Sociology Education

• Education Functionalism - view on Education


  Education helps people become ready for society and their role in the economy
• Education Functionalism - Parson


  He argues that school is the focal socialising agency of modern society. As in primary socialisation each child is treated differently. However in wider society everyone is treated with universalistic values
• Education Functionalism - Parson


  Meritocracy is a system where everything is fair and equal. This gives everyone a chance to succeed. Meritocracy is based on two key values:

  1. Individual achievements - everyone achieves their status through their own efforts and abilities. It is what you can do, not who you know or where you come from.
  2. Equal opportunity - for everyone to achieve their full potential
• Education Functionalism - Durkheim


  He argues that education has two purposes

  1. To create social solidarity - Education teaches us to understand that we are part of a society by transmitting society's culture via secondary socialisation. School acts as society in miniature.
  2. To learn specialist skills - As a result of structural differences, the economy demands specialist workers who often have to undergo long periods of training for specific occupations. Therefore education equips individuals with specialist skills need to work in modern economy.
• Education functions according to Davis and Moore


  • Sift and sort students into their future work roles
  • Allocate students to roles based on their abilities
• Sift and sort

  1. Test students to identify the most intelligent

  2. Push the most intelligent students into better subjects

  3. Ensure the most intelligent get the best jobs
• Role allocation

  • The best students are identified and given higher rewarding jobs like better pay
  • This motivates everyone to strive for these roles, making society more productive
• Education Policies - Conservative Government (1979 - 1997)

  League tables

  Ofsted

  Grant maintained schools - policy which encouraged comprehensive to opt out of local educational authority control and mange their own finances