Learning Objectives
● Functionalist views about how education contributes to value consensus and social solidarity
● Education and role allocation
Important to know:
● Durkheim’s views on social solidarity, values and skills
● Parson’s views on meritocracy in education
● Davis and Moore’s idea of role allocation
, Emile Durkheim
Durkheim argues the education system provides what he terms secondary socialisation as opposed to
the primary socialisation which is delivered by the family. While the family passes on particular
norms and values, secondary socialisation passes on universal norms and values that are shared by
broader society. This helps individuals to become fully-functional, normal members of society and this
in turn helps society because people know how to behave.
The term norms refers to behaviour and attitudes which are considered normal, while values are those
things that people consider important to them. Functionalists believe that all members of society are
socialised into these norms and values, first through the family and later through institutions such as
education, the media and religion. It is in this secondary socialisation that people learn universalistic
values rather than just those values particular to their own family or community.
Durkheim thought education increasingly had to perform this role in a modern industrial society. In
agrarian societies, it was important to have a shared set of norms and values as a community. This
fostered solidarity, but it was what Durkheim termed mechanical solidarity: people had face-to-face
contact with each other and had very little contact – socially or economically – with people in other
parts of the country or the world. In this sort of society, the family can provide most of the
socialisation. This is one reason why education is perceived as a key function of the family. However, in
a more complex, large-scale society (one based on organic solidarity rather than mechanical
solidarity) it is necessary to learn the shared values of broader society. For this reason, a more organised
education system is required.
Furthermore, the nature of an industrial society means people have to learn certain skills in order to
function in that society and to perform specific economic roles. There are common pieces of
knowledge that everyone should have, but there are also specific competencies that different people
require in order to play their part in a complex industrial society based on a division of labour.
For Durkheim, the education system performs the secondary socialisation role by:
● Instilling social solidarity
○ By learning about history, children learn to see themselves as part of a bigger picture
and people should work together for common goals. Children also learn how to get on
with people from different backgrounds and with different experiences.
● Teaching social rules and how to abide by them
● Functionalist views about how education contributes to value consensus and social solidarity
● Education and role allocation
Important to know:
● Durkheim’s views on social solidarity, values and skills
● Parson’s views on meritocracy in education
● Davis and Moore’s idea of role allocation
, Emile Durkheim
Durkheim argues the education system provides what he terms secondary socialisation as opposed to
the primary socialisation which is delivered by the family. While the family passes on particular
norms and values, secondary socialisation passes on universal norms and values that are shared by
broader society. This helps individuals to become fully-functional, normal members of society and this
in turn helps society because people know how to behave.
The term norms refers to behaviour and attitudes which are considered normal, while values are those
things that people consider important to them. Functionalists believe that all members of society are
socialised into these norms and values, first through the family and later through institutions such as
education, the media and religion. It is in this secondary socialisation that people learn universalistic
values rather than just those values particular to their own family or community.
Durkheim thought education increasingly had to perform this role in a modern industrial society. In
agrarian societies, it was important to have a shared set of norms and values as a community. This
fostered solidarity, but it was what Durkheim termed mechanical solidarity: people had face-to-face
contact with each other and had very little contact – socially or economically – with people in other
parts of the country or the world. In this sort of society, the family can provide most of the
socialisation. This is one reason why education is perceived as a key function of the family. However, in
a more complex, large-scale society (one based on organic solidarity rather than mechanical
solidarity) it is necessary to learn the shared values of broader society. For this reason, a more organised
education system is required.
Furthermore, the nature of an industrial society means people have to learn certain skills in order to
function in that society and to perform specific economic roles. There are common pieces of
knowledge that everyone should have, but there are also specific competencies that different people
require in order to play their part in a complex industrial society based on a division of labour.
For Durkheim, the education system performs the secondary socialisation role by:
● Instilling social solidarity
○ By learning about history, children learn to see themselves as part of a bigger picture
and people should work together for common goals. Children also learn how to get on
with people from different backgrounds and with different experiences.
● Teaching social rules and how to abide by them
