-
pupils motivated by exam success – workers motivated by wages
-
meritocracy as a myth – class determines how well a person does
Strengths of Marxism
-
unveils interests of dominant and powerful groups in schooling
-
reveals undeclared agendas of schooling but so does functionalism
-
documents resistance by students to…
Comments
No comments have yet been made