education

• New Right overview of education

  New Right sociologists argue that the education system should be run like a business. They have an optimistic approach as they believe education offers opportunities to all. New Right sociologists have doubts in the current education system and want state schools to be more like private schools.
• Chubb & Moe (new right)


  Argue the introduction of market forces into education - known as marketisation. This is benifitial to the education system as it helps to improve standards within school.
• Critisisms of the consensus theories on education

  Functionalists ignore the persistants inequalities that occur in education. Working class boys and ethnic minorities achieve lower results than other groups, showing the system in not fully equal.
• Durkheim (functionalist)


  Believes education is a key aspect of socialisation. Education helps intergrate norms and values into the youth. School acts as a minature society, preparing us for the outside world as in school you have to work and cooperate with people other than your family.
• Durkheim's 2 main functions of education

  Social solidarity & teaching specialist skills.
• Parsons (functionalist)


  Parsons believes in the bridge effect, school acts as a bridge between home and the wider society (secondary socialisation) . At home children are treated as individuals (particular values), but at school all children are treated the same (universalistic values).
• Particular values


  The values which are set by your family and are particular to you. Eg you and your siblings having different chores.
• Universalistic values


  The values which are set by society and apply to all individuals . Eg sitting exams in school.
• Functionalist overview on education

  Functionalists argue inequality is needed to ensure the most talented, hardest workers fill the most important roles. Not everyone is equally talented, so the ones at the top must get a higher reward. Functionalists believe school is based on meritocracy and schools serve the function of sorting people into their future roles.
• Davis & Moore (functionalists)


  Davis & Moore believe in the idea of role allocation, that the education system sorts people into their future roles. They believe education filters out the most talented people. They believe in meritocracy, and believe there has to be people at the bottom of society (eg homeless) to act as a motivator for the rest of society.
• Marxist overview on education

  Marxists see education as preventing revolution and maintaining capitalism. Schools teach obedience to authority and punctuality - all needed to smoothly work a 9-5 job. Marxists argue that the state the education system developed was a direct response to the needs of industrial capitalism. Marxists believe school prepares students to accept the ruling class ideology.
• Althusser 2 main functions of education (marxist)

  He believes the education system is an important ISA as it performs two functions. One, the education system reproduces class inequality by failing the working class generation after generation. Two, education justifies class inequality by producing a set of beliefs that disguise the truth. He also believes the education system has replaced the church as society's main ISA.
• What is the Repressive state of apparatus (RSA)?

  The idea that the elite rule society by force, eg the police and army patrolling the streets.
• What is the Ideological state of apparatus (ISA)?

  The idea that the elite rule society by controlling people's' ideas, values and beliefs. Done mainly through how the elite influence the media.
• Bowles & Gintis (marxist)


  Identify the close parallels between work and school, and how the education system perfectly prepares you to be an obedient 9-5 worker. Both have a very similar hierarchical structure. They believe in the myth of meritocracy (it does not actually exist). They do not believe schools foster personal development, only rewarding academics.
• Paul Willis (anit-school subcultures)

  Believed in the myth of meritocracy. His ideas centred around counter school subcultures, where working class boys rebelled against the typical school system and created their own set of norms and values. Willis believes pupils who don't benefit from the school system (working class lads) subconsciously develop their own subcultures. Working class students likely have a poorer home life and worse parental influence. These lads tend to gravitate towards a manual labour job over a job that requires academics.
• Neoliberalism/new right overview on education

  Encourage marketisation as they believe it motivates improvement within schools. Believe the state cannot meet people's needs and people are best left to make their own choices. The role of education is to instil drive, initiative and enterprise, schools should be treated like a business. We should have a free market where parents can have choice, however this causes competition within schools.
• The states/governments two roles within the education system

  One, imposing a framework on schools within which they all compete (league tables). Two, insure all schools transmit a shared value culture (national curriculum).
• Gewirtz & Ball (marxists)


  Argue that competition between schools only benefits the middle class, as they can afford to pay for the best school.
• What is Cultural capital?


  The knowledge, attitudes, values and tastes that the middle class transmit onto their children. Its helping culturally educate your children further outside of school. Eg, taking your child to a museum or theatre. Helps the middle class fit in with the elite and work the system better.
• Material deprivation


  Severe poverty, not being able to afford the basics such as housing and food. A theory that explains the lower classes inability to achieve as highly in school in comparison to the upper class.
• How does cultural capital help a child achieve further?

