Education- Revision Notes/Key Sociologists (Whole Topic)

Education

Role of Education 

Functionalists

• Durkheim: Schools are society in miniature, teaches norms and values 
• Parsons: Schools are the bridge between the family and society 
• Davis and Moore: Schools allow for role allocation based on meritocracy 
• Criticisms: Society is too diverse to share values, role allocation is not always correct 

Marxism

• Althusser: Schools legitimise class inequality through meritocracy/parentocracy (ideological state apparatus)
• Bowles and Gintis: Schools correspond to the world of work (Correspondence Theory)
• Criticisms: Schools teach students to be critical thinkers, hidden curriculum does not make all students obedient (Willis)

New Right 

• Hargreaves: ‘Kentucky Fried Schooling’ schools have to compete for students and should be ran like businesses 
• Chubb and Moe: Compared private and state schools, argued the education system should be managed privately 
• Criticisms: Competition meant schools began to select students (Bowe, Ball and Gerwitz), Issues with Cultural Capital (Bourdieu), Parentocracy is unfair 

Social Class

• Bernstein: Language Codes, Middle class teachers use elaborate code instead of restricted code with working class students 
• Douglas: Cultural/Material Deprivation, Parental interest and living conditions both impact attainment 
• Bourdieu: Cultural Capital, schools are middle class and so more middle class students succeed
• Sugarman: Immediate and Deferred Gratification
• Becker: Teachers label based on an ‘ideal pupil image’ 
• Ball: Students were labelled based on their parents’ jobs/careers 

Gender

• McRobbie: Bedroom Culture, girls…