Theories of Education

Who believes that education is based on meritocracy?

Functionalists

Functionalist view of the hidden curriculum

Positive and gives pupils skills to prepare them for work

Parsons

Education acts as a bridge between the family and work

Davis & Moore

Role allocation theory

What is the role allocation theory?

Schools filter pupils into career paths

Criticisms of the functionalist view of education

Unequal differences in achievement of different groups

Who believes that meritocracy is a myth?

Marxists

Meritocracy is a myth

Schools are rigged to benefit upper and middle class pupils

Marxist view of the hidden curriculum

Negative and teaches pupils to accept the capitalist system by mimicking its pyramid

Bowles & Gintis

Correspondance theory

What is the correspondence theory?

School readies pupils for capitalist working society

Bourdieu

Cultural capital and deprivation

What is cultural capital?

Middle class pupils have values, language codes and parental encouragement to succeed in the education system

Willis

Working class pupils who resist the middle class values will fail

Criticisms of the marxist view of education

Meritocracy is not a complete myth Schools don’t always produce work-ready individuals Not always set up to benefit capitalism

Who believes that education maintains and justifies gender inequality?

Feminists

What do schools do from a feminist perspective?

Run in favour of men and work to reflect patriarchal society

How do schools reflect patriarchal society?

Gendered subjects, teacher expectations, representation

Francis

Boys dominate space and time

Sue Lees

School’s a key place where sexual control begins eg. sexual double standards

Criticisms of the feminist view of education

Girls have been outperforming boys in the last 30 years “Feminisation of education”