theories of education

• durkheim & social solidarity


  • argues function of education is the transmission of society’s norms & values

  • creates value consensus

  • establishes social solidarity e.g through teaching history & school clubs

  • education essential in industrialised society as it is based largely on interdependence of specialised skills
• evaluation of durkheim


  • bullying in schools - removes ideology that education creates social solidarity

  • middle class afford private schools and gain more support - no value consensus
• parsons & meritocracy


  • school takes over as the main socialising agency after primary socialisation

  • school acts as a bridge between the family and society - prepares children for adult role

  • children judged in particularistic standards in the family but universalistic standards at school

  • schools meritocratic due to achieved status, competition, rewards, published data

  • schools act as society in miniature
• evaluation of parsons


  • marxists claim meritocracy is an illusion & the middle class have more opportunities to succeed
• davis & moore - role allocation


  • argue schools play a key part in selection of individuals for future role in society

  • test & evaluate students - match their skills for jobs they’re best suited

  • argue inequality is necessary to ensure most important roles filled by most talented people
• evaluation of role allocation

  • marxists would argue the education system doesn’t grade individuals according to their ability but favours the middle class
• schutz - expansion of education 


  • theory of human capital

  • higher education necessary to provide a properly trained, qualified & flexible labour force who will accept their positions in society
• marxist perspective on education

  • believed education is based on capitalist exploitation
• similarities between marxist and functionalist views on education 


  • agree that education is an agency of secondary socialisation

  • agree that education has an economic function
• differences between marxist and functionalist views on role of education


  • functionalists believe education provides equal opportunities whereas marxists claim education favours middle class

  • disagree on who the economic function serves
• althusser - transmission of capitalist values 


  • education acts as an ideological state apparatus maintaining rule of bourgeoisie by controlling pupils ideas, values & beliefs

  • education reproduces class inequality by failing each successive generation of working class pupils

  • education legitimises class inequalities - produces ideologies that disguise its true cause to persuade workers to accept the inequality
• bowles & gintis - preparation for the workplace

  • capitalism requires a work force with behaviour suited to their role as alienated and exploited workers

  • reproduction theory - role of education is to prepare and reproduce an obedient workforce

  • working class pupils leave equipped with skills to remain working class

  • study if 237 new york high school students - found schools reward submissive and compliant personality traits

  • students showing independence & creativity gained low grades - obedience & discipline gained high grades

  • correspondence principle
• examples of correspondence principle


  • staff in workplaces & students in schools wear work uniforms/dress code

  • school provides extrinsic rewards e.g qualifications - workplace give wages

  • supervision of students & rules imposed - workplace have CCTV and supervisors hovering
• myth of meritocracy


  • justifies the privileges of higher classes

  • demonstrates it as achieved through fair competition

  • persuades working class to accept inequality is legitimate - reduces likelihood of a revolution
• hidden curriculum


  • the lessons pupils learn that they are not directly taught

  e.g voice of authority is superior - western world is better than other areas - science, maths & literature viewed more importance than the arts
• evaluation of bowles & gintis


  • accused of exaggerating the correspondence between work and education e.g modern work requires team work while exams use individual revision
• paul willis - learning to labour

  • his research shows working class pupils can resist

  • studied ‘the lads’ - group of wc boys

  • observed & interviewed them - found they viewed it as cool to mess about in lesson & fail school

  • demonstrates working classes actively choosing to fail
• evaluation of paul willis

  study may lack representativeness - not all schools face resistance from working class pupils
• similarities of functionalist & marxist views on education


  • both see education system as a powerful influence on students

  • both macro theories concerned with structural relationships between education and other parts of social system e.g family

  • both pay too much emphasis on role of education in forming students identity
• differences of functionalist & marxist views on education

  • functionalists put too much emphasis on positives in education while marxists focus on negatives

  • functionalists believe education is meritocratic while marxists say this is a myth

  • functionalists argue education is a bridge between home and school while marxists say it reinforces capitalist ideologies that are also reinforced at home
• neoliberalism


  • believe state should not provide services like education

  • believe the value of education lies in how well it enables the country to compete in global marketplace - can only be achieved if schools are more like businesses

  • e.g competition between schools, student councils, league tables, ofsted inspections
• the new right


  • argue education systems aren’t achieving their goals because they are run by the state

  • state education takes a one size fits all approach

  • consumers e.g pupils & parents have no say in how education is run

  • propose marketisation of education
• similarities between the new right and functionalist views of education


  • both believe some people naturally more talented than others & should have a selection function

  • both favour meritocracy and open competition

  • both believe education should socialise pupils into shared values
• differences between new right and functionalist views of education


  • new right don’t believe current education system is achieving its goals while functionalists do

  • new right take less positive view than functionalists, believing that education needs to be run more like a business
• consumer choice 


  state run education has failed because:

  • not created equal opportunity

  • not efficient - failed to produced pupils with skills needed by economy

  • private schools deliver higher quality education

  chubb & moe compared achievement of 60,000 pupils from low income families across 1,015 state and private schools - achieved 5% better in private than state schools

  • urge for a market system - family given voucher to spend in education from a school of their own choice - force schools to be more supportive of parents wishes as vouchers their main source of income
• two roles for the state 


  new right see the state as playing 2 roles:

  • imposes a framework in schools within which they have to compete e.g league tables

  • ensures schools transmit shared cultural norms and values by imposing a national curriculum
• evaluation of the new right 


  • critics argue that the real cause of low educational standards is not state control but social inequality and inadequate funding of state schools
• postmodernist view of education 


  • argue that the marxist views are outdated

  • claim postmodern society doesn’t hold class divisions as important

  • society shifted from mass production to smaller specialised production

  • specialised production requires a skilled, adaptable workforce

  • want a different type of education system that encourages self-motivation, self-supervision and creativity

  • believe education reproduces diversity not inequality