@AlevelRevisionFinds- A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec Only
Name: _______________
A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec only
@AlevelRevisionFinds
Making Revision Easier
Instagram: @AlevelRevisionFinds TikTok: @AlevelRevisionFinds
, @AlevelRevisionFinds- A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec Only
Evaluate the Marxist view of the Role of Education in society. (30)
Althusser argues that the role of education is to reinforce and legitimise inequalities in society
through the myth of meritocracy. Althusser mentions that the state consists of two elements.: the
ideological state apparatus (control through thought), the repressive state apparatus (control
through force). He describes the education system as an ideological state apparatus that allows
the ruling class to control the working class by passing on their ideology. This is because
education teaches children that class inequality is fair for when they go into work/ and further
develop into society. This means that schools will fail children and convince them that they are
failures, and so they become predestined to work a working-class job for the rest of their life, like
their parents. Therefore, the education system promotes failure within the working class that
circles back repeatedly. Through this, it could be said that schools reproduce and legitimise class
inequality. However, Althusser’s explanation is limited as he did not conduct any research. In
addition, Functionalists would argue that this does not exist as schools give the same
opportunities to everyone and follow meritocratic principles. Therefore, working class students
may not end up in a working-class job because the system failed them, instead it could be
because of their work ethic, and lack of effort.
Bowles and Gintis argue that the education system has a hidden curriculum that is masked
within the education system. The hidden curriculum prepares students for their future roles as
workers. One way it may do this is by teaching students to be obedient, which prevents them
from challenging the power of capitalism in the workplace. A clear example of how this occurs in
the school system is when a teacher expects the class to be silent when they ask. Bowles and
Gintis also mention that a correspondence principle lies within the education system. The
correspondence principle explains how schools mirror work through hierarchies, by promoting
blind obedience, alienation, and submissive behaviours. Schools have a hierarchy of teachers
and students and at work you have the boss and employees. Another way it can promote
children for the world of work is because it permits students to wear uniforms, rewards hard
work, given deadlines and timetables and the hierarchy of school introduces children to authority.
They also believe that meritocracy is a myth as students are set up for their future roles in work.
On the other hand, functionalists would argue that the main function of education may seem like
it reproduces and legitimises social inequality. But, in reality these factors play a role in bridging
the gap between the family and the workplace so that individuals are ready for work, hence the
correspondence principle.
Paul Willis adopts a Neo-Marxist approach where he argues that working-class pupils are aware
of their exploitation and actively resist the attempts of the education system that tries to get them
to conform. As a result, this is why many working-class students find themselves as failures as
they don’t want to work hard in the system, that will fail them anyway. In saying that, Willis
contradicts the idea that students are passive recipients of the ruling class ideology. This is clear
in his research of ‘the Lads’, where he observed a group of working-class lads closely and found
that not all students conformed to education. However, postmodernists criticise Marxism
because they argue we need a different type of worker in today’s society as now some jobs now
value your opinion.
Bourdieu argues that the education system disadvantages the working class because the
working-class culture doesn’t concede the expectations of the middle-class habitus embedded in
the education system. This is because the education system is made up of predominantly
middle-class heads, teachers, and politicians that share a middle-class culture. Therefore, they
share a middle-class habitus within the education system, and those students that are middle-
class find themselves at an advantage in the school system, but this cannot be said as the same
for working class pupils. Bourdieu’s theory is supported by Sullivan’s study on 465 pupils that
took place in 4 schools. Keddie found that those that had cultural capital did better in GCSE than
those who lacked it, (Middle-class pupils did better). Even if pupils had the same level of cultural
capital- it was found that the higher-ranking class still did better, which explains the social class
gap in achievement.
Instagram: @AlevelRevisionFinds TikTok: @AlevelRevisionFinds
, @AlevelRevisionFinds- A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec Only
In conclusion, traditional Marxists generally take a negative approach towards the role of
education as they believe that it reproduces and legitimises inequality because it is controlled
and funded by the capitalist state. In saying that, Marxists would argue that the main role of
education is to reinforce inequalities and make working-class pupils understand their position in
society, so they don’t threaten the capitalist regime in society. However, Neo-Marxists take a less
extreme approach and believe that pupils initiate more active responses as they understand that
the education system tries to submerge its values onto them. They see that students now
actively reject the school system and fail on their own accord; in some sense they still blame the
education system. Overall, Marxists would argue that the education system unfair as it promotes
inequality amongst the working-class and ruling class, resulting in a widening gap between social
class and achievement.
