Roles of Education

• Postmodernist view (education reflects the increasing individualism in society) -

  • Individualised learning
  • Variety of learning styles
  • Move away from 'one size fits all' approach of education = positive
  • Eg - faith schools + specialist schools
• Postmodernist view (new styles of education due to globalisation) :

  • Gov learnt educational policies abroad + tried to incorporate the successful policies
  • Eg - Swedish style free schools
  • More technology + related skills in society
  • Changed learning in the classroom
  • Created different opportunities in workplace
  • Eg - working from home
• Interactionist / interpretivist (try to understand education system) :

  • Education considered on a micro level, processes in schools
  • Neither positive/ negative view
  • Labelling theory = teachers label + and -
  • Creating self-fulfilling prophecy
• Davis + Moore (functionalist view) :

  • Sorting + sifting
  • Schools select + allocate people into future roles
  • by measuring individuals aptitude + abilities
  • Match to a suitable job
  • Idea of social inequality = necessary to have most talented in top jobs
• Parsons (functionalist) :

  • School acts as bridge between family + wider society
  • Ascribed status = home
  • Achieved status = school
  • Based on idea of meritocracy = everyone has opportunity to succeed
• Durkheim (functionalist view) :

  • Social solidarity :
  • Individuals need to feel part of community (solidarity)
  • Otherwise they'd persue selfish desires
  • Education system creates solidarity through teaching beliefs + values
  • Eg - teaching country's history Instils shared heritage + commitment to wider social group
• Chubb + Moe (new right) :

  • Issue with state school
  • Disadvantaged groups poorly served
  • No equal opportunities
  • They don't gain skills for economy
  • So fee paying (private) schools fix this issue as everyone pays to gain equal opportunity
• Bowles + Gintis (marxism) (hidden curriculum) :

  • Education system helps prevent rebellion against inequality + believe that meritocracy is a myth
  • Correspondence theory, suggests school corresponds with world of work
• New right view:

  • League tables
  • Parentocracy = parents control school as they set value consensus
  • Consumer choice (marketisation) - school = business
  • Competing with eachother through league tables
  • Consumer choice + catchment areas
• Althusser (marxism) :

  • Repressive state apparatus - rule of Bourgeoisie maintained by threat (police, courts + army)
  • Ideological state apparatus - rule of bourgeoisie maintained by controlling people's ideas, values + beliefs (religion, mass media + education system)
• Lobban (gender stereotypes) (feminist) :

  • Reading schemes presented traditional gender stereotypes :
  • Boys =more adventurous, physically stronger + having more choices than girls
  • Girls = more caring, more interested in domestic matters, followers instead of leaders
• Sharpe (liberal feminist) :

  • Significant improvement found girls = more confident, assertive, ambitious + committed to gender equality
  • Girls outperform boys
• Stanworth (discrimination) (feminist) :

  • Further/higher education traditionally had lower no. girls than boys
  • Evidence that teachers gave boys more encouragement than girls to attend university
• Willis (marxism) (lads counter culture) :

  • WC boys formed distinct anti-school subculture
  • Scornful of conformist boys (listened to teachers) = earoles
  • Used intimidating humour, making fun of earoles + girls
  • Disrupting classes
  • Rejected idea of meritocracy as = con