Sociology Education

Durkheim – role of education?

Education creates social solidarity by teaching shared norms and values and teaches specialist skills needed for the division of labour.

Parsons – role of education?

Education is a bridge between the family and wider society and operates on meritocratic principles based on achievement.

Davis and Moore – role allocation theory?

Education sifts and sorts individuals into roles based on ability, ensuring the most important jobs are filled by the most talented people.

Marx – view of education?

Education is part of the superstructure and helps reproduce class inequality under capitalism.

Althusser – education as an ISA?

Education is an ideological state apparatus that transmits ruling-class ideology and maintains capitalism through consent.

Bowles and Gintis – correspondence principle?

The organisation of schools mirrors the workplace, preparing students to accept hierarchy, authority, and alienation.

Bowles and Gintis – hidden curriculum?

Schools teach obedience, punctuality, and acceptance of authority, benefiting capitalism.

Bowles and Gintis – myth of meritocracy?

Education falsely claims success is based on ability and effort, hiding class inequality and creating false class consciousness.

Bourdieu – cultural capital?

Middle-class students succeed because they possess cultural capital valued by the education system.

Bourdieu – habitus?

Deep-seated dispositions shaped by social class that influence attitudes towards education.

Willis – counter-school culture?

Working-class boys reject school values and form a culture opposed to authority and academic success.

Willis – partial class consciousness?

The lads recognise inequality and reject meritocracy but do not challenge capitalism itself.

Willis – evaluation of Marxism?

Students are not passive, but resistance still leads to working-class jobs, supporting class reproduction.

Bernstein – language codes?

Middle-class children use elaborated code while working-class children use restricted code, affecting achievement.

Sugarman – working-class subculture?

Working-class values such as fatalism and immediate gratification discourage educational success.

Douglas – parental interest?

Middle-class parents show more interest in education, improving achievement.

Feinstein – early development?

Class differences in achievement appear early and widen over time.

Bull – material deprivation?

Costs of education such as books and transport disadvantage working-class pupils.

Tanner – health and diet?

Poor nutrition negatively affects concentration and achievement.

Ridge – experience of poverty?

Poverty causes stigma and stress that harm children’s education.

Becker – ideal pupil?

Teachers label middle-class pupils as ideal, leading to higher expectations.

Rosenthal and Jacobson – self-fulfilling prophecy?

Teacher expectations can influence pupil performance.

Ball – banding and streaming?

Ability grouping disadvantages working-class pupils.

Gillborn and Youdell – educational triage?

Schools prioritise students most likely to boost league table results.

Sharpe – changing ambitions of girls?

Girls now prioritise careers and independence over marriage.

Mitsos and Browne – gender achievement gap?

Changes in girls’ ambitions and the labour market explain improved achievement.

Connell – hegemonic masculinity?

Some boys reject school to maintain masculine identity.

Francis – laddish behaviour?

Boys adopt laddishness to gain peer status.

Kelly – science education?

Gendered teacher interaction discourages girls from science.

Gillborn – institutional racism?

Education policies and practices systematically disadvantage ethnic minorities.

Wright – Asian pupils and racism?

Teachers hold stereotypes that marginalise Asian students.

Sewell – black masculinity?

Peer pressure and rejection of education contribute to underachievement.

Archer – Muslim pupils and identity?

Negative stereotypes create conflict between school and identity.

Gewirtz – parental choice?

Middle-class parents are privileged choosers, increasing inequality.

Ball – parentocracy?

Education success depends on parental wealth and cultural capital.

Leech and Campos – league tables?

Marketisation benefits middle-class families who can access high-ranking schools.

Ball – Education PLC?

Education has become privatised and profit-driven.

Chubb and Moe – marketisation?

Competition and choice raise standards.

1944 Education Act – aim?

To provide free secondary education and promote meritocracy through the tripartite system

Marxist view of the welfare state?

It reproduces class inequality and legitimates capitalism.

Lyotard – postmodernism?

Rejects grand theories like Marxism and functionalism.

Usher – postmodern education?

Education is diverse and fragmented, not controlled by one ideology.