Sociology- Education- Perspectives on Education

What does Emile Durkheim believe about education? (Functionalism)

Education is an institution which enables the ability to transmit norms and values which make society operate smoothly. Also argues that schools allow individuals to operate with one another and to develop a sense of belonging.

What does Talcott Parsons believe about education? (Functionalism)

Education is the main form of socialisation after primary socialisation. Education passes on socially desired and acceptable behaviours. It also enforces a meritocracy,

What are the 3 functions that functionalists argue education provides?

-Secondary socialisation

-Skills Provision

-Role Allocation

How do functionalists believe that school provides secondary socialisation?

They teach young people the key cultural norms and values, providing guidelines about how you should behave and punishing those who do not abide. For example, working hard to achieve full potential, obedience to authority, respecting others and working together to enforce 'social solidarity'

How do functionalists believe that school provides skills provision?

The function of education is to teach the skills necessary to use in the modern industrial society.

How do functionalists believe that school provides role allocation?

The educational system is an important mechanism for the selection of individuals for their future roles in society. Schools do this by testing and evaluating students matching their skills for the jobs for which they are best suited. Davis and Moore saw the education system as a form of social stratification, ensuring that the most talented and able in society are allocated the positions that are the most functionally important in society.

What is reproducing inequality?

Making sure working/middle class stay in that class (educational system keeps you in your class)

What is legitimising inequality?

Making it seem fair, blames the working class for their failures.

What does Althusser believe? (Marxist)

In modern society, the education system has replaced the church as the main agency for ideological control. For example, schools transmit the ideology that capitalism is okay and they prepare students for future exploitation.

What do Bowles and Gintis believe? (Marxist)

There is a close correspondence between the ways in which people and children are treated in the workplace and the school. This is to get children used to their future. It is achieved through the hidden curriculum training children to be subservient.

What does Willis believe? (Marxist)

Students form their own friendship groups with their own culture. If they were treated badly they would form an anti school sub-culture to cope with boredom but they are clearly trying to cope with oppression.

What does ideological state apparatus mean?

Institutions that spread bourgeoisie ideology and ensure that the proletariat are in a a form of false class consciousness.

What is the hidden curriculum?

What educators teach students without even realising it, through their interactions/modelling and school/classroom culture.

What is the myth of meritocracy?

That people have what they have because they worked hard to recite it, based on their own merit doesn't account for others privileges.

What is counter culture?

a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.

What do the New Right believe about education?

-Education should be based on meritocracy

-Education should act as secondary socialisation

-Education is a business (marketisation policies)

-They introduce market policies and reduce the power of LEA's

What do New Labour believe about education?

-Extended the development of specialist and faith schools

-EMA payments, sure start centres, aim higher programme, school leaving age raised to 18.

Who are Chubb and Moe?

Argue that state run education in the USA has failed because:

-it has not created equal opportunity

-fails to produce pupils with skills needed for the economy

-private schools give a higher quality education because they answer to paying customers.

To tackle this they call for the introduction of a market system in state education (do this by giving vouchers to be spent on an education of their choice)

What do feminists believe about education?

-Education helps to enforce patriarchy

-Heaton and Lawson: feminists see the hidden curriculum as the main source of gender socialisation (through resources, students, teacher expectations and attitudes, through a patriarchal curriculum and through a lack of positive senior role models)

What do postmodernists believe about education?

-Education needs to adapt to the enormous changes that are taking place within a global society.

-A move from Fordist to post-Fordist styles of work (production methods need to be more adaptable and a range of skills needs to be taught in schools.)

-Increasingly fragmented and diverse societies.