Education: Sociological perspectives

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How much % is education in public spending? How much was spent in 2014?
13% 88bn a year in 2014
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From what year was the compulsory school age raised to 18?
2015
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Summarise the functionalist approach to education
An important agency of socialization, helping to maintain social stability through the development of value consensus, social harmony and social cohesion.
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Define meritocracy?
A society where jobs and pay are allocated on the basis purely of peoples individual talents, abilities, qualifications and skills.
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Define Human Capital
The knowledge possessed by a workforce that increase that workforce's value and usefulness to employers. Developed through expansion of education.
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Name the four functions Functionalists say education performs for society.
1. Passing on societies culture and building social solidarity. 2. Bridge between particularised and ascribe status, 3. developing human capital, 4. Roles in society through meritocracy
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What is involved in selecting and allocating roles in a meritocracy society?
Davis and Moore: education as a means of selecting people for different levels of the job market. ensure the most talented and qualified and allocated to the important jobs.
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Define equality of educational opportunity
Davis and Moore argue that this is present in the educational race for success. It means that everyone who has ability and talent and puts in effort has an equal chance of coming out ahead.
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What is the theory of Human Capital? (functionalist)
Shultz (1971) developed the theory of Human Capital. This theory suggests that high levels of spending on education and training are justified as these develop people's knowledge and skills, an important economical investment for society.
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Define division of labour
The division of work or occupations into a large number of specialized tasks, each of which is carried out by one worker or a group of workers.
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What do the new right argue about education?
That it should not be concered with promoting equality or equality of opportunity, but with training the workforce and making sure the most able students are developed and recruited into important jobs.
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What do Chubb and Moe say about education?
They argue that there should be a free market in education with a wide range of independently managed schools and colleges run like private businesses.
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Feminist and Marxist argument against Functionalist view that education passes on societies culture generation to generation.
Marxist: ignores inequalities in power. No value consensus. Values are ruling class values. Feminists: School passes on patriarchal values and disadvantages men and women
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Criticism of the view that education legitimises social inequality
Bowles and Gintis (2011) argue that the education system simply disguises the fact there is no equality of opportunity in education. social class, ethnicity and gender and main determiners.
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Criticism of New Right and Functionalist view of Roll allocation.
Bowles and Gintis argue Ethnicity, gender and social class are more pertinent factors in influencing educational success.
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How do Marxists see education?
Education is a means of exerting social control, encouraging conformity and to discourage rebellion. Education plays a role in producing the hegemony and hegemonic control of ruling class.
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Explain education as an Ideological state apparatus.
Althusser: The main role of education is the reproduction of an efficient and obedient labour force through: 1. Reproduction of technical skills 2. acceptance of dominant ideology leading to false conciousness
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How does Althusser argue that the dominant class prevents rebellion?
By winning the hearts of the working class and persuading them to accept their ideology. They must believe their lack of achievement is their fault.
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Explain cultural capital and habitus
Bordieu (1977) argues each social class has a habitus; cultural framework. The domaint class imposes its own on society but everyone learns through their family. Those who learn dominant from family have cultural capital.
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Explain the view that schools are repressive institutions.
Illch argues that schools are repressive institutions that promote conformity and encourage students into passive acceptance of inequality and interests of the powerful rather than promoting originality and criticism; by rewarding acceptance ofregime
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How does Freire view education?
Just like Illch he views it as a repressive institution where learners are conditions to accept oppressive relations of dominion and subordination.
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How do Bowels and Gintis argue the workforce is produced?
1. Hidden curriculum 2. Legitimising inequality
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Name three ways school mimics the workplace.
1. School rules and rewards = conformity to societies rules and laws. 2. School assemblies = respect for religious beliefs and dominant moral values. 3. Respecting teachers, pupils needing to justify their actions = respect for authority e.g. bosses.
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Give a criticism based on validity of Marxist thinkers on education.
Althuser, Bordieu, Illich, Freire and Bowles and Gintis lack detailed research into schools. Pupils regularly have little discipline or respect for teachers authority, they are not passive recipients of education.
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Criticism of the view that education reproduces work-force.
Bowles and Gintis, Iilch and Freire ignore some influences of the formal curriculum. Humanities subjects promote critical thinkers while work-relate courses and low status. Arguably not enough workers are created.
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What approaches does Paul Willis use in his research?
He is a marxist but draws on the interactionalist perspective.
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What does Paul Willis question through his study?
Schools don't produce a willing and obedient workforce e.g. students don't always obey. Middle-class into middle class jobs is expected but why do wc go into dead-end low-paid tedious jobs?
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Briefly explain Paul Willis's study.
Studied a group of 12 WC 'lads' in Wolverhampton housing estate and found they developed an anti-school subculture. mocked 'ear'ols' who abide by school rules. found that they wanted to go into menial work.
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What can be concluded from Paul Willis's research?
Schools are not directly preparing obedient and docile labour force required by capitalism which Althusser and Bowles and Gintis suggest, young wc males are not forced by the school to leave and look for manual jobs but actively reject school.
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What are the similarities between the functionalist and marxist perspective on education?
Both see school as playing a role in legitimising social inequality. 2.both macro theories 3. education serving the needs of industrial/capitalist society. 4. Education as a powerful influence ensuring conformity to norms and values
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Criticisms of both Marxist and functionalist perspectives.
1. Too much emphasis on the role of education in forming identity as opposed to other institutions. 2. don't consider non 'functional' actions e.g. truancy 3. Both see too tight a link between education and ecnonomy.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

From what year was the compulsory school age raised to 18?

Back

2015

Card 3

Front

Summarise the functionalist approach to education

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Define meritocracy?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Define Human Capital

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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