role of education

• The Marxist Perspective

  See society and education as based on class division and capitalist exploitation

  Marx saw capitalism as a two-class system: capitalist (bourgeoisie, own means of production,exploit) and working (proletariat, no control, exploited, poorly paid alienation work), creates potential for class conflict
• Althusser and state apparatuses which help bourgeoisie maintain power


  RSA - through force and threat, e.g police, courts, army, use of physical coercion when necessary to repress w/c

  ISA - control people's ideas values and beliefs e.g religion media and the education system

  Education reproduces and legitimizes class inequality
• Bowles and Gintis: schooling in capitalist America


  Argue that capitalism requires an obedient workforce that will accept that inequality is inevitable. They studied 237 NY high schools and found that schools rewarded submissiveness and compliance, both of which are required in a worker.
• Cohen - youth training schemes


  Serve capitalism by teaching young workers not genuine job skills but attitudes and values needed for a subordinate labour force - lower aspirations
• Bowles and Gintis: Education as 'a giant myth making machine'


  'Myth of meritocracy' - evidence shows how main factor determining if one has a high income is their family or class background

  Myth of meritocracy serves to justify privileges of higher classes
• Willis - lads counter culture

  Lads form counter culture opposed to school = scornful of conformist boys - called them ear oles = listening to teachers, have own brand of intimidatory humour, taking the piss out of ear oles & girls, find school boring & meaningless & flout its rules & values - smoking & drinking.

  Acts of defiance = ways of resisting school. Similarity between lads anti school counter culture & shopfloor culture of male manual workers, both see manual work as inferior & effeminate.

  Lads counter culture ensures that they're destined for unskilled work that capitalism needs someone to perform.
• AO3 of Marxism


  - Postmodernists - outdated, society is in postmodern phase, more diverse and fragmented, class divisions no longer important, economy now based on flexible specialisation, critique correspondence principle, post-Fordist economy

  - Willis account of lads romanticizes them as w/c heroes despite anti social behaviour and sexist attitudes
• Neoliberalism


  Argue state should not provide service such as health education and welfare

  Has influenced all govs since 1979

  Based on idea of minimal state intervention and regulation
• The New Right


  Conservative political view that incorporates neoliberal economic ideas
• NR and functionalism


  Similar: believe some people are more naturally talented, favour education based on meritocratic principles of open competition, prepares young people, socialize into shared values

  
  

  Different: NR feel current system isn't achieving these goals
• Chubb and Moe: consumer choice (New Right)


  State run education has failed in the US as it hasn't created equal opportunity, failed the needs of disadvantaged groups, inefficient as it fails to produce pupils with the skills needed by the economy, private schools deliver higher quality education, control in hands of consumers etc.
• Functionalism

  Based on the view that society is a system of interdependent parts held together by a value consensus (agreement)
• Durkheim: Solidarity and Skills

  2 main functions of education :

  
  

  - creating social solidarity - society needs this for social life and cooperation, education helps create this through transmitting society's culture, school acts and society in miniature

  
  

  - teaching specialist skills - necessary for individuals to play their part in the social division of labour
• Parsons: Meritocracy


  school is 'focal socialising agent' and bridge between family and society as work with different principles

  family has particularistic standards and ascribed status

  society has universalistic standards - school has this and achieve status from own efforts so learn about meritocratic principles here

  meritocracy gives all equal opportunity so achieve based on own efforts
• Davis and Moore: role allocation

  Education seen as a device for selection and role allocation, inequality is needed to ensure the most important roles in society are filled by the most talented people

  Society offers higher rewards for these jobs

  Education is a proving ground for ability 'sifts and sorts', most able gain high qualifications
• AO3 of Functionalism


  -Wrong- argues that functionalists have an 'over-socialised view' of people as mere puppets of society. Functionalists wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all they are taught and never reject the school's values, which is not the case.

  - Timon criticizes Davis and Moore for putting forth a circular argument

  - Education doesn't teach specialist skills e.g Wolf review 2011 of vocational education claims that high quality apprenticeships are rare, up to 1/2 of 16 year olds are on courses that do not lead to HE or good jobs