formal socialisation
Ideological control or Brainwashing - Althusser
explanation
Althusser provides an important explanation of the function of education, which he states is ideological control, arguing school is used as a tool of capitalism.
Capitalism is able to flourish because the ruling class (bourgeoisie) controls all aspects of society, including the government. Therefore, all decisions taken by the government will inevitably reflect capitalist values. Since the government directs educational policy, it follows that schools are in essence agents of capitalism and its pupils are ideologically controlled into following the norms and values of capitalism.
According to Althusser, ruling-class power is maintained via two complementary ‘apparatuses’:
· The ideological state apparatuses (ISAs), which maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling people's ideas, values and beliefs. ISAs include religion, the mass media and the education system.
· The repressive state apparatuses (RSAs), which maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it. RSAs include the police, courts, prisons and, ultimately, the armed services.
evidence
In Althusser's view, the education system is an important ISA. Its true function is to socialise young people into accepting two vital ideas:
· It is important to follow a set of rules set by one’s superiors.
· Success and failure is a fair reflection of talent and effort.
Education pumps out a message of follow the rules and society is fair maintaining capitalist exploitation as the next generation are persuaded to accept that inequality is inevitable and that they deserve their subordinate position in society. Accepting these ideas means they are less likely to challenge capitalism.
evaluation
Durkheim would argue this and say that education doesn’t repress us rather it creates a sense of togetherness and passes on shared culture and consensus between the individuals of society without this people would be selfish and arrogant
Feminists Heaton and Lawson argue that Althusser ignores the idea that schools reinforce gender inequalities of society. For example, teaching boys and girl’s different things through the patriarchal curriculum, such as boy being seen as stronger than girls. This brainwashes children into gendered stereotypes, reinforcing the idea that men are dominate.
The Correspondence Principle & Hidden Curriculum – Bowles and Gintis
explanation
Bowles and Gintis argue that capitalism requires a workforce with the kind of attitudes, behaviour and personality-type suited to their role as exploited workers willing to accept hard work, low pay and orders from above. This is the role of the education system in capitalist society - to socialise students into being an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable.
From questionnaires of 237 New York high school students and the findings of other studies, Bowles and Gintis conclude that schools reward precisely the kind of personality traits that make for a submissive, compliant worker. For instance, they found that students who showed independence and creativity tended to gain low grades, while those who showed characteristics linked to obedience and discipline, such as punctuality tended to gain high grades.
The role of the education system is to socialise students into conformity, to follow the rules, whereas genuine skills such as creativity, challenging the rules are unacceptable. They state the education system has close parallels with the workforce, arguing schooling takes place in the long shadow of work – The relationship and structures found in education mirror those of the workplace.
evidence
Such parallels which prepare pupils for the workforce include
Hierarchy: Teacher and pupil = boss and worker. Same unequal relationship.
Extrinsic Rewards: Hard work leads to good exam results = hard work leads to a good wage.
Alienation: Students lack control over their education, such as over what to study = employers lack control over production in the workplace, such as managers decide when, where, how to produce.
Docile Daydreamers: Schoolwork often seen as boring and tedious = adult work often seen as boring and tedious.
Bowles and Gintis argue that the correspondence principle operates through the hidden curriculum and educational success is not related to intellectual ability but how well a person has been socialised into the values that benefit capitalism.
evaluation
Marxist Feminists & Radical Feminists would criticise Bowles & Gintis for ignoring how education is structured in a way that favours men, reinforcing patriarchal control. This is done indirectly through the informal curriculum, in a number of ways including space, power and attitudes.