marxist perspective on education

what does Marx say

• education revolves around class division and the exploitation of the proletariat in order to reproduce class inequality and prevent a WC revolution

• he thinks that the proletariat will unite to overthrow capitalism to make a classless society

what are the types of state apparatus

Althusser

• repressive state apparatus- maintaining bourgeoisie power through force or threats e.g. police, courts, army

• ideological state apparatus- maintaining bourgeoisie power through ideas/beliefs/values e.g. religion, education, media

what does the ideological state apparatus do

• reproduce class inequality- transmits ideas through generations by failing each of them

• legitimising class inequality- making values that persuade workers to believe that inequality is inevitable so WC pupils are less likely to challenge capitalism

what did Willis’ study show

• WC pupils can resist being indoctrinated

• studied 12 WC boys to observe lads counter culture

• he found counter culture oooosed school so pupils are rude to conformist boys

• they find school meaningless so they go against the rules and reject the idea that WC people can get MC jobs

what is the correspondence principal

Bowled and Gintis

• they argue that school mirrors the workplace e.g. they both have hierarchies

• a study showed that schools reward traits that make a good worker such as punctuality so education makes obedient workers

• this operates through the hidden curriculum- lessons learnt in school that aren’t directly taught to students such as being on time, wearing uniform or obeying to get rewards

what is the myth of meritocracy

Bowles and Gintid

• education is a ‘giant myth making machine’ and meritocracy isn’t desk because no matter how hard someone tries, reward isn’t needed on effort

what is the evaluation of marxism

• postmodernists- education provides diversity, not inequality

• Morrow and Torres- marxism takes a class-first approach that ignores other inequalities