The Role of Education
Core Study guide
Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods
Specification Area:
The role and purpose of education, including vocational education and training, in
contemporary society.
Name:
,Introduction
The education system plays an influential role in the lives of every individual. Although the system has
evolved with time, its role within society can be argued to be similar throughout its existence by some
sociologists. The aim of this topic is to see what education does for society and who benefits the most from
its functions. This topic covers the views of the following theories:
Functionalism
Marxism and Neo Marxism
The New Right
The Social democratic perspective
Postmodernism
Feminism
The Role and Purpose of Education in Contemporary Society
Education is a major social institution and around 13% of total public spending goes on education. Schools
in Britain command a captive audience of virtually all children between the ages of 5 and 18. During this
period of compulsory education, young people spend around half of their time in school during term time,
and as such, the education system is a major agency of secondary socialisation in advanced contemporary
societies.
Functionalists believe that if something exists, it must serve a function to society. They therefore believe
that the education system benefits each individual and society as a whole. Education is seen as playing a
key function in preparing young people for adulthood, providing them with the means for success and
upward social mobility. These functions are performed by the hidden curriculum, this is the informal
learning processes that happen in schools. It is a side effect of education that teaches students the norm
and values of society.
Key theorists: Key Theorists AO3 Evaluation
Durkheim
Parsons Wrong
Bowles and Gintis
Davis and Moore
1
, Durkheim
The French sociologist Durkheim identified the main functions of education; secondary socialisation,
creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills.
1. Secondary Socialisation – Education is a key institution in the delivery of ‘Secondary
socialisation’, which refers to the teaching of the key norms and values of society, after the first
stage of socialisation that takes place within the family (known as ‘Primary socialisation’). Some
examples of these values include the importance of achievement, meritocracy, equality
of opportunity, altruism, competition, democracy, and religious morality. Emile
Durkheim believed that the key role of education was to teach children moral
responsibilities to promote social solidarity and altruism in an age where
individualisation is becoming more common. Durkheim was concerned that a society defined by
individualism would only result in ‘Anomie’ (a sense of normlessness or moral confusion).
2. Social Solidarity - Durkheim argued that society needs a sense of solidarity— individuals must
feel that they have a sense of belonging, feeling as though they are part of a single ‘body’ or
community. This sense of togetherness is necessary for the functioning of society because without
it social life and cooperation would not be possible. According to Durkheim, the education system
helps to create a sense of social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture (it is shared beliefs and
values) from one generation to the next.
3. Specialist Skills - Education teaches children the skills that they need in order to fulfil their role
within the workplace. These could be general skills that everyone needs, such as literacy and
numeracy or they could be more specific to a particular occupation, known as vocational education.
As the division of labour becomes more specialized, people need to spend longer in education in
order be taught the required skills.
Parsons
Talcott Parsons draws on many of Durkheim’s ideas. Parsons argues that the education system fulfils a role
of socialisation, as well as allowing for meritocracy in society. In addition, Parsons sees the education
system as being essential to value consensus in society.
Parsons sees the school as the ‘focal socialising agency’ in modern society. He suggests that the family and
society operate on different principles and that the school acts as a bridge helping children to learn how to
cope with the real world.
1. Value consensus (The bridge) - Parsons would agree that education is important in maintaining
value consensus and according to Parsons schools instill two main values:
The value of achievement - By encouraging students to strive for high levels of academic attainment
and rewarding them when they do.
The value of equality of opportunity- By placing individuals in the same situation in the classroom
and allowing them to compete on equal terms in examinations.
The transmission of these values is an important function that schools fulfil for advanced industrial
societies as they require a highly motivated, achievement-oriented workforce. This makes the principle of
2
Core Study guide
Paper 1: Education with Theory and Methods
Specification Area:
The role and purpose of education, including vocational education and training, in
contemporary society.
Name:
,Introduction
The education system plays an influential role in the lives of every individual. Although the system has
evolved with time, its role within society can be argued to be similar throughout its existence by some
sociologists. The aim of this topic is to see what education does for society and who benefits the most from
its functions. This topic covers the views of the following theories:
Functionalism
Marxism and Neo Marxism
The New Right
The Social democratic perspective
Postmodernism
Feminism
The Role and Purpose of Education in Contemporary Society
Education is a major social institution and around 13% of total public spending goes on education. Schools
in Britain command a captive audience of virtually all children between the ages of 5 and 18. During this
period of compulsory education, young people spend around half of their time in school during term time,
and as such, the education system is a major agency of secondary socialisation in advanced contemporary
societies.
Functionalists believe that if something exists, it must serve a function to society. They therefore believe
that the education system benefits each individual and society as a whole. Education is seen as playing a
key function in preparing young people for adulthood, providing them with the means for success and
upward social mobility. These functions are performed by the hidden curriculum, this is the informal
learning processes that happen in schools. It is a side effect of education that teaches students the norm
and values of society.
Key theorists: Key Theorists AO3 Evaluation
Durkheim
Parsons Wrong
Bowles and Gintis
Davis and Moore
1
, Durkheim
The French sociologist Durkheim identified the main functions of education; secondary socialisation,
creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills.
1. Secondary Socialisation – Education is a key institution in the delivery of ‘Secondary
socialisation’, which refers to the teaching of the key norms and values of society, after the first
stage of socialisation that takes place within the family (known as ‘Primary socialisation’). Some
examples of these values include the importance of achievement, meritocracy, equality
of opportunity, altruism, competition, democracy, and religious morality. Emile
Durkheim believed that the key role of education was to teach children moral
responsibilities to promote social solidarity and altruism in an age where
individualisation is becoming more common. Durkheim was concerned that a society defined by
individualism would only result in ‘Anomie’ (a sense of normlessness or moral confusion).
2. Social Solidarity - Durkheim argued that society needs a sense of solidarity— individuals must
feel that they have a sense of belonging, feeling as though they are part of a single ‘body’ or
community. This sense of togetherness is necessary for the functioning of society because without
it social life and cooperation would not be possible. According to Durkheim, the education system
helps to create a sense of social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture (it is shared beliefs and
values) from one generation to the next.
3. Specialist Skills - Education teaches children the skills that they need in order to fulfil their role
within the workplace. These could be general skills that everyone needs, such as literacy and
numeracy or they could be more specific to a particular occupation, known as vocational education.
As the division of labour becomes more specialized, people need to spend longer in education in
order be taught the required skills.
Parsons
Talcott Parsons draws on many of Durkheim’s ideas. Parsons argues that the education system fulfils a role
of socialisation, as well as allowing for meritocracy in society. In addition, Parsons sees the education
system as being essential to value consensus in society.
Parsons sees the school as the ‘focal socialising agency’ in modern society. He suggests that the family and
society operate on different principles and that the school acts as a bridge helping children to learn how to
cope with the real world.
1. Value consensus (The bridge) - Parsons would agree that education is important in maintaining
value consensus and according to Parsons schools instill two main values:
The value of achievement - By encouraging students to strive for high levels of academic attainment
and rewarding them when they do.
The value of equality of opportunity- By placing individuals in the same situation in the classroom
and allowing them to compete on equal terms in examinations.
The transmission of these values is an important function that schools fulfil for advanced industrial
societies as they require a highly motivated, achievement-oriented workforce. This makes the principle of
2
