Marxist Theory of education

• What is the conflict theory?


  Based on class division and capitalist exploitation
• what is the capitalist class?

  Bourgeoisie are the minority class. They are employers who own the means of production. They make their profits by exploiting the labour of the majority.
• What are the working class/ proletariat?

  Forced to sell their labour power to the capitalists since they own no means of production of their own and so have no other source of income. As a result, work under capitalism is poorly paid, alienating, unsatisfying, and something over which workers have no real control.
• what does classless mean?

  an equal society with no class division.
• what is repressive state apparatus (RSA) ?

  Maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by force or the threat of it. Includes the police, courts and army. When necessary, they use physical coercion (force) to repress the working class.
• What is the ideological state apparatus (ISA) ?

  Maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie by controlling people’s ideas, values and beliefs. The ISAs include religion, the media and the education system.
• What does Legitimate mean?

  Justifies class inequality.
• What does ideology mean?

  Its a set of beliefs that promotes the interests of one group at the expense of others
• what does correspondence principle mean?

  It's the parallels between schooling and work in capitalist societies.
• what is the hidden curriculum?

  Lessons that are learnt in school without being directly taught.
• what is the myth of meritocracy?

  Meritocracy does not exist. They believe the main factor determining whether or not someone has a high income is their family and class background, not their ability or educational achievement.
• what does determinism mean?

  No free will, determined by external forces
• what is false class consciousness?


  A false picture of society which disguises the exploitation of the subject class (proletariat- working class)
• what is alienation?


  Cut off from, unable to find satisfaction from.
• what is the ruling class ideology?


  A system of ideas which justifies the position of the ruling class (the bourgeoisie)
• What is the role and the functions of the education system, include relationships to the economy and class structure? (Marxism)

  Althusser explains hat the state has two parts, both helping the wealthy stay in power. The RSA uses forces or threat to control the working class. The education system is crucial as it does two things, it continues class inequality by passing it down generations by failing each new generation of working-class students.
• Althusser's ideas continued...…


  It also hides the real cause of class inequality by creating misleading ideas. The role of ideology is to convince workers that inequality can't be avoided and that they should accept their lower status. If they believe this, they won't likely challenge or threaten the capitalist system.
• What are Bowles and Gintis ideas on education?

  Bowles and Gintis argue that the education system in a capitalist society reproduced obedient workforce that accepts inequality. Schools reward traits that create submissive workers, while independent and creative students receive the lower grades. This is also known as the correspondence principle which operates through the hidden curriculum. Schooling prepares w/c pupils for their roles as the exploited workers of the future, reproducing the workforce capitalism needs and class inequality from gen to gen.
• What are some examples of the correspondence principle?

  Hierarchy of authority among teachers and between students reflects authority in

  the workplace (Managers/Supervisors).

  Extrinsic satisfaction (Rewards) from grades rather than from interest in the

  subjects studied whereas at work it is through work rather than doing the job itself.

  Fragmentation of knowledge into unconnected subjects whereas at work through the division of labour into small, meaningless tasks

  Alienation through students lack of control over education whereas through workers lack of control over production.
• What do Bowles and Gintis argue about Meritocracy?

  They argue that meritocracy is a myth and it serves to justify the privileges of the higher classes, making it seem that they gained them through succeeding in open and fair competition in school. It helps persuade the w/c to accept inequality as legitimate and make it less like for the to overthrow capitalism
• What does Willis say about education?

  Willis studies a group of 12 w/c boys as he wanted to study their counter school culture. The lads formed a strict counter culture opposing the school. The lads found school boring and meaningless and they flout its rules and values by drinking smoking, disrupting classes and playing truant.
• What did Willis find out about the counter school culture?

  Willis notes the similarity between the lads’ anti school counterculture and the shop floor culture of male manual workers. Both cultures see manual work as superior and intellectual work as inferior. Willis concluded that lads’ counter culture ensures that they are destined for the unskilled work that capitalism needs someone to perform.
• Evaluation of the Marxist perspective?

  Post modernist argue that education now reproduces diversity , not inequality.

  Schools not only reproduce capitalism they ignore patriarchy, gender and ethnic differences and only focuses on class differences.

  It does not take into account an upwardly mobile working class. Marxist explanations fail to recognise the extent to which education has benefited some w/c pupils, allowing them to move upwards socially.
• evaluation of Marxist perspective cont...?

  Marxist disagree with one another about how reproduction and legitimation takes place. Bowles and Gintis take a deterministic view. They accept the indoctrination. However it fails to explain why many pupils reject the schools values. Willis rejects the view that school brainwashed pupils into accepting their fate. He shows how pupils may resist school and yet still leads them into w/c jobs. However, his study has been criticised for only 12 boys which is unlikely to be representative of other pupils and would be risky to generalise his findings.
• what is indoctrination?

  the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.
• what is fragmentation of knowledge?

  learning at school is fragmented into different subjects(split up). This corresponds to the fragmentation of the workforce in later life- workers specialise in particular tasks in the office or the factory, without having an appreciation of the whole. It also makes workers easier to control.
• What is Pierre Bourdieu ideas about education?

  He said that families perpetuate social class inequalities. He highlighted the disparities between m/c and w/c children discussing on economic, cultural and social capital.
• what is economic capital? (Bourdieu)

  'Economic capital' relates to money and resources. Middle-class children often have more access to educational opportunities due to their families' wealth. Meanwhile, working-class children may lack these opportunities due to financial constraints, which Bourdieu argued hinders their social mobility.
• What is cultural capital? (Bourdieu)?

  'Cultural capital' refers to knowledge and attitudes about culture. Middle-class children typically have more cultural capital, which is valued in education, while working-class children may not have the same cultural knowledge and attitudes, potentially affecting their educational attainment.
• What is social capital? (Bourdieu)

  Finally, 'social capital' involves access to influential contacts. Middle-class families often have more social capital, which can provide their children with opportunities. Conversely, working-class children may lack these connections, missing out on opportunities. Bourdieu believed that these disparities lead to a cultural deficit for w/c children affecting their education and life opportunities.
• Criticisms of Bourdieu?

  Functionalists suggest that education is meritocratic

  Socialised into value consensus.. skills are needed to achieve

  students acquire cultural capital throughout their education.
• Marxists argue that education aims to legitimise and reproduce class inequalities by forming a subservient class and workforce
• Education also prepares children of the capitalist ruling class (the bourgeoisie) for positions of power
• Superstructure


  Consists of social institutions such as the family and education and society's religious, ideological, and cultural dimensions
• Economic base


  Land, machines, the bourgeoisie, and the proletariat
• The superstructure reflects the economic base and serves to reproduce it
• False consciousness


  A capitalist myth perpetuated to persuade the working-class (the proletariat) to accept their subjugation as normal and natural and to believe that they share the same interests as the capitalist ruling class
• Education legitimises class inequality by producing and reproducing ideologies that foster false consciousness and blames the working class for their failures
• False consciousness is essential in maintaining capitalism; it keeps the working class under control and stops them from revolting and overthrowing capitalism
• Education system


  Based on exploitation and oppression; it teaches proletariat children that they exist to be dominated, and it teaches children of the capitalist ruling class they exist to dominate