Traditional marxist perspective on education

3 functions Marxist say the education system performs

1. Reproduction of class inequality

2. Legitimation of class inequality

3. Teaching the skills future capitalist employers need

Reproduction of class inequality

• Middle class students are able to afford private and better education alongside better resources allowing them to get better jobs in the future. Lower classes are more likely to get proper standards of education.

Legitimation of class inequality

• Marxist argue that school shares a “myth of meritocracy”. 

Teaching skills future capitalist employers need

• Bowles and Gintis say that schooling in capitalist America teaches students a set of hidden curriculums. - The unwritten values learnt at school that correspond to work values such as objeying a line of hierarchy or punctuality. 

School values that correspond to the workplace

• Subservient to teachers - subservient to managers etc

• Motivated by grades not learning - motivated by money not the job

• Uniform at school - formal dressing at work.

Positive criticisms

• Connor el at argues working class students are less likely to go uni due to fear of debt

• Middle class students have more cultural capital - more assets to promote their social and educational status

Negative criticism

• Giroux argues that working class pupils do not believe everything they are told.- Too deterministic