Role and functions of education - Functionalism
Key terms
● Human capital means the stock of knowledge, skills, values, habits and creativity that
makes someone an economic asset to society.
● Hidden curriculum means the informal learning processes that happen in school. It is
a side effect of education that teaches students the norms and values of society.
● Particularistic Values means values and rules which only apply to the particular
person in a given situation
● Universalistic values means values and rules which apply to all members of society
equally.
The four functions of education
● Socialisation and social solidarity - Durkheim - The education system meets a
functional need of society by passing on the culture and values of society. This is
achieved through the hidden curriculum and PSHE lessons. This helps to build social
solidarity as it teacher students the core values of society
● Bridge between family and society - Parsons - Schools provide a link between the
family and wider society which allows students to move from the ascribed status and
particularistic values of the home to the meritocratic and universalistic values of wider
society.
● Developing Human capital - Schultz - This suggests that investment in education
benefits the wider economy. Education can provide properly trained, qualified and
flexible workforce. They argue that education makes sure that the best and most
qualified people end up in jobs that require the most skill.
● Role Allocation - Davis and Moore - The education system provides a means to
selecting and sifting people into the social hierarchy. In a meritocratic society access
to jobs and power, wealth and status are directly linked to education achievement.
● Evaluation - Ignores aspects of education that are dysfunctional such as negative
conflict. Myth of meritocracy - private education. Marxists believe the hidden
curriculum reinforces social inequality and maintains ruling class ideology. Feminists
believe the hidden curriculum maintains and reinforces patriarchy not meritocracy.
Functionalists like Wong see children as passive puppets in socialisation when the
process is much more complex and involves teacher-pupil relationships. There is a
weak link between educational achievement and economic success.
New Right View of Education
● Role of education - Similar beliefs to the functionalist but believe that the state takes
too much of a role and the free market policies (marketisation) would raise standards.
Schools should compete with one another and parents and pupils should be seen as
consumers. Chubb and Moe - Education Vouchers and parentocracy.
● New right influence of education policy - 1988 Education reform act - Funding
formula and league tables. Coalition government - Free schools and privatisation of
education.
, Role and function of education - Marxism
Key terms
● Ideological state apparatus means a social institution whose main role is to pass on
the dominant ideology of the ruling class.
● Repressive state apparatus means a social institution whose role it is to enforce the
dominant ideology by force or threat of force.
● Correspondence Principle means the ways in which the education system mirrors the
world of work
● Hidden Curriculum means the informal learning processes that happen in school are
a side effect of education that teaches students the norms and values of society.
Althusser
● Reproduction of social inequality - Education deliberately engineers w/c failure in
order to create an unqualified factory workforce. Private education prepares children
of the elite for positions of power. Hidden curriculum is shaped to assist m/c
achievement and deter w/c achievement.
● Legitimation of social inequality - M/c has access to more cultural and economic
capital which puts them at an advantage. Education encourages students to blindly
accept capitalist values through the hidden curriculum.
Bowles and Gintis
● Correspondence principle - School processes mirror the world of work in order to
prepare them for manual labour e.g: boredom, obedience, lack of control etc. Myth of
meritocracy - Education claims to be meritocratic but schools discriminate in favour of
the middle class. Hidden curriculum lowers working class ambitions.
Evaluation
● Giroux - Neo Marxism - Rejects the view that w/c passively accept their position to
become compliant workers. Existence of anti-school subcultures,truancy and
exclusion suggest both the hidden curriculum and correspondence principle have
failed. Marxists often fail to acknowledge that gender and ethnicity often combine
with class to produce success or failure.
● Social democratic - Floud and Martin suggest that marxists exaggerate the effect that
education has on working class achievement. They point out that government
policies such as comprehensivisation have improved the chances of the working
class.
● Neo-liberals - Sauders claim that middle class educational success is due to
biological differences.
● New Right - Chubb and Moe argue that Marxists fail to see how education has failed
all social groups, not just the working class. They believe that education has failed to
equip all students with the skills needed to be successful in the global marketplace.
● Postmodernism - Marxism fails to acknowledge that education actually reproduces
diversity rather than inequality. Morrow and Torres claim that students create their
own identities rather than being constrained by traditional structures like class. In
Postmodern societies students are able to make their own choices about their
identity.
, Education Policies (Equality)
3 aims of education policy in the UK?
● Economic efficiency - develop the skills of the young to improve the labour force. This
involves making the education system meet the needs of industry and employers.
● Raising educational standards - UK education needs to compete in a global
education market and is ranked against other countries - e.g: PISA.
● Creating equality of education opportunity - Ensuring that all students get the best
educational opportunities.
4 aspects of educational equality identified by Gillborn and Youdell
● Fallacy of access - Every child should have the same opportunities to access
educational provision of similar quality regardless of socio-economic background.
● Equality of circumstance - Children should all start school with a similar socio-
economic background so that they are all truly equal.
● Equality of participation - All students have the chance to participate on an equal
footing in the processes that make up school life.
● Equality of outcome - All students have the same chances of achievement in
education regardless of socio-economic background.
