Sociology: Education - Role of education in society

History of education in UK?

History of education in UK?

18/19th century - no state education Industrialisation - needed an educated workforce. 19th century - state becomes involved in education. 1880 - Education act and education made compulsory between ages 5-13.

1944 Education Act (Tripartite System)?

The tripartite system is a system which children take an exam called the 11+ exam and are sorted into one of three schools (although mainly two): grammar school (for those who passed) and secondary modern school (for those who failed) and there was also a small amount of technical schools (also for those who failed).

This system was said to be based on meritocracy however class played a large part in whether you'd fail or pass the exam and so only perpetuated and legitimised class inequality.

Social and Cultural capital?

Social capital is all about who you know and the connections you have.

Cultural capital is all about what you know about a place's culture and how to interact/behave.

1965 Comprehensive Education Act?

Labour introduced the comprehensive system to try and overcome class divide made by the tripartite system. The 11+ exam was abolished. The comprehensive system sorted kids into schools by catchment area, however, it was left up to local authorities to put this in place and after conservatives won again many chose not to.

Functionalism

Functionalism is a sociological perspective based on society working together as a system of interdependent parts held together by a shared culture and value consensus (agreed/shared values). Each part of society performs functions to maintain and benefit society as a whole.

Functionalism and Education

Functionalists believe that education is an important part of society and serves to fulfill three main functions:

• Socialisation (particularly into social solidarity)

• Role allocation

• Work skills (vocational training)

Emile Durkheim & Social Solidarity + Specialist skills

Founder/father of functionalist sociology.

Durkheim believed social solidarity was necessary and a basic need in society so individuals would feel a part of a community and leave behind selfish desires. He believed school's function was to create this social solidarity by transmitting culture from one generation to the next particularly through the teaching of history to establish common heritage.

Example: USA - pledge of alliance

Being taught specialist skills is also important in creating social solidarity as it allows everyone to play their part in the division of laour.

Parson & Education as a bridge + meritocracy

Parson saw education's function as being a bridge from the family setting (of ascribed status and particularistic standards) to the world of work (where status was achieved and everyone lived by universalistic standards).

Due to the world of work being based upon achieved status in schools you are taught to value individual achievement and to believe in meritocracy.

Davis and Moore & Role allocation

Education plays a key part in role allocation - it's a proving ground for ability where individuals show what they can do. It 'sifts and sorts' according to ability.

The ablest gain the highest qualifications which give them entry to the most important and highly rewarded positions.

They argue that inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles in society are filled by the best. For example, it would be inefficient and dangerous to have less able people performing roles such as surgeon or pilot.

Not everyone is equally talented, so society has to offer higher rewards for these jobs. Encourages everyone to compete for them and society can then select the most talented individuals to fill these positions.

Functionalist + Education Evaluation

Weaknesses:

1. The education system does not teach specialist skills adequately- the Wolf review of vocational education (2011) claim that high-quality apprenticeships are rare and up to a third of 16-19 year-olds are taking courses that do not lead to higher education nor good jobs.

2. Lots of evidence that shows that equal opportunity does not exist in education and achievement is heavily based upon class background rather than ability.

3. Tumin criticised D&M for putting forward a circular argument (how do we know a job is important? because it's highly rewarded. why are some jobs more highly rewarded? because it's more important.)

4. Functionalists see education as a process that teaches the shared values of society as a whole but Marxists argue that it only teaches the ruling class' ideology.

5. Interactionist Dennis Wong argues that functionalists have an over-socialised view of people and so they wrongly imply that people are like puppets and just passively accept everything they are taught when this isn't the case as people have free will and agency.

6. Neoliberals and the new right argue that the state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work.

Marxism?

Marxism is a sociological perspective based upon class conflict (the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production, exploiting the proletariat). Society uses a system called capitalism to keep the rich and poor as they are.

Karl Marx believed that the proletariat would eventually gain class consciousness and revolt against the bourgeoisie.

Marxist Concepts?

1. Class struggle

2. Exploitation

3. Oppression

4. Alienation

5. Polarisation

6. Revolution

7. Ruling class ideology

8. Economic structure

9. False class consciousness

Marxism: strengths and weaknesses?

Strengths:

• structuralist approach (see links between institutions)

• emphasises the importance of economy unlike functionalism

• takes into account how the institutions affect people's conciousness.

Marxism and Education

Marxists agree with functionalists about the three roles of education (socialisation, role allocation, vocational training), however, they believe that they only benefit the ruling class and not society as a whole.

Althusser and state apparatus?

Marxists see that state as the means by which the bourgeoisie maintain their dominant position. there is two main aspects of the state:

1. Repressive state apparatus (RSAs) Brute force to control the lower class. done through the police. military and courts.

2. Ideological state apparatus (ISAs) Institutions that pass on ideologies and control the lower class' thoughts and beliefs. this is done through social institutions such as religion and EDUCATION.

Function of education in capatilism?

To reproduce and legitimise class inequality through the myth of meritocracy.

Bowles and Gintis?

Bowles and Gintis argue that capitalism requires a workforce that'll accept exploitative, under-paid, alienating work and have the personality type suited to taking orders from above.

They believe that education's role in capitalist society is to reproduce this obedient workforce that accepts inequality as inevitable.

Bowles and Gintis' study?

Studied 237 NY high school students and findings of other studies and concluded that schools rewarded traits that make a good worker and those who didn't have those traits got the lower grades.

e.g independence and creativity leads to low grades but obedience and discipline leads to good grades.

The correspondence principle?

B&G argue that there is close parallels between schools and work in capitalist society as the relationships and structures found in education mirror those found in the workplace.

3 parallels:

• Hierarchy of authority

• Motivation by external rewards

• Fragmentation of knowledge/work

The hidden curriculum?

The indirectly taught 'lessons' in school that are taught by how the education system works like accepting hierarchy and competition and working for external rewards.

Role allocation + The myth of meritocracy?

Bowles and Gintis argue role allocation isn't based on merit, but social class, 'old school tie' network ensures top jobs go to upper-middle class, legitimates economic/class inequalities through the pretence of meritocracy.

'The poor are dumb' theory- the education system legitimises class inequality by blaming the individual not capitalism which causes the individual to blame themselves as well and accept it as their own fault.

Vocational training - reserve army of skilled labour

Everyone is taught basic skills for work which creates RAL. People are so desperate for jobs so they accept awful conditions.

Conclusion: Socialisation

working class children are socialised to be docile and obedient workers who respect authority and accept inequality and boredom and are motivated by external rewards. achieved by: hidden curriculum and correspondence principle.

Conclusion: Role allocation

Equal opportunity doesn't exist therefore meritocracy is a myth and middle-class children have an advantage due to economic and social capital. Because of this education reproduces class inequality (due to the lack of social mobility) and legitimises class inequalities too. Creates false class consciousness.

Conclusion: Work skills

All workers possess basic working skills so high demand fro work and little jobs means people are desperate- keeps wages low and working conditions poor. Everyone is replaceable.