Functionalist Explanations for Class Achievement in Education

Fuctionalists: Blame the individual for failure as they are not in consensus with meritocratic society. Working class children fail due to family background - WC families do not socialise children to have the adequate norms and values for school (cultural deprivation). Lack of faith in the education or failure to see the relevance of studying for exams combined with a tendancy towards immediate gratification leads to low achievemnet.

Hyman: WC have a distinct set of fatalistic norms and values that disadvantage them in education
            > Place low value on education
            > More likely to look for stable and secure jobs than jobs with high status
            > Believe there are few opportunities for them to advance = self fulfilling prophecy

Sugarman: Relationship between class subculture and attainment. WC socialisted into 4 main                        values which impact education
                > Fatalism
                > Immediate Gratification
                > Present Time Orientation
                > Collectivism
Critisisms:> Marxists argue that WC is realistic rather than fatalistic. (ie instant gratification-                         money…