1.3 Marxism in education

Cards (35)

  • What do feminists like Madeleine MacDonald think of the Marxist theory of education?

    It ignores how schools reproduce patriarchy as well as capitalism.
  • What are three extra evaluation points on the Marxist view of education?
    1. Morrow + Torres - Marxism has a class first approach
    2. Society is more diverse now - other CAGE factors are equally important
    3. All inequality is inter-related
  • What do post modernists say society has become?
    Diverse and fragmented - the economy values flexible specialisation.
  • What is Fordism?

    A production, system or labour process element characterised by mass production. Each person does one job.
  • What does postmodernism say about the Marxist view on education?
    It's outdated
  • How does "the lads" study prove Bowles and Gintis's study wrong?

    The education doesn't produce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable as a lot of people don't accept inequality
  • According to Althusser, what two reasons is education an ISA?
    Reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from one generation to the next and legitimises class inequality through ideology.
  • What is an example of an RSA?
    The police
  • What is an example of an ISA?
    The media
  • What two apparatuses did Althusser put forward?
    Ideological state apparatuses and repressive state apparatuses
  • What was the 12 working class boy's (in Paul Willis's study) attitude to school?
    Find schools boring + pointless - breaking rules, making fun of those who follow the rules
  • Who did Paul Willis study?

    12 working class boys in their transition from school to work
  • What does Paul Willis's study of "the lads" look at?
    Even students that reject school ideologies still end up reproducing capitalism by ending up in typical fordist jobs
  • What is Paul Willis's view on education?
    Still sees education as reproducing inequality to fuel capitalism but also focuses on the meanings pupils attribute to situations.
  • What is Paul Willis's study called?
    Learning to labour
  • What does the myth of meritocracy suggest about the bourgeoisie?
    The bourgeoise have gained higher class status because they succeeded in school
  • What is the risk of a capitalist society?
    Based on inequality, always the risk that the proletariat will realise this and rebel.
  • What is the myth to justify inequality?
    "Poor are dumb"
  • What do Bowles and Gintis think education is?
    A giant myth making machine
  • What do Bowles and Gintis not believe?
    We have a meritocratic education system
  • What is the correspondence principle?
    education system mirrors the world of work.
  • What did Bowles and Gintis find in their study?
    Schools reward submission and compliant personality traits and students that show independence and creativity get lower grades.
  • What do Bowles and Gintis think education creates?
    It creates an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable.
  • What did Bowles and Gintis conduct their research on?
    Schooling in capitalist America
  • How does education legitimise class inequality?
    Through ideology. It teaches the working class to accept their subordinate position and stops them challenging or threatening capitalism.
  • How does education reproduce class inequality?
    By transmitting it from one generation to the next
  • What do Marxists think education is and why?
    A negative function because it promotes class inequality
  • Why are you socialised to follow orders in education?
    When you begin work, you are easier to control and manipulate
  • What do Marxists believe education benefits?
    The ruling class
  • Ideology
    Ideas about the way we should live
  • HAL
    Higher ability learner
  • LAL
    Lower ability learner
  • Silt shifting
    Passing LALs out of schools
  • Cream skimming
    Keeping HALs in schools
  • What effects did the new right policies have?
    1. League tables increased pressure led to increased banding & streaming
    2. targeted those most likely to achieve to improve league table positions helps middle class
    3. cream skimming & silt shifting
    4. Middle class parents are able to use their economic & cultural capital to get their children into higher achieving schools