  Cultural capital/middle class values help children in education as it expands their knowledge further. The middle class children have the additional benefit of a good parental influence, their parents know how to work the system and will likely push their children to succeed like they did.
• Bourdieu (cultural deprivation)


  Argues the importance of taking into account both cultural and material factors when researching into educational achievement. He identifies two further types, 'educational capital' and 'cultural capital'. He believes that the middle class typically posses all types of capital. He uses the concept of capital to explain why the middle class are more successful, they experience significantly more capital, hence why they do better in the education system.
• Flaherty (material deprivation)


  Material deprivation - found out that money was a significant factor in educational achievement. eg - equipment & school trips.
• Cultural deprivation


  Inadequate socialisation leading to a lack of culture. Different classes have different values around education. Children of a higher class are much more likely to do better in school due to a good parental influence. Richer parents are likely to push their kids into succeeding the same way they did, they also know how to work the system better.
• Culture


  Shared norms, values and beliefs within society.
• Bernstein (talking codes)


  Identified the restricted and elaborated code. Identified differences between the working class and middle class language that influence achievement.
• What is the the restricted code?


  It is the speech code typically used by the working class. Includes limited vocab and short, unfinished sentences. (slang) Context bound - assuming the listener shares the same set as experiences as you.
• What is the the elaborated code?


  It is the speech code used typically by the middle class. It has a wider, more developed, grammatically correct sentences. Language developed by parents and reading. Context free - does not assume the listener shares the same set of experiences.
• Douglass (marxist)


  Believes working class parents place less importance on education. As a result, they are less ambitious for their children and give them less encouragement.
• Feinstein (parents education)


  Concluded that a parents own education was an important factor affecting children's achievement. Children of well educated parents are more likely to achieve due to good parental influence and encouragement. Middle class parents are more likely to promote skills of analysis and evaluation, alongside with praising their children more.
• Sugarman (subcultures)


  He argues working class subcultures have four key features that act as a barrier to educational achievement.

  1- Fatalism - A belief that 'whatever will be will be' and fate has control of your future not you.

  2-Collectivism - Valuing being apart of a group, rather than individual success.

  3- Immediate Gratification - Seeking rewards now, rather than making sacrifices to achieve greater later.

  4- Present time orientation - Seeing the present as more important than the future.
• Immediate Gratification


  Associated with the working class - Seeking pleasure and money fast, rather than making sacrifices to achieve greater later.
• Deferred Gratification


  Associated with the middle class - Make sacrifices early on and earn little money, to later on reap better rewards of their hard work.
• Keddie (cultural deprivation)


  Believes in the myth of cultural deprivation. Argues working class children are noy culturally deprived, but just culturally different. The education system fails the working class because it favors middle class culture. Therefore its not their fault they under achieve.
• Becker (interactionalist)


  Created the idea of the 'ideal pupil', based of the most favored characteristics from teachers. Teachers label pupils based on how close they fit this image.
• Self Fulfilling Prophecy


  SFP is The theory that the labels teachers give students become true. Starts with the teacher prejudging and labeling the pupil, then the teacher treats the pupil according to the label, and finally the pupil internalizes the label and it becomes apart of their self image.
• How can SFP & labelling effect a child's ability to achieve in education?

  Negative labels hinder a child's ability to achieve as it demotivates them, and due to SFP they may start to be limited by the label and internalize it. Whereas positive labels can aid a child's achievement, as it acts as a motivator or boost of confidence.
• What is labelling like in secondary schools?

  Dunne argues that schools persistently produce working class underachievement because of the labels and assumptions from teachers. She argues teachers normalize the underachievement of working class pupils, as they felt although they couldn't do anything about it. Whereas they had more faith in middle class children overcoming underachievement.
• What is labelling like in primary schools?

  Rists argues that teachers used info about a child's homelife and appearance to place them into separate groups. Teachers decided who were the fast learners, tended to be middle class with a neat appearance, then placed these pupils closest to them. These pupils got the most attention, whereas the other groups were sat further away and received a lower level of work and attention.