Functionalists

• A commitment to the wider social group
• Without solidarity, it's impossible to be a part of a 'single body' of a community
• Everyone would pursue their selfish desires
• He argues that the teaching of a country's history instills in children a sense of a shared heritage
• Durkheim


  Founder of Functionalist sociology
• Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity
• Education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play their part in the social division of labor
• Functionalists believe that education brings society together
• Functionalists believe that education supports/helping you to see how you fit in
• Durkheim solidarity and skills

  Durkheim argues that teaching of a country's history is important for the development of a sense of shared heritage and a commitment to the wider social group.
• Durkheim solidarity and skills

  Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity; individuals in society must feel themselves to be a part of a single 'body' in a community. He argues that without social solidarity, social life and cooperation would be impossible as everyone would pursue their selfish desires.
• Durkheim solidarity and skills

  Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play their part in the social division of labor.
• Primary socialisation - your parents

  Secondary socialisation - education
• Functionalists believe that education brings society together, helping you to see how you fit in. They believe it provides the skills needed in a modern society.
• Evaluation of Functionalists

  • ·The education system does not teach specialized skills adequately, as Durkheim claims. For example, 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 do not lead to higher education or good jobs.
  • ·Melvin Tumin (1953) criticizes Davis and Moore for putting forward a circular argument: How do we know a job is important? Answer: because it’s highly rewarded. Why are some jobs more highly rewarded? Answer: Because they are more important!
• Evaluation of functionalists

  • Functionalists see education as a process that instills the shared values of society, but Marxists argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority – the ruling class.
  • The interactionist Dennis Wrong (1961) argues that functionalists ‘over-socialized view’ of people as mere puppets of society. Functionalists wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all they are taught and never reject the school’s values.
• Evaluation of functionalists

  • Neoliberals and the New Right argue that the state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work. We deal with their view next.
• The New Right summary - similarities between functionalist and new right

  • Both believe that some people are naturally more talented than others.
  • Both favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition, and one that serves the needs of the economy by preparing young people for work.
  • Education should socialise pupils into shared values, such as competition, and instills a sense of national identity.
• Key differences between functionalist and new right

  The new right do not believe that the current education system is achieving these goals. The reason for its failure, in their view, is that it is run by the state.

  The New Right argue that the state education system (SES) take a 'one size fits all' approach, imposing uniformity and disregarding local needs. The local consumers who use schools - pupils, parents and employers - have no say. SES are unresponsive and inefficeient.
• Evaluation of the New right

  • Gerwitz (1995) and Ball (1994) both argue that competition between schools benefits the middle class, who can use their cultural and economic capital to gain access to more desirable schools.
  • Critics argue that the real cause of low educational standards is not state control but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools.
• Evaluation of the new right

  • There is a contradiction between the New Right’s support for parental choice on the one hand and the state imposing a compulsory national curriculum on all its schools on otthe er.
  • Marxists argue that education does not impose a shared national culture, as the New Right claims, but imposes the culture of a dominant minority ruling class and devalues the culture of the working class and ethnic minorities.
• Meritocracy

  The American functionalist Talcott Parsons (1961) draws on many of Durkheim's ideas. Parsons sees the school as the 'focal socializing agency' in modern society, acting as a bridge between the family and wider society.
• Why is the bridge needed?

  It is needed as the family and society operate on different principles.

  • Children need to learn a way of living if they are to cope with the wider world.
  • Within the family, the child is judged by particularistic standards; rules that apply only to the child.
• How does Parson see school?

  Parsons sees the school as preparing us to move from the family to wider society as school and society are both based on meritocratic principles. In a meritocracy, everyone is given an equal opportunity. Individuals achieve rewards through theory own effort and ability.
• What does meritocracy mean?

  Meritocracy is a social system in which advancement in society is based on an. individual's capabilities and merits rather than based on family, wealth, or social.
• Davis and Moore role allocation

  Functionalists argue that schools also perform the function of selecting and allocating pupils to their future work roles. Assessing individuals’ abilities, schools help to match them to the job they are best suited to.
• Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore (1945)

  They see education as a device for selection and role allocation. Focusing on the relationship between education and social inequality. They argue that inequality is necessary to ensure that the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people.

  For instance, it would be inefficient and dangerous to have less able people performing roles such as surgeons.
• What is Neoliberalism?

  Neoliberalism is an economic doctrine that has had a major influence on education policy. Arguing that the state shouldn’t provide services such as education, health, and welfare. Neoliberal ideas have influenced all governments since 1979.
• What do Neoliberals argue?

  • Neoliberals argue that the value of education lies in how well it enables the country to compete in the global marketplace.
  • They believe that competition between schools and empowering customers will bring greater diversity, choice, and efficiency to schools and increase schools’ ability to meet the needs of pupils, parents, and employers.

   
• Chubb and Moe: consumer choice?

  Chubb and Moe argue that the state-run education in the US has failed because:

  • It hasn’t created an equal opportunity, failing the needs of disadvantaged groups.
  • It fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy (fails to teach students with the right knowledge and skills needed for jobs).
  • Private schools provide high-quality education as the consumers (parents) are answerable to pay more for their children’s education.
• Chubb and Moe base their arguments on a comparison of the achievements of 60,000 pupils from low-income families in 1,015 state and private high schools. Paired with parent surveys and case studies of ‘failing’ schools being ‘turned around’. Their evidence presents that pupils from low-income families consistently do around 5% better than private school students.

   
• Specialist skills

  Specialist knowledge and skills must be learnt and known about for specific roles to be performed.
• New Right summary

  Similarities between functionalist and New Right

  • Believe that some people are more naturally talented than others.