The Role of Education – Functionalism

DURKHEIM:

• Social solidarity:

  • Individuals need to feel part of a single body or community. Otherwise social life and cooperation would be impossible – each person would pursue their own selfish desires.

  • Education helps to create social solidarity as it transmits society’s culture from one generation to the next (secondary socialisation).

  • School acts as ‘society in miniature’ – preparing us for life in wider society.

• Specialist skills:

  • Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour where the production of just a single item usually requires the cooperation of many specialists.

  • This promotes social solidarity, but for it to work, each individual must have specialist skills and knowledge required for their role.

  • Education therefore teaches individuals specialist skills and knowledge needed for performing their part in the social division of labour.

EVALUATION OF DURKHEIM:

• Marxists argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority – the ruling class.

  • This therefore disagrees with Durkheim’s principle that education instils the shared values of society as a whole.

• The Wolf review of vocational education (2011) claims that high quality apprenticeships are rare and up to a third of 16-19 year olds are on courses that don’t lead to higher education or good jobs.

  • This therefore suggests about Durkheim’s theory that perhaps the specialist skills we learn in school aren’t all the ones we need or aren’t adequately taught.

PARSONS:

• School teaches meritocracy:

  • Cracy = rule

  • Sees school as the ‘focal socialising agency’ in modern society, acting as a bridge between the family and wider society.

  • This is required as family and society operate on different levels and children need to learn a new way of living if they’re to cope in the wider world.

  • Within the family children are judged by particularistic standards.

    • Their status is ascribed – elder son is given different rights and duties to a younger daughter.

  • School and wider society judge us by universalistic standards.

    • E.g the same exam is sat by all and marked with the same criteria so therefore status is achieved.

  • School is therefore preparing us to move from the family as like wider society it’s based on meritocratic principles.

  • In meritocracy everyone is given an equal opportunity and individuals achieve rewards through their own effort and ability.

EVALUATION OF PARSONS: