Negative Evaluations

• Henry Giroux: 'The theory is too deterministic. Working class pupils are not entirely molded by the capitalist system, and do not accept everything that they are taught'
• Paul Willis' study of the 'Lads' also suggests that working class pupils are not entirely molded by the capitalist system
• There is less evidence that pupils think school is fair
• Paul Willis' Lads knew the system was biased towards the middle classes
• Many young people in deprived areas are very aware that they are getting a poor quality of education compared to those in private schools
• Education can actually harm the Bourgeois - many left wing, Marxist activists are university educated
• The correspondence principle may not be as applicable in today's complex labour market where employers increasingly require workers to be able to think rather than to just be passive robots