Education

• functionalist perspective

  • Durkheim social solidarity and specialist skills - school = society in miniature
  • parsons focal socialising agency- school=bridge between family and wider society, status in fam = ascribed status in society=achieved
  • davis and moore role allocation - inequality=good as ensures people get things that suit ability and talent --> believe in meritocratic system
• criticism of functionalist

  • marxists - education only transmits the ideology of a ruling class
  • new right and neo liberals - education system fails to prepare them for work
  • interactionists - functionalists just see people as over socialised muppets
• new right

  • believe current education system isn't achieving these goals as state takes a 'one size fits all' approach
  • two roles for the state- impose framework on schools like ofsted +transmit shared culture and values
  • chubb and moe consumer choice - american state ran education system = failed --> no equal opportunities, doesn't provide skills needed for economy, private schools = ^ inequality
• new right criticism

  • low standards are from inadequate funding
  • marxists- education doesn't give shared culture it dominates the ruling class
  • gewirtz and ball - competition between schools benefit MC cultural capital
• marxism

  • althusser state apparatus - ideological SA = maintaining role by controlling people's beliefs and values, repressive SA = maintaining rule by force and threats
  • willis learning 2 labour - study shown WC pupils resist attempts of indoctrination and accept boredom of school -->lads counter culture = destined for unskilled work for capitalist society
  • bowles and gintis hidden curriculum - lessons being taught at school indirectly, myth of meritocracy justify the privileges of HC making it seem pupils achieve fairly and in open competition
• criticism of marxism

  • willis study shows people don't accept their fate they just find different responses to the system
  • feminists - bowles gintis fail to acknowledge schools reproduce patriarchy too, females absent from willis study too!
• class differences - external factors

  • cultural deprivation - intellectual development --> WC children have less toys so wont gain mobility skills using them , language --> bernstein = restricted and elaborated speech code, attitudes and values --> sugarman = fatalism, collectivism, immediate gratification
  • CRITIQUE - victim blaming, Keddie dismisses idea that failure at school is blamed on culturally deprived home
• class differences - external factors

  • material deprivation --> poor housing =overcrowding/constantly moving place to place, diet and health = howard says those from LIC homes = less energy&nutrition, financial support = emily tanner at al says school equipment and its cost is a burden on some famillies, smith and noble say poverty = a barrier
• class differences - external factors

  • cultural capital --> bourdieau identifies 3 types of capital - cultural, economic, educational
  • policies --> marketisation and parental choice - gewirtz says privileged skilled choosers UC are disconnected from local choosers MC and semiskilled choosers WC/LC
• class differences - internal factors

  • labelling --> becker - the ideal pupil, rist - primary school labelling behind animal names = tigers, cardinalls, clowns
• class differences - internal factors

  • self fulfilling prophecy --> rosenthal and jacobson = study with fake IQ tests to tell the teachers who were "spurters" and those who weren't , labelling and streaming are examples of policy's which implement the SFP
• class differences - internal factors

  • pupil subcultures --> lacey = differentiation and polarisation pro and anti school, woods= found other responses like retreatism and rebellion
  • CRITIQUE --> Ball suggested that abolishing streaming would help but inequalities would still be there because of teacher labelling
• class differences - internal factors

  • class identity and the school --> habitus = linked to bordieu cultural capital , wc children try to gain more or a better habitus, Archer = symbolic capital and nike identities, Evans = study found that girls were reluctant to apply to oxbridge and those who did had a fear of not fitting in.
• marketisation and selection policies

  • Gillborn+Youdell - A-C economy, educational triage w schools
  • Barlett - cream skimming --> picking the 'right type' of pupils
• gender differences- external factors

  • impact of feminism - McRobbie- study of magazines and the change from love,marriage and housewife life to independence etc
  • changes in the family

  • changes in employment
  • girls changing ambitions
• gender differences - internal factors

  • equal oppourtunity policies
  • positive role models in schools
  • GCSE and coursework
  • teacher attention
  • challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
  • selection and league tables
• gender differences

  feminist view of girls achievement

  • liberal --> celebrate progres made so far but believe further progress will be made with the continuing development of oppourtunities
  • radical --> system = still patriachal - sexual harrasment, limits on subject choice, women = underrepresented
• gender differences

  boys and achievement 1

  • boys poor literacy --> parents spend less time reading to boys and girls read more
  • globalisation and decline of traditional jobs --> mitsos and browne say its created a 'male identity crisis'
  • feminisation of education --> less male teachers in school female dominated career
• gender differences

  boys and achievement 2

  
  

