1.1 Functionalism in education

• Define universalistic standards

  Bridging the gap between family & society
• Who theorised universalistic standards?

  Parsons
• Define role allocation

  Sifting and sorting people into the roles that they will go on to perform in life
• Who theorised role allocation?

  Davis & Moore
• Define specialist skills

  Education gives us a complex division of labour. We need people to do different jobs within society therefore different subjects prepare us for a variety of skills
• Who theorised specialist skills?

  Durkheim
• Define social solidarity

  Education gives everyone the same shared norms and values. This allows us to work as a unit & function as a whole
• Who theorised social solidarity?

  Durkheim
• What does Dennis Wrong think of the functionalist view of education?


  Functionalists have an "over socialised view" of people as mere puppets of society
• Why is education not meritocratic?

  Class, ethnicity, gender, private education
• What do Neo liberals + the new right say about education?

  It fails to prepare young people for work
• What do interactionists say about the functionalist view of education?

  Functionalists teach us control rather than shared norms and values.
• What do Marxists say about social solidarity?

  Education is not value consensus, it's just the values of the bourgeoisie
• What is Davis + Moore's circular argument?


  A job is important if it pays more. If it pays more, it is important.
• What does Melvin Tumin criticise?


  Davis + Moore for putting forward a circular argument
• What is an example against meritocracy?

  Working class don't have same oppurtunities
• What is an example against Durkheim's idea of specialised skills?

  In 2011, it was found that high quality apprenticeships are rare, 1/3 of 16-19 year olds are on courses that don't lead to higher education
• What is an example of society's achieved status?

  Exam results
• What is an example of society's universalistic standards?

  Everyone is treated in the same way
• How does education fit into the human body analogy?

  Everyone has a function
• What is the functionalist analogy?

  The human body analogy
• What is streaming?

  students are sorted into classes according to their ability and stay in these groups for most of their subjects.
• What is Meritocracy?

  equality of opportunity
• What does parsons say education is built on?

  Meritocracy
• What standards do wider society have?

  Universalistic
• What status does wider society have?

  Achieved
• What status does the family have?

  Ascribed
• What standards do families have?

  Particularistic
• What

  statusdoes Parsons say we need to bridge the gap between?Ascribed status to achieved status
• What does Parsons say which

  standardswe need to bridge the gap between?Particularistic standards to universalistic standards
• Why does Parsons agree with Durkheim?


  He says that school is a "focal socialising agency"
• The hidden curriculum

  The informal teaching done in schools that socializes children to societal norms
• What is the function of education?

  To prepare you for your future life