education theories

• functionalism view on society 


  society shapes individuals through social institutions. macro structural and consensus theory. systems have interrelated parts which as independent
• functionalism view on education 


  perform positive functions for both society and individuals.
• parsons and functionalism 


  particularistic values in primary socialisation, secondary socialisation universalistic values. meritocracy
• durkehim and functionalism


  create social solidarity

  to learn specialist skills
• davis and moore in functionalism 


  sift and sort into future work roles

  role allocation into subjects based on ability to then train for jobs
• functionalism evaluation

  • don’t teach specialist skills as shortages in some jobs eg nhs
  • marxism and myth of meritocracy
  • sifting and sorting can have negative impact on success
• feminism view on society 


  its patriarchal and divided by gender. women inequality
• feminist view on education 


  instrument of exclusion as it reinforces gender identities and stereotypes and promotes patriarchal ideology
• liberal feminism 


  cause of inequality is gendered secondary socialisation such as gendered subjects.

  solution is to have education policies that reduce sexism eg equal pay, sex discriminatio, education reform act.
• sharpe and feminism 


  unstructured interview, priorities in 70s was love and boyfriends 90s was career, explains why girls results so strong
• radical feminism


  cause of inequality is deep rooted patriarchy in education.
• weiner in feminism 


  secondary school curriculum ‘women free zone’
• feminism evaluation


  each type used to evaluate other
• social action view on society 


  micro approach

  emphasises how individuals shape and construct society

  focuses on small in-depth everyday interactions
• social action view on education


  classroom interactions to understand meanings and motives behind individuals experiences
• rosenthal and jacobson in social action 


  tested labelling

  those labelled as spurters did self fulfilling prophecy
• ball and social action 


  studied school abolishing streaming, streaming removed meant anti school subculture declined.
• sewell and social action 


  black stereotypes and black respond by rebelling (anti school anti education), conformist (not part of subculture and keen to avoid stereotype), retreatist (disconnected from peer and school), innovaters (pro education anti school)
• rutter and social action

  features of good school can make difference to life of pupils
• social action evaluation

  • labelling theorist only focus on internal factors rather than external factors (poverty)
  • labelling too deterministic and ignores self negating prophecy
  • benefits of streaming
• post modernism on society 


  society is characterused by choice diversity and no longer fixed roles.
• post modernism education 


  one size fits all approach outdated

  education needs to be customised and flexible to meet needs of individual learners
• Thompson and postmodernism


  break free from one size fits all

  customised to fit differing needs of diverse communities eg faith schools
• usher and post modernism


  diverse and customised to individual needs, flexible, life long
• post modernism evaluation

  • can’t have individualised education due to financial costs
  • fail to account for class ethnic and gender differences in education
• policies introduced due to globalisation 


  academies come from US system

  free school influenced by swedish

  equality act 2010

  british values

  prevent strategy

  education bill 2015
• new right view on society

  running institutions like business, take reliance on self not benefits
• new right view on education 


  meritocratic principles for open competition.

  state education is inefficient and fails society and individuals

  marketisation and parentocracy
• chubb and moe in new right

  marketisation benefits pupils as competition raises standards and efficiency. paying customer mentality.
• two roles in state ed new right

  imposes framework on schools which they have to compete

  school transmits shared culture
• education reform act

  included league tables, ofste, funding formula, national curriculum.
• new right coalition gov

  free school meals, expansion of academies, tripling university fees, british values - all for shared national identity
• conservative gov new right

  education bill 2015

  expansion of free school and faith schools

  reintroduction of grammar schools
• new right evaluation

  • state school low achievement due to funding received
  • Gewirtz middle class use cultural and economic capital to research and afford better schools
  • Barlett says marketisation disadvantages working class
• Marxism view on society


  macro

  structural

  conflict

  society divided by two unequal social class (bourgeoisie ruling class and proletariat working class)
• marxism view on education 


  transmits messages to legitimise capitalist ideology.

  myth meritocracy

  false class consciousness
• althusser marxism 


  ideological state apparatus - equipment goverment use to control ideas.

  education reproduces class inequality and legitimises class inequality
• willis marxism 


  unstructured interviews to uncover anti school subcultures.

  working class boys learn and do very little and get taught bare minimum to get though school.

  subculture prepared them for boredom of labour and working class jobs and ensures their failure and underachievement just to gurantee a supply of workers for capitalism
• bowles and gintis marxism 


  correspondence principle

  operates through hidden curriculum

  similarities are acceptance of hierarchy and authority, external rewards, competition, rules.
• bourdieu marxism 


  middle class habitus is more valued in education than working class habitus