5.role of education

• Durkheim believes education fulfils positive functions for society
• Durkheim believes education (1)promotes social solidarity and (2)teaches specialist skills
• Durkheim says education passes on shared heritage, communal gatherings (through assemblies/prize giving) and social cohesion(through enrichment and sport)
• the teaching of British values Is compulsory - democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect
• post industrial rev - society needs a far more diverse set of skills and needs education to prepare the next generation for employment
• the complex division of labour is the division of labour into specialised tasks, each of which is carried out by a separate worker based on ability and aptitude
• tackles need for more diverse workforce by - core knowledge (national curriculum), specialist knowledge (subject choice at a level) , vocational skills and universities
• Marxists would criticise Durkheim's view on education by asking who's views and heritage is being passed on
• Marxists would also criticise Durkheim by referencing the ethnocentric curriculum and would argue the teaching of British values marginalises some groups in society
• functionalist sociologists believe that schools are meritocratic because they allow students to progress through school according to their abilities
• functionalists say that schools are meritocratic as there is no evidence of systematic bias against any group
• Durkheim believed that schools were meritocratic as he argued that all children have equal opportunities to succeed regardless of social background
• marxists disagree with functionalism about schools being meritocratic as they see them as elitist
• marxists argue that schools are not meritocratic due to the hidden curriculum which teaches middle class values such as punctuality and respecting authority figures
• Marxists argue the workforce is overqualified which causes a reserve army of labour - causing high levels of youth unemployment
• feminists argue that girls are discouraged from certain subjects such as maths and science
• parsons(functionalist) - sees school as a bridge between the family and wider society
• Parsons argues a bridge between the family and wider society is needed as they both operate on different principles
• parsons argues that within the family the child is judged based on particularistic standards - wider society judged on universalistic standards
• functionalists see education as a device for role allocation
• functionalists argue inequality is essential
• an evaluation of the functionalist view on education system is that it does not teach specialist skills adequately
• The wolf review of vocational education (2011) claims high quality apprenticeships were rare
• The wolf review of vocational education found that up to a third of 16-19 year olds were on courses that did not lead to higher education
• marxists would argue equal opportunity in education does not exist
• marxists believe achievement is influenced by class background rather than ability
• Althusser believes that the state is a product of the ideological state apparatus
• Althussers ideological state apparatus Includes the repressive state apparatus and the ideological state apparatus
• the ideological state apparatus include schools, churches, media, family
• the repressive state apparatus includes police, courts, prisons etc.
• Althusser believes the ISA reproduces the dominant ideology of the ruling class
• Althusser believes the ISA reproduces and legitimises inequality
• Althusser believes the ISA teaches students the necessary skills for employment
• Althusser believes the ideological state apparatus teaches students the necessary skills for employment, reproduces the dominant ideology of the ruling class and reproduces and legitimises inequality
• marxists believe the ISA is achieved by the fragmented curriculum, basic skills being taught such as literacy and numeracy, the ruling class based curriculum and the myth of meritocracy
• the adoption of in school policy such as 'growth mindset' is argued to shift the blame on working class underachieving kids for not working hard enough
• The growth mindset policy was adopted because it fits with neoliberalism which promotes individual responsibility over structural factors
• functionalists argue the ISA is good for society
• Marxist feminists argue that the ISA is bad for women
• Functionalists argue that the ISA is good for society because it prepares people for work, provides social cohesion through shared values and norms and creates a skilled labour force