Functionalism

• what view do functionalists take on education?

  positive
• education performs several functions

  -socialisation

  -providing specialist skills for work

  -allocating people to different work roles
• Durkheim - two main functions of sociology

  -social solidarity

  -specialist skills
• social solidarity - Durkheim 


  -individual members must feel themselves to be part of something bigger > community

  -education system does this through transmitting society's culture, shard beliefs & values

  -schools acts as 'society in miniature' > preparing for life in wider society
• according to Durkheim, what does school act as?


  -society in miniature

  -preparing for life in wider society
• specialist skills - Durkheim 


  -in modern industrial economy there's complex, specialised division of labour

  -must be taught specialist skills for this to work

  -education must provide specialist skills & knowledge
• meritocracy as a bridge - Parsons


  -education is bridge between family & wider society

  -bridge needed because family & wider society operate on different principles

  -children need to learn new way of living if they're to cope with wider world
• meritocracy > particularistic standards 


  given unconditional love solely by family

  -with no/little expectations
• meritocracy - universalistic standards 


  treated/judged by standards that're applied to all
• meritocracy > status - Parsons


  -argues in family, child's status is ascribed

  -person's status in wider society is generally achieved

  > promotions/sacked

  > pass/fail through own efforts

  -school prepares us to move from family to wider society > both based on meritocratic principles

  -pupils have equal opportunities to achieve based on effort & ability
• why does Parsons believe school prepares us to move from family to wider society?

  they're both based on meritocratic principles
• role allocation - Davis & Moore


  -school perform the function of selecting & allocating pupils to future work roles

  -by assessing students abilities, school help match to suitable job
• what do Davis & Moore focus on?

  -relationship between education & social inequality

  -argue inequality is necessary to ensure most important roles in society are filled by most talented people
• what function do Davis & Moore say school performs?

  -selecting & allocating pupils to their future work roles
• sorting & sifting - Davis & Moore

  -school 'sorts & sifts' students so most able get best qualifications and in turn go on to get best jobs