Marxist views on education

• marxists think that education

  rewards conformity and obedience

  transmits ruling class ideology

  prepares pupils for their role in the workplace

  legitimises inequality and discuises exploitation

  reproduces new generations of workers, schooled to accept their place in capitalist society
• schools are agencies of ideological transmission
• there is a correspondence between school and work
• conflict structuralists believe

  social structures in society condition the nature of social action
• There is always a conflict of interest in capitalist society, therefore, structural inequality is inherent in capitalist society. equality is impossible
• the education system legitimises social inequality and the hegemony of the dominant ruling class
• Marxism sees education as an agent of social control which prepares young people for their future roles in society
• marxist views on functionalist theory

  marxists say the functionalist views on fairness and merit (and failure as an individual, not systemic issue) distract attention from the exploitation of the capitalist system. myth of meritocracy
• pierre bourdieu- cultural capital

  embodied capital- class indicators, accent, culture, manners

  objectified capital- ownership and access to social markers, music, art, books

  institutionalised capital- authority and power, job and qualifications
• Louis Althusser 1970

  education is the reproduction of an efficient and obedient workforce for a capitalist society:

  • the reproduction of necessary skills
  • the reproduction of the ruling class ideology and the socialisation of workers into accepting this ideology (false consciousness)
• Althusser and the ideological state apparatus

  ISA- the processes of persuasion by which the ruling classes prevent the working class rebelling against their exploitation.

  examples:

  • school
  • workplace
  • media
• Bowles and gintis 1976


  what happens in the workplace corresponds with what happens at school- correspondence theory

  education produces a labour force for capitalism

  this involves the teaching of qualities and skills needed

  education reproduces the relationships and conditions that exist between workers and employers

  schools are about inequality and repression which also mirrors society

  people have to learn just enough to become dutiful workers but not enough to challenge the capitalist system

  labour alienation is replicated at school
• Bowles and gintis research methods

  questionnaires

  • personality traits were revealed through a questionnaire, similar to that used by employers. results were compaired against school grade averages and exam scores

  findings

  • a correlation between personality traits valued by employers and high scores at school

  strengths

  • large samples (reliability and representativeness)
  • established correlation

  weaknesses

  • lack depth and verstehen
  • may be misunderstood
• criticisms of Althusser and Bowles + gintis

  Dennis wrong 1980 argued that people can't be socialised into conformity. people do have a degree of control over their lives

  neo marxists argue against the idea of an ideological socialisation and do not necessarily have false consciousness; they are kept in their place through low wages and low status jobs

  some sociologists talk of the fatalistic characteristic of the working class- they are aware of their exploitation, but do not believe there is anything they can do to change it
• criticisms of Althusser and Bowles + gintis pt2


  capitalism existed for about 150 years before an established education system, so correspondence theory can't fully explain the reproduction for capitalism

  however there was an apprentice system which might have served the same purpose

  the formal curriculum does teach critical thinking

  teachers do not necessary carry out their allotted ideological role. in fact many teachers challenge the hegemony

  teachers constrained by structural imperative: demands by various groups and institutions
• criticisms of Althusser and Bowles + gintis pt3

  diroux 1984 neo marxist argued that the view is deterministic. many working class students do not fail and do find success

  safia mirza 192 and wright both found evidence of black girls striving to succeed in education as an act to resistance to schools
• Paul willis (neo marxist)


  studied 12 working class boys in wolverhampton in the 70s

  research methods; unstructured interviews and observations

  the lads and the ear’holes

  the lads- anti school subculture avoid or disrupt lessons, have a lag and avoid pen pushing of the ear’oles

  laughed at the ear’oles and the girls

  wanted to get to world of work as soon as possible

  lads rejected school and its values, couldnt see its relevance. in future jobs

  accepted manual jobs- opposes traditional marxist view on correspondence and ideological socialisation
• willis findings

  found a similarity between the anti school subculture and the shop floor culture of the manual workers

  both cultures saw manual work as superior, intellectual work was inferior and effeminate

  counter culture helped them to fit into manual work

  accustomed to boredom and not expecting to find satisfaction in work

  acts of rebellion ensured unskilled jobs
• colin lacey- hightown grammar 1970


  found similar process in grammar school where all the students had been positively labelled following the 11+ exam

  students in grammar schools were also streamed

  conclusion:educational differentiation seems to be the most important factor in the development of subcultures