  • shortage of male teachers --> lack male role models
  • laddish subcultures --> negative labels boys recieve for trying to fit in = similarities between willis working to labour study
  • policies implemented to increase boys achievement --> reading champions, dads and sons, playing for success
• gender differences

  ethnicity, class and gender

  • evans --> says we must study all three together and take them all into consideration not just view them singularly
  • DFES 2007 --> class gap in achievement = 3x wider than the gender gap
• gender differences

  subject choice

  • where more choice = biggest difference --> a levels & vocational
  • early socialisation --> norman says shapes gender identity, brown and ross says gender domains of male and female tasks
  • gendered subject images --> colley says computer science seen as masculine
• gender differences


  subject choice 2

  • peer pressure --> paetcher says pressure from friends to stay within the gender domains
  • gendered career oppourtunities --> employment = gendered - WC girls usually opt for childcare or hair and beauty
• gender differences

  gender identity 1

  • verbal abuse --> paetcher - boys commenting on appearence and sexual behaviour of girls maintains male power and dominace
  • male peer groups --> mac an ghaill - masculine identity
  • teachers and discipline --> mac an ghaill - found teachers ignored abuse of girls , askew and ross - male teachers 'protect' female teachers from students
• gender differences

  gender identity 2

  • the male gaze --> mac an ghaill - the way male teachers and students sexualise female students = heterosecual masculinity reinforced and feminity devalued
  • double standards --> suelees - sexual morality where male promiscuity valued and female promiscuity is negative
• ethnic differences - external factors

  cultural deprivation

  • language - engelman says LIC black children = inadequate language while the Swann report found english as an additional language wasn't a major factor
  • attitudes and values - black children are socialised into a fatalistic culture
  • family structure and parental support - murray = chaotic family and lack of male role model, driver and ballad = asian parents have higher aspirations for their children, lupton = asian family structure is similar to school
• ethnic differences - external factors

  cultural deprivation 2

  • CRITIQUE - Lawrence = cultural deprivation isn't the problem , Driver = some black families have positive female and male role models
• ethnic differences - external factors

  material deprivation and class

  • flaherty = ethnic minorities are more likely to experience poverty --> indians are more wealthy than bangledeshi
  • modood = children from LIC famillies did less well the effects were less for other ethnic groups than for white pupils
• ethnic differences - external factors

  racism in wider society

  • rex = racial discrimination also leads to social exclusions
  • wood et al = study w job applications with different names some ethnic --> people less likely to respond if your name is associated with a ethnic minority
• ethnic differences - internal factors

  labelling and teacher racism

  • gillborn and youdell - teachers are quicker to disipline black students
  • wrights study - multi ethnic school where asian pupils were at the forefront of victims to teacher racism
• ethnic differences - internal factors

  pupil responses and subcultures

  • fuller - rejecting negative labels - high achieving black girls dont rise to the labels they continue on
  • mac an ghaill - study of black and asian a level students at college who didn't accept the label recieved by teachers
  • mirza - 3 types of teacher racism = colour blind, liberal chaurinists, overt racist
  • sewell - variety of boys responses
  • CRITIQUE - assumes that once a victim of labelling they automatically become a victim of self fulfilling prophecy
• ethnic differences - internal factors

  ethnocentric curriculum

  • reflects culture of 1 ethnic group = prime example of institutional racism
  • david - curriculum british so mostly ignores non-european culture, language and history
  • ball - history lessons are all from white european perspective
• ethnic differences - internal factors

  institutional racism

  • ethnocentric curriculum = example
  • hatcher - governer's give low priority to race issues
  • critical race theory - hamilton = less overt while gilborn found it become deep rooted normal
• ethnic differences - internal factors

  selection and segregation

  • gillborn - marketisation policies have increased segregation
  • gewirtz - 'asian' schools = strict discipline, while 'white' school = rougher
• What is privatisation?


  A transfer of assets and resources from state control into the hands of the private sector. It impacts education but also other parts of society.
• Privatisation WITHIN education system includes schools operating like a business > performance targets, marketing, looking efficient and profitable / schools are able to opt out of education authority and manage it themselves / academisation increases the business level to education
• Privatisation OF education system includes outsourcing parts within the education system to private companies like the growth of academy trusts, developing educational brands, private investments into school buildings
• critisms of privatisation

  • control over the curriculum by companies which influence the curriculum taught
  • cola-isation of school > ball
  • focuses on profit rather than progress > courses are cut within school
  • they can opt out of national curriculum