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1.2 conflict theories of education

Louis Althusser: marxist

  • education is a part of the ideological state apparatus

  • Uses the repressive state apparatus (police + army) and the ideological state apparatus to spread the dominant ideology and ensure the proletariat remain in a state of false class consciousness

  • This perseveres the value consensus that serves the interests of the ruling class, and prevents necessary social change

How is this done

  • through the formal curriculum - learning British history, that we are always right, and it would be wrong to push for radical social change

  • Through the hidden curriculum - teaches heirarchy, respect for authority, obeying the rules. This prevents revolution, keeping the proletariat obedient and submissive to the bourgeoise, so they maintain their powerful positions in society

Bowles and gintis: Marxist

  • identifies a correspondence between school and work

  • Both involve uniforms, strict time-keeping, heirarchy, rewards and punishments

  • This prepares students for the capitalist system and prevented rebellion and revolution. ‘Work casts a long shadow over school’

Evaluating Marxist theories

  • Bowles and gintis research is outdated, as now there are a variety of different jobs that don’t follow the same structure. But this can still be used to criticise education as it proves that education no longer effectively prepares people for work

  • Some would argue that the education system actually encourages students to critique the education system, getting students involved in democratic structures and to come up with improvements

Paul Willis learning to labour (neomarxist)

  • studied a group of working class ‘lads’

  • Found that school prepares young people for the boredom of manual labour by allowing them to develop a distinct set of values which serve as a coping mechanism (e.g ‘having a laff’)

  • Found these little rebellions prevented a big rebellion from taking place, that could really threaten the capitalist system

  • But since it’s a neo-Marxist view, it is argued that schools do not deliberately and consciously do this. They accidentally facilitate the capitalist system

Bourdieu

  • argued that cultural capital is what leads to success

  • High cultural capital also leads to more positive labels

  • Also argued that those with the same habitus will relate to each other. So teachers (with middle class habitus) relate more with students who share the same habitus. This can impact labells

  • Habitus = culture or worldview that is associated with a social class or social group

Bernstein

  • Argued that different classes had different language codes

  • Lower classes used a restricted code whereas higher classes used an elaborate code

  • The education system typically uses an elaborate code, so lower classes may struggle

  • Those with a restricted code are also more likely to be negatively labelled

Evaluation (neomarxist)

  • teachers come from a variety of different background so it cannot be argued that all teachers have a middle class habitus. Especially as the rates of working class individuals going to uni is increasing. However it may be argued that they will have ‘adopted’ a middle class habitus by the time they become a teacher

  • Interactionists would argue that everyone has an agency to respond and that we are not driven by fundamental structures in society. So we should be able to work against the capitalist system if we wished

Feminist views on education

  • education transmits patriarchal values. Heaton and Lawson argued that this occurs through the hidden curriculum (stereotypes, sports/ gender division, division of labour/ more male headteachers) and the formal curriculum (textbooks)

  • Liberal feminists - want equality in the education system. Girls now outperform boys in education so the patriarchal system is failing. However Michele stanworth found there’s a higher expectation of boys and they are more likely to be recommended for higher education

  • Radical feminists - believe the educational system still oppresses women. This is seen by Kat Banyards research - sexually harassment in schools is not treated as seriously as other forms of bullying

  • Black and intersectional feminists - believe that ethnic minority girls are victims of specific stereotypes and assumptions. E.g assuming Muslim girls have different aspirations

Overall

  • there has been an improvement for girls in education, mainly due to feminism and new legislation

  • Sue sharpe found that young girls priorities had changed from family and marriage, to work and education. This is mainly due to the equal pay act and the sex discrimination act

Evaluation of feminists

  • education is now a female dominated sector and is leading to female success and male underperformance. So this ‘patriarchal system’ is clearly failing

  • However it is argued there is still a glass ceiling. As there is still a gender pay gap, losing out to males in terms of employment, more likely to take time of for children, more likely to work part time and carry out the majority of household tasks