Policies which increased equality in education
● 1988 Education Reform Act - National Curriculum - all schools had to teach the same
core curriculum - Not suitable for all as it suited “academic” pupils more.
● 1965 Comprehensivisation Act - Got rid of the 11+ exam and made it so all students
would get “Parity of Esteem” and “Equality” within education. - Comprehensives are
large schools so they lack individual attention.
● Schools Admissions Code - Forbids discrimination in admitting pupils on grounds of
socio-economic backgrounds or ability. - Covert selection still takes place by both
schools and parents. Postcode lottery.
● Policies that improve equality in circumstances - Pupil premium which is additional
funding to those students from a poor socio-economic background. - Kerr and West
said too many other factors outside of school impact achievement.
Selection and admissions Policies
● 3 types of selection - Ability (entrance exams), Aptitude (Talent), and Faith.
● Arguments in favour of selection - Allows “high-flyers” to benefit. Specialised and
focused teaching can take place.
● Arguments against selection - Late developers don't benefit. Mixed ability fosters
social cohesion. Reduced risk of labelling and therefore sfp. HIgher attaining can act
as an inspiration to other students.
● Over subscription policies - Priority to: Children in care, Pupil premium, Siblings,
Catchment area and faith.
● Covert selection - Tough and Brooks: Backdoor social selection to cherry pick
students. Discouraging parents of poorer students from applying in the first place
through high uniform prices, making literature hard to understand, not advertising in
poorer areas. Faith schools require a letter from a spiritual leader to gain insight to
the potential students family and commitment to both the faith and the school ethos.
Key terms
● Human capital means the stock of knowledge, skills, values, habits and creativity that
makes someone an economic asset to society.
● Hidden curriculum means the informal learning processes that happen in school. It is
a side effect of education that teaches students the norms and values of society.
● Particularistic Values means values and rules which only apply to the particular
person in a given situation
● Universalistic values means values and rules which apply to all members of society
equally.
The four functions of education
● Socialisation and social solidarity - Durkheim - The education system meets a
functional need of society by passing on the culture and values of society. This is
achieved through the hidden curriculum and PSHE lessons. This helps to build social
solidarity as it teacher students the core values of society
● Bridge between family and society - Parsons - Schools provide a link between the
family and wider society which allows students to move from the ascribed status and
particularistic values of the home to the meritocratic and universalistic values of wider
society.
● Developing Human capital - Schultz - This suggests that investment in education
benefits the wider economy. Education can provide properly trained, qualified and
flexible workforce. They argue that education makes sure that the best and most
qualified people end up in jobs that require the most skill.
● Role Allocation - Davis and Moore - The education system provides a means to
selecting and sifting people into the social hierarchy. In a meritocratic society access
to jobs and power, wealth and status are directly linked to education achievement.
● Evaluation - Ignores aspects of education that are dysfunctional such as negative
conflict. Myth of meritocracy - private education. Marxists believe the hidden
curriculum reinforces social inequality and maintains ruling class ideology. Feminists
believe the hidden curriculum maintains and reinforces patriarchy not meritocracy.
Functionalists like Wong see children as passive puppets in socialisation when the
process is much more complex and involves teacher-pupil relationships. There is a
weak link between educational achievement and economic success.
New Right View of Education
● Role of education - Similar beliefs to the functionalist but believe that the state takes
too much of a role and the free market policies (marketisation) would raise standards.
Schools should compete with one another and parents and pupils should be seen as
consumers. Chubb and Moe - Education Vouchers and parentocracy.
● New right influence of education policy - 1988 Education reform act - Funding
formula and league tables. Coalition government - Free schools and privatisation of
education.
, Role and function of education - Marxism
Key terms
● Ideological state apparatus means a social institution whose main role is to pass on
the dominant ideology of the ruling class.
● Repressive state apparatus means a social institution whose role it is to enforce the
dominant ideology by force or threat of force.
● Correspondence Principle means the ways in which the education system mirrors the
world of work
● Hidden Curriculum means the informal learning processes that happen in school are
a side effect of education that teaches students the norms and values of society.
Althusser
● Reproduction of social inequality - Education deliberately engineers w/c failure in
order to create an unqualified factory workforce. Private education prepares children
of the elite for positions of power. Hidden curriculum is shaped to assist m/c
achievement and deter w/c achievement.
● Legitimation of social inequality - M/c has access to more cultural and economic
capital which puts them at an advantage. Education encourages students to blindly
accept capitalist values through the hidden curriculum.
Bowles and Gintis
● Correspondence principle - School processes mirror the world of work in order to
prepare them for manual labour e.g: boredom, obedience, lack of control etc. Myth of
meritocracy - Education claims to be meritocratic but schools discriminate in favour of
the middle class. Hidden curriculum lowers working class ambitions.
Evaluation
● Giroux - Neo Marxism - Rejects the view that w/c passively accept their position to
become compliant workers. Existence of anti-school subcultures,truancy and
exclusion suggest both the hidden curriculum and correspondence principle have
failed. Marxists often fail to acknowledge that gender and ethnicity often combine
with class to produce success or failure.
● Social democratic - Floud and Martin suggest that marxists exaggerate the effect that
education has on working class achievement. They point out that government
policies such as comprehensivisