Sociologists and their Theories + Other Important Peoples’ Actions and Ideologies

Functionalism (education)

education serves key positive values for society such as promoting social cohesion and value consensus - Emilie Durkheim

Marxism (education)

education serves the capitalist rulin gclass by reproducing class inequalities and maintaining social hierarchy - Karl Marx

Feminism (education)

education is an asset of patriarchy, reinforces gender inequality and discriminates against women. Hidden curriculum (Gendered language, Unequal teacher attention, textbook stereotypes), Gendered Subjects, Sexual harassment)

New Right

advocates for market based educational reforms and believes the state has failed to provide quaility education (parental choice, Education Reform Act 1988)

Emile Durkheim

Organ Anatomy theory: social institutions work together to uphold society eg. Education

Education system has the purpose of teaching specialised skills, and promoting social solidarity

Shultz

Human capital theory: training specialised skills = economic investment

Parsons (US)

Education is a form of secondary socialisation: the continuous process of being taught how to fit into society

Teaching of meritocratic values

Davis and Moore

Sorting and Sifting: theory of stratification to ensure important societal roles are filled (role allocation) - inequality is functional as society should treat the more essential better

Michael Gove (2013)

Reformed the education system for compulsory teaching of British Values: democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and understanding of other religions and cultures

Althusser

Ideological State Apparatus: superstructure impresses false class consciousness (inability to recognise class inequality) by perpetuating the myth of meritocracy onto working class people so the economy can prop up the bourgeoisie

Bowles and Gintis

Correspondence Theory (education system mirrors the workplace through hidden curriculum)

failure theory: (the idea that failing in education and the workplace is entirely the fault of the individual) in schools through a NY study of 237 students

Lacey

Setting and Streaming: teachers’ perception of students and placement into groups based on ability invited labelling and produced anti-school subcultures

Becker

Labelling theory: positive or negative labels can influence self-identity, often resulting in a self-fulfilled prophecy

Paul Willis

Working class ‘lads’ study: explores how working-class boys resist school culture and embrace a anti-school culture, leading to a reproduction of class.

Mitsos and Brown

feminisation of education: more female teachers, more positive role models, female suited subjects

Laura Mulvey (radical)

Male Gaze theory: men sexualise and objectify women (school clothing issues)

Anne Oakley (liberal)

Gender role socialisation theory: primary socialisation through family, gender roles are social construct (manipulation (gendered treatment), channelisation (gendered children’s toys), verbal appellation (labels, pretty vs handsome), activity exposure)

Lobban (1974)

traditional roles promoted through children’s books and imagery

Kelly (1987)

stereotyping in science, women mostly invisible in classrooms and textbooks

Sue Sharpe‘s study

Career Aspiration changes: After Sex Discrimination Act 1975 attitude changed from love and marriage first to career and financial security

Chubb and Moe

Private schools are more productive to education than state schools as they encourage competition

Mac an Ghail

Identity and educational achievement: crisis of masculinity due to decline of traditional manul jobs

Asian girls seen to have more potential than African-Caribbean girls

Mirza

Despite discrimination, black girls were highly likely to have positive attitudes and ambitions, creating strategies to succeed

Gillborn

Ethic Labelling and Stereotypes: teachers label black students in a negative way, black boys often seen as more disruptive than other ethnicities

ethnocentric perceptions by teachers can lead to negative reactions towards African-Caribbean children manifesting in racist disciplinary actions

Ball

the ethnocentrism of education in the UK emphasised British greatness while ignoring cultural diversity = ‘little Englandism’

Fuller

African-Caribbean girls resisted negative labelling and worked hard to achieve, compared to other ethnic genders who felt disheartened

Wright

Asian girls were given less attention by teacher and African-Caribbean boys were more likely to be punished and excluded from class

Pilkington

Despite African-Caribbean families having high levels of divorce, and Asians low, both have more students pursuing post 16 education than White peers

Material deprivation along with racism is as important as cultural reasons in the underachievement of ethnic minorities

Bernstein

Speech patterns and educational achievement: restricted code (which the working class is largely limited to) and elaborated code (in which formal education is conducted, and middle class are well versed in) leading to working class educational underachievement

Bourdieu

education system perpetuates social inequality through the concepts of cultural capital, habitas and field, favouring the dominant middle-class culture. A form of symbolic violence, where the system’s demand for certain types of knowledge are mistaken for innate ability.

Cotton, Winter and Bailey (2013)

educational institutions make token attempts but often the hidden messaging goes against it

believe the hidden curriculum places highest value on efficiency and value for money rather than greater equaltiy and opportunity

undergrad courses in Geography placed strong emphasis on sustainability but many universities gave it a relatively low priority in comparison to concern over cost and convenience

Ronald Robertson (1992)

Globalisation as a concept refers to both the compression of the world and the intensification of the consciousness of the world as a whole

Anthony Kelly (2009)

education is being tailored towards a global economy away from cultural values

while systems vary to meet individual cultures worldwide trends towards privatisation and marketisation

adoption of similar school improvement systems around the world driven by multinational corporations

professionalism of teacher underminded for managers and consultants

Stephen Ball (2012)

universities are marketing overseas as private institutions are more reliant on foreign students and their fees, particularly China