Sociology-Education

• Durkhiems argument on education

  Indivduals must be taught speacialist skills so that they can take their palce withhin a highly complex division of labour in which people have to co-operate to produce iteams.
• Criticisms or durkheim


  Marxists would argue that educational institutions tend to transmit a dominant culture which serves the interest of the ruling class rather than those of society as a whole.
• Parsons (a functionalist) argument on education


  That the school performs two major functions for society
• What does parsons say school functions for society (2 points)

  1) through the process of socialisation, education acts as a bridge between he family and wider society

  2) education helps to socialise young people into the basic values of society
• Explain parsons point (1) through the process of socialisation, education ion acts as a bridge between the family and wider society


  -In the family children are judged accordingly to particularistic standards at apply only to them.

  -in wider society the individual is judge set against standards that apply to all members of society .
• Explain parsons point (2) education helps to socialise young people into the basic values of society


  School transmits two major values:

  - the value of achievement, everyone achieves their own status through their own effort

  - the value of equality of opportunity for every student to achieve to their full potential
• Criticisms of parsons


  -He assumes that western education system,s are meritocratic I.e they reward students primarily on the basis of objective criteria such as achievement

  - functionalist a wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all that they are taught and never reject the school values
• What is the major difference between functionalist a and new right with their thoughts on education

  New rights doesn't believe that the state can run an efficient education system.
• New rights argument (one size fits all)

  New rights arguments are based on that he state cannot meet people's needs. In a state run education system, education inevitably ends up as "one size fits all" it does not meet individual or community needs.
• The effects of state control

  (New right) too much state control of education has resulted in inefficiency, national economic decline and a lack of personal and business imitative.
• Lower standard of education because of the state

  State run schools are not accountable to those who use the. Schools that get poor results do not change because they are not answerable for their co summers. The result is lower standards and a less qualified workforce
• The solution of state run schools is marketisation


  Marketisation is the introduction of market forces of consumer choice and competition between supplier (school so) into areas run by the state (such as education and health)
• What would Marxists say the role of education is?

  The main function of the education system is to reproduce the inequities of the capitalist economic system.
• What is Louis Althusser idea on education?

  Sees education as ideological state apparatus, it will reproduce class-based inequalities of the capitalist system.
• What is a capitalist society?

  Capitalist owns the means of production and exploit the working class.
• What is bourdieu thoughts on education?

  Education socialises student into the cultural of failure so that they take up dull work.
• Function of education (Durkheim)

  Create social solidarity, everyone feels part of community, motivates to do well, creates efficient workforce
• Function of education (Parsons)


  Secondary socialisation, teaching core values of society
• Particularistic vs universalistic values

  Particularistic = individual to the child, universalistic = applied to every student equally
• Role allocation (David)


  Grades determine most suitable roles in society, meritocracy ensures equal opportunities
• Marxists argue education is not truly meritocratic as it benefits the rich and middle class
• New Right view of education

  Schools should compete for consumers, provide what they want, influenced 1979-1997 Conservative government
• New Right effects


  League tables help middle class choose best schools, benefits middle class more than working class
• Althusser's view of education


  Ideological state apparatus that reproduces class inequalities, creates false consciousness
• Correspondence principle (Bowles & Gintis)


  Similarities between workplace and school, promotes idea that failure is due to lack of effort
• Bernstein's language codes


  Working class have restricted code, middle class have elaborated code, affects ability to learn
• Pupil subcultures (Lacey)


  Streaming leads to anti-school subcultures in bottom sets, even if initially labelled as bright
• Pupil subcultures (Willis)


  Working class boys form anti-school subcultures to get respect
• Pupil subcultures (Fuller)


  Black girls formed anti-school subculture due to racist teacher, but still achieved highly
• Labeling theory


  Labels become part of student's identity, create self-fulfilling prophecy
• Labeling effects (Gillborn & Youdell)


  Black pupils more likely disciplined, teachers have low expectations
• Labeling effects (gender)


  Boys negatively labeled as disruptive, leading to self-fulfilling prophecy
• Class and teacher judgments

  Teachers judge on appearance and family background rather than ability
• Factors influencing achievement (internal)

  1. Labeling

  2. Self-fulfilling prophecy

  3. Setting and streaming

  4. Pupil subcultures

  5. Pupil class identity
• Cultural deprivation


  Working class parents have less education, less able to support children's education
• Middle class vs working class subcultures

  Middle class future-oriented, working class present-oriented, affects academic achievement
• Rationality in classical economic theory is a flawed assumption as people usually don't act rationally
• Girls have outperformed boys in education, although the gap has narrowed at certain points
• Policies introduced to help girls

  • Equal opportunities policies
  • Introduction of more women in science and engineering to motivate girls
  • Growing employment for women providing female role models
• Factors that have helped girls achieve

  • GCSE coursework suits girls better as they mature earlier and are more organised
  • Teachers give more attention to disruptive boys, giving girls a positive self-fulfilling prophecy
  • Challenging gender stereotypes in books and media