Instagram: @AlevelRevisionFinds TikTok: @AlevelRevisionFinds
Name: _______________
A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec only
@AlevelRevisionFinds
Making Revision Easier
Instagram: @AlevelRevisionFinds TikTok: @AlevelRevisionFinds
, @AlevelRevisionFinds- A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec Only
Evaluate the Marxist view of the Role of Education in society. (30)
Althusser argues that the role of education is to reinforce and legitimise inequalities in society
through the myth of meritocracy. Althusser mentions that the state consists of two elements.: the
ideological state apparatus (control through thought), the repressive state apparatus (control
through force). He describes the education system as an ideological state apparatus that allows
the ruling class to control the working class by passing on their ideology. This is because
education teaches children that class inequality is fair for when they go into work/ and further
develop into society. This means that schools will fail children and convince them that they are
failures, and so they become predestined to work a working-class job for the rest of their life, like
their parents. Therefore, the education system promotes failure within the working class that
circles back repeatedly. Through this, it could be said that schools reproduce and legitimise class
inequality. However, Althusser’s explanation is limited as he did not conduct any research. In
addition, Functionalists would argue that this does not exist as schools give the same
opportunities to everyone and follow meritocratic principles. Therefore, working class students
may not end up in a working-class job because the system failed them, instead it could be
because of their work ethic, and lack of effort.
Bowles and Gintis argue that the education system has a hidden curriculum that is masked
within the education system. The hidden curriculum prepares students for their future roles as
workers. One way it may do this is by teaching students to be obedient, which prevents them
from challenging the power of capitalism in the workplace. A clear example of how this occurs in
the school system is when a teacher expects the class to be silent when they ask. Bowles and
Gintis also mention that a correspondence principle lies within the education system. The
correspondence principle explains how schools mirror work through hierarchies, by promoting
blind obedience, alienation, and submissive behaviours. Schools have a hierarchy of teachers
and students and at work you have the boss and employees. Another way it can promote
children for the world of work is because it permits students to wear uniforms, rewards hard
work, given deadlines and timetables and the hierarchy of school introduces children to authority.
They also believe that meritocracy is a myth as students are set up for their future roles in work.
On the other hand, functionalists would argue that the main function of education may seem like
it reproduces and legitimises social inequality. But, in reality these factors play a role in bridging
the gap between the family and the workplace so that individuals are ready for work, hence the
correspondence principle.
Paul Willis adopts a Neo-Marxist approach where he argues that working-class pupils are aware
of their exploitation and actively resist the attempts of the education system that tries to get them
to conform. As a result, this is why many working-class students find themselves as failures as
they don’t want to work hard in the system, that will fail them anyway. In saying that, Willis
contradicts the idea that students are passive recipients of the ruling class ideology. This is clear
in his research of ‘the Lads’, where he observed a group of working-class lads closely and found
that not all students conformed to education. However, postmodernists criticise Marxism
because they argue we need a different type of worker in today’s society as now some jobs now
value your opinion.
Bourdieu argues that the education system disadvantages the working class because the
working-class culture doesn’t concede the expectations of the middle-class habitus embedded in
the education system. This is because the education system is made up of predominantly
middle-class heads, teachers, and politicians that share a middle-class culture. Therefore, they
share a middle-class habitus within the education system, and those students that are middle-
class find themselves at an advantage in the school system, but this cannot be said as the same
for working class pupils. Bourdieu’s theory is supported by Sullivan’s study on 465 pupils that
took place in 4 schools. Keddie found that those that had cultural capital did better in GCSE than
those who lacked it, (Middle-class pupils did better). Even if pupils had the same level of cultural
capital- it was found that the higher-ranking class still did better, which explains the social class
gap in achievement.
Instagram: @AlevelRevisionFinds TikTok: @AlevelRevisionFinds
, @AlevelRevisionFinds- A* Sociology Essays for AQA Spec Only
In conclusion, traditional Marxists generally take a negative approach towards the role of
education as they believe that it reproduces and legitimises inequality because it is controlled
and funded by the capitalist state. In saying that, Marxists would argue that the main role of
education is to reinforce inequalities and make working-class pupils understand their position in
society, so they don’t threaten the capitalist regime in society. However, Neo-Marxists take a less
extreme approach and believe that pupils initiate more active responses as they understand that
the education system tries to submerge its values onto them. They see that students now
actively reject the school system and fail on their own accord; in some sense they still blame the
education system. Overall, Marxists would argue that the education system unfair as it promotes
inequality amongst the working-class and ruling class, resulting in a widening gap between social
class and achievement.
Instagram: @AlevelRevisionFinds TikTok: @AlevelRevisionFinds
