Functionalist views about the role of Education
Education provides two vital functions for society:
o Socialization of people into the dominant culture, values and
beliefs of society
o Selecting people for different types and levels of education
This dominant culture they are socialized into promoted social
solidarity according to Durkheim (1961)
o Subjects such as history and English connect students to
wider society and its culture
In societies with increasing cultural diversity schools are needed to
transmit some shared norms and values to promote solidarity
It is in this secondary socialisation that people learn universalistic
values rather than particularistic values (just those values particular to
their own family or community) – Parsons (1951)
They teach social rules and how to abide by them - Schools ensure
everyone follows a particular set of rules and must behave in the
same way, regardless of relationships and friendships. – Durkheim
Education system needed to produce organic solidarity as family
produces mechanical solidarity
School is like society in miniature – preparing students for wider
society – Parsons & Durkheim
Schools socialize children into a value consensus
o E.g., Parsons – schools in American society introduce two main
values – the value of achievement and the value of equality of
opportunity
o Writing in the 1950s, Talcott Parsons pointed to how, in
American schools, children pledge allegiance to the flag
, The school functions as a major mechanism for role allocation as it
tests and evaluates students according to their talent and ability, to
match them to job they are best suited for
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore found that the education system
linked to the social stratification system
o Education sifts, sorts and grades individuals according to abilities
and according to these abilities they are given different levels of
qualifications and according to these qualifications they have
access to different level jobs, these jobs define their place in the
social stratification system
Criticisms of Functionalism
1. To suggest education teaches the culture of society assumes that
society has a shared culture some countries are multicultural, but
some argue that in these societies there are still shared norms and
values e.g., freedom of speech, language
2. Marxists and Feminists argue education serves the interest of the
ruling class not society as a whole
3. Schools emphasize individual competition (exam system) rather
than cooperation and social solidarity – Hargreaves, 1982
4. a huge diversity of schools (faith schools, private schools, home
education) so surely education is too fragmented and divided for it
to promote true solidarity at the national level –postmodernists
suggested there is no such thing as a unified culture anymore, it is
diverse and multicultural
5. there are doubts about the meritocracy of schools
6. doubt that education efficiently grades individuals based on ability
7. social stratification prevents students from being graded fairly by
the education system due to inequalities
2
, Education and role allocation
1. Role allocation – a system of allocating people to roles which best suit
their aptitudes and capabilities
2. Parsons - education system as an important mechanism for the
selection for their future role in society and they do this by testing and
evaluating children
3. Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore – linked education system to
system of social stratification
o Viewed social stratification as a way of ensuring the most
talented members of society are allocated to the most
important positions in society
o Education shifts and grades individuals in terms of talent
and ability and give them the qualification which allocate
them to the most suited occupation.
Education and cultural reproduction
Pierre Bourdieu (1986) saw the main view of education as cultural
reproduction – not reproduction of societies culture as Durkheim
argued but the reproduction of the ‘dominant classes’ culture
The main recourses that determine people’s position in society is
capital:
o Economic capital – financial recourses
o Social capital – networks of family/friends
o Symbolic capital – honour, prestige, and reputation
o Cultural capital – manners, tastes, interests, and language
Capital contributes to success in the education system
Capital can be converted into other forms of capital – economic
capital into social capital
3
Education provides two vital functions for society:
o Socialization of people into the dominant culture, values and
beliefs of society
o Selecting people for different types and levels of education
This dominant culture they are socialized into promoted social
solidarity according to Durkheim (1961)
o Subjects such as history and English connect students to
wider society and its culture
In societies with increasing cultural diversity schools are needed to
transmit some shared norms and values to promote solidarity
It is in this secondary socialisation that people learn universalistic
values rather than particularistic values (just those values particular to
their own family or community) – Parsons (1951)
They teach social rules and how to abide by them - Schools ensure
everyone follows a particular set of rules and must behave in the
same way, regardless of relationships and friendships. – Durkheim
Education system needed to produce organic solidarity as family
produces mechanical solidarity
School is like society in miniature – preparing students for wider
society – Parsons & Durkheim
Schools socialize children into a value consensus
o E.g., Parsons – schools in American society introduce two main
values – the value of achievement and the value of equality of
opportunity
o Writing in the 1950s, Talcott Parsons pointed to how, in
American schools, children pledge allegiance to the flag
, The school functions as a major mechanism for role allocation as it
tests and evaluates students according to their talent and ability, to
match them to job they are best suited for
Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore found that the education system
linked to the social stratification system
o Education sifts, sorts and grades individuals according to abilities
and according to these abilities they are given different levels of
qualifications and according to these qualifications they have
access to different level jobs, these jobs define their place in the
social stratification system
Criticisms of Functionalism
1. To suggest education teaches the culture of society assumes that
society has a shared culture some countries are multicultural, but
some argue that in these societies there are still shared norms and
values e.g., freedom of speech, language
2. Marxists and Feminists argue education serves the interest of the
ruling class not society as a whole
3. Schools emphasize individual competition (exam system) rather
than cooperation and social solidarity – Hargreaves, 1982
4. a huge diversity of schools (faith schools, private schools, home
education) so surely education is too fragmented and divided for it
to promote true solidarity at the national level –postmodernists
suggested there is no such thing as a unified culture anymore, it is
diverse and multicultural
5. there are doubts about the meritocracy of schools
6. doubt that education efficiently grades individuals based on ability
7. social stratification prevents students from being graded fairly by
the education system due to inequalities
2
, Education and role allocation
1. Role allocation – a system of allocating people to roles which best suit
their aptitudes and capabilities
2. Parsons - education system as an important mechanism for the
selection for their future role in society and they do this by testing and
evaluating children
3. Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore – linked education system to
system of social stratification
o Viewed social stratification as a way of ensuring the most
talented members of society are allocated to the most
important positions in society
o Education shifts and grades individuals in terms of talent
and ability and give them the qualification which allocate
them to the most suited occupation.
Education and cultural reproduction
Pierre Bourdieu (1986) saw the main view of education as cultural
reproduction – not reproduction of societies culture as Durkheim
argued but the reproduction of the ‘dominant classes’ culture
The main recourses that determine people’s position in society is
capital:
o Economic capital – financial recourses
o Social capital – networks of family/friends
o Symbolic capital – honour, prestige, and reputation
o Cultural capital – manners, tastes, interests, and language
Capital contributes to success in the education system
Capital can be converted into other forms of capital – economic
capital into social capital
3
