marxist view of education

Marxist education intro

Marxists see education key component of state as function to prevent revolution and maintain capitalism

Two functions of education

Education reproduces class equality : transmitting it from generation to generation, failing each successive generation of. Working-class pupils in turn.

Education legitimates class in equality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause, persuade workers to accept inequality navigable they deserve subordinate position in society, less likely to challenge capitalism.

Althusser repressive and ideological

Althusser: The repressive state apparatuses RSAs which maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it. The RSA include the police courts and army. When necessary, they use physical coercive force to repress the working class.

The ideological state apparatuses which maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling people’s ideas, values and beliefs. The ISAS religion, the media and the education system.

Criticism of Marxist functions

However functionalists argue function is social solidarity and teaching specialist skills

Bowles And gintis

(1976) capitalism requires workforce with willing to accept hard work low pay, attitudes/behaviour education reproduces an obedient workforce.

237 New York high school students schools reward submissive, compliant worker traits. Students showed independence creativity - low grades, obedience  punctuality - high grades.

Schools stunt distorts students developments

Against Bowles and gintis

Critical modernists such as Morrow and Torres (1998) criticise Marxists taking ‘class first’ approach sees class as key inequality and ignores all other kinds. Also argue sociologist must explain education reproduces legitimates all forms of inequality not just class,

Correspondence principle

Hidden curriculum

Bowles and Gintis - Correspondence principle- school hierarchy/ structure/ relationships mirror work. E.g. teachers like bosses.

Hidden curriculum lessons learnt without being directly taught e.g accustomed to accepting hierarchy and competition.

Against correspondence principle

Post modernists; schools today produce different kind of labour forces - education now reproduces diversity not inequality.

myth of meritocracy - Bowles and gintis

Meritocracy not real- meritocracy ideologies serve to justify why inequality is fair inevitable making it seem higher class gained privileges through succeeding in fair competition at school most able and hardworking,

Justifies poverty by ‘Poor are dumb’ blaming poverty on individual rather than blaming capitalism

so working class not seek to overthrow capitalism

Evidence includes Sutton Trust attending an independent school more likely to gain top jobs, and in 2014, 68% of the top barristers attended independent schools.

Against myth of meritocracy

Takes deterministic view assume pupils have no free will passively accept indoctrination,many pupils reject schools values.

Functionalists believe equal opportunity to achieve as pass grade is everyone

Feminist view

MacDonald (1980) Bowles and gintis ignores schools reproduce not only capitalism but patriarchy

Willis

1977 - working class pupils can resists such attempts to indoctrinate them using participant observation and unstructured interviews , the lads 12 working class boys who had counter school cultures school boring so smoking drinking . Schools makes accustomed to boredom finding amusement in themselves like in work, acts of rebellion guarantee end up In unskilled jobs.Willis rejects view school brainwashes pupils into passively accepting their fate,

Willis against.

critics - willis romanticise lads portraying them as working-class heroes despite anti-social behaviour and sexist attitudes.

Small scale study of only 12 boys not representative of other pupils experience.

Other points

Lacey suggests the formation of anti-school subcultures is instead formed due to school placing students in lower abilities classes making them different and feeling polarised.

Interactionism does not think difference in educational achievement is due to capitalism due to teacher labelling and impact of expectations.