Education revision (theories) FUNCTIONALISM

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  • Created by: p.jxl
  • Created on: 25-10-22 13:17
What is social solidarity?
Members of a community, must feel themselves to be a single 'body', or be apart of it.
Education - transmits society;s culture through shared beliefs and values (e.g; teaching a countries history, allows shared heritage and committment)
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What does school act as?
'Society in a miniature' - people have to interact with others in school like they would with people at work. Have to cooperate with those that are neither family or friends (teachers + pupils, colleagues + customers)
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What are Specialist Skills?
Modern industrial economies - complex division of labour. Production of a single item can involve the cooperation of different specialists. Promotes social solidarity, but to be successful, each person has to have the necessary specialist knowledge. D
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What does Durkheim argue about Specialist Skills?
That education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge they would need, to play a part in the division of labour.
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Parsons' and meritocracy
He sees school as the 'focal socialising agency'. Acting as a bridge between school and society. The bridge is needed through the family and society operating on different principles, so the children need to learn new ways of living if they are to cope wi
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Meritocracy pt.2
within family - children are judged through particularistic standards; rules only apply to the specific child. Their status is ascribed. (elder son, young daughter - different rules due to age and sex)
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Meritocracy pt.3
School and society both judge with universalistic and impersonal standards. In society - same laws, in school - judged by same standard (same exam, same passing marks)
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Meritocracy pt.4
In both school and society, a persons status is mostly achieved, not ascribed. work - promotions, or laid off. Based on how good at the job the person is. School - pass or fail, through own efforts.
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What problems can a researcher have when studying meritocracy in schools?
Access to school, and achievement does not necessarily link to a factor that can be different through gender, social class, ethnicity. Data would not be reliable because of those factors not being considered.
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Hargreaves' using Durkheim's ideas
He had argued that school can stress too much on over-developing a student, with the duties and responsibilities that they should have in school. Suggests that if achievement isn't succeeded, subcultures and rebellion can happen, so they are made to feel
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Schools perform thre function of selecting and allocating students to their future work roles, by assessing their aptitudes and abilities, schools help to match them to the jobs they are best suited to.
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Davis and Moore's role allocation
See education as a device for selection and role allocation. Believes inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles are filled by the most important people.
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Davis and Moore's role allocation pt.2
It would be 'inefficient' to have less able people to perform roles like surgeons, pilots. Not everyone is equally talented, so higher rewards are offered for the jobs. Everyone will compete and the society can select the most talented individuals to fill
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Davis and Moore's role allocation pt.3
Education plays a process in this. This is where individuals show what they can do - 'sifts and sorts' according to ability. Most able gain the highest qualification and highly rewarded positions.
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Davis and Moore's role allocation pt.4
Human capital: Peter and Otis Duncan argue that modern economy depends for its prosperity on using its 'human capital' - the workers skills. Meritocratic education does that best by ensuring each person is allocated to the job best suited for their abilit
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Evaluation of functionalism/functionalist perspective
- Does not teach specialised skills adequately (Vocation study of 2011 - high quality apprenticeships are rare, 1/3 of 16-19 are on courses that do not leach to education or good jobs
- Equal opportunity does not exist - achievement is rarely influenced b
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Evaluation continued
- Tumin criticises Davis and Moore - circular argument. how do we know a jobs important? highly rewarded. Why are some jobs more rewarded? importance
- Functionalist sees ED as a process that instils shared values of society as a whole. Marxists argue tha
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Evaluation continued, again.
- Interactionist Wrong - functionalists have an 'over-socialised' view. People are mere puppets of society. They imply that pupils passively accept all they're taught and not reject school's values.
- Neoliberalism and the New Right argue that the state e
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Why is staying in school important?
- Secondary socialisation
- Provides insight into inequality in society (and if class/ethnicity/gender divisions start in school)
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What does school act as?

Back

'Society in a miniature' - people have to interact with others in school like they would with people at work. Have to cooperate with those that are neither family or friends (teachers + pupils, colleagues + customers)

Card 3

Front

What are Specialist Skills?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What does Durkheim argue about Specialist Skills?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Parsons' and meritocracy

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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