Topic 3: education

Cards (219)

  • Functions of education

    • Selective role
    • Political role
    • Social control role
    • Economic role
    • Socialisation role
  • Selective role

    Choosing the most able people for the most important jobs
  • The education acts like a sieve to sort students into the correct job roles
  • Society needs a diverse workforce with a variety of roles in order to function
  • All jobs are important for society to function
  • Sociological views on the role of education

    • Functionalists
    • Marxists
  • Functionalists' view on the selective role

    Education teaches the skills necessary for the work place which benefits the economy
  • Marxists' view on the selective role

    Only benefits the middle classes as working class children will end up in working class jobs
  • Political role

    Teaching people to be effective citizens and creating social cohesion
  • The idea that teaching the norms and values of British culture develops a sense of 'Britishness'
  • Sociological views on the political role

    • Functionalists
    • Marxists
  • Functionalists' view on the political role

    People learn about society through education and in doing so they accept the political system, and are able to vote wisely at election time
  • Marxists' view on the political role

    Only certain political opinions and ideas are tolerated in education—those accepted by the bourgeoisie. Radical ideas are rejected
  • Social control role
    Teaches us to accept rules and authority to keep society running smoothly
  • Sociological views on the social control role

    • Functionalists
    • Marxists
  • Functionalists' view on the social control role
    School should act as an agent of social control by teaching rules such as obedience and punctuality. In this way people learn to conform to rules and authority in later life
  • Marxists' view on the social control role

    Social control at school benefits the bourgeoisie by reflecting social control in the wider society, e.g. obeying a teacher is seen as preparation for obeying a boss in the workplace
  • Economic role
    Teaching us the skills needed for work
  • School teaches the norms and values that are important in British culture
  • Sociological views on the economic role

    • Functionalists
    • Marxists
  • Functionalists' view on the economic role

    School teaches literacy, numeracy, and vocational courses, which aim to train young people for the world of work. Education therefore prepares young people for their future occupational (job) roles and this benefits the economy
  • Marxists' view on the economic role
    Education reinforces the class system because children from the working classes learn the skills necessary for lower-status occupations, while children from middle and upper classes gain qualification needed for higher-status occupations
  • Socialisation role

    Schools build on Primary socialisation. It helps children to develop an understanding of the norms and Values of society
  • Sociological views on the socialisation role

    • Functionalists
    • Marxists
  • Functionalists' view on the socialisation role
    Education is seen as an agent of secondary socialisation, teaching children from different backgrounds a common culture, beliefs and expectations
  • Marxists' view on the socialisation role

    Education socialises individuals into accepting the values of the bourgeoisie, e.g. valuing hard work in school is seen as preparing the future workforce of hard work
  • Features of the hidden curriculum
    • Social control
    • Competition
    • Lack of power
    • Hierarchy
    • Lack of satisfaction
    • Gender role allocation
    • Inequalities
  • Social control

    Schools teach rules, regulations, obedience and respect for authority
  • Competition

    Schools encourage competition as society is based on competition. For example there is always competition for jobs
  • Hierarchy
    Students learn about hierarchy in schools i.e. those at the top and those at the bottom
  • Lack of satisfaction
    Some critics of schools argue that the school day is purposely taken up by meaningless and boring activities which prepare people for boring, meaningless and repetitive jobs
  • Gender role allocation

    There is a link between expectations, subject choice and gender in school and gender role allocation in the wider society. In other words, job segregation begins at school
  • Inequalities
    We still have a relatively 'white' curriculum in our education system. A lot of topics for study, many of the authors and a lot of the illustrations still tend to focus on white history. We learn that the more intelligent you are, the more likely you are to gain the teachers praise, to win awards and to be seen as a 'good' student. Many argue this teaches us to accept that we will not be treated the same in society and that this is normal and acceptable
  • Types of education

    • Formal education
    • Informal education (hidden curriculum)
  • Formal education
    Subjects that are studied and examined in schools and colleges
  • Informal education (hidden curriculum)

    Non-directed learning that occurs and does not have a curriculum to follow
  • Examples of formal education

    • Sociology
    • History
    • English
  • Examples of informal education (hidden curriculum)

    • Learning of rules
    • Routines
    • Relationships
    • Discipline
    • Gender roles and expectations
  • Durkheim's view on the purpose of education

    The main purpose of education was to teach young people society's norms and values. This would unite members of society and prevent individuals from being selfish – creating social solidarity
  • Durkheim's view on how this happens

    Children learned shared values from the hidden curriculum and through subjects such as history which instil a sense of shared past and commitment to wider society