Education - The role of education

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The role and purpose of education in contemporary society

The education system is a major agency of secondary socialisation in contemporary society 

Sociological perspectives on the roles of education in society

The Functionalist perspective

Functionalism is concerned with the links between education and other social institutions

It is concerned with the role of education for society

Functionalists see education as an important agency of socialisation that maintains social stability through:

  • the value consensus
  • social harmony
  • and social cohesion

Education is seen to provide a key role in preparing children for

  • adulthood
  • citizenship
  • and working life

It is seen as providing young people with the means to improve their life chances through upward social mobility

⚠️The 2 most important Functionalist writers were Durkheim and Parsons

They identified four basic functions of education

1. Passing on society's culture and building social solidarity

    Education meets a key functional prerequisite by passing values down generations

    This is achieved through the hidden curriculum and the actual overt curriculum

    This unites people and builds social solidarity through value consensus and shared culture

2. Providing a bridge between the particularistic values and ascribed status of family and the universalistic values and achieved status of contemporary society

    Durkheim said schools were a small scale version of society that prepares them for wider society

    Parsons sees schools as places for secondary socialisation as they take over from the family 

    He said schools provide a bridge between the particularistic values and ascribed status of family and the universalistic values and achieved status of contemporary society based on meritocracy

3. Developing human capital - a trained and qualified labour force

4. Selecting and allocating people for roles in a meritocratic society and legitimising social inequality

    The education system is a major method of role allocation

The New Right

argues school is for training the workforce and socialising into values, not concerned with equality

- CHUBB & MOE (1990, 1992):

    should be a free market in education

    should be run like private biz

    this would lead to

    higher quality education

    more skilled workforce

this is related to the marketisation of education

Marxist perspectives on education

see education as 

  • a means of social control
  • encouraging conformity
  • discouraging questioning own social position
  • discouraging upsetting current inequalities

- ALTHUSSER (1971):

    the main role of education under capitalism is to reproduce an efficient and obedient labour force of 2 aspects

    1. reproduction of technical skills

    2. reproduction of ruling class ideology and the socialisation of workers into accepting this (false consciousness)

    ALTHUSSER argues to prevent rebellion, the ruling class must persuade the working class to accept ruling class ideology

    this is carried out by multiple ideological state apparatuses like family, law, education

    ALTHUSSER argues in contemporary Western societies the main one is the education system, it

  • passes on ruling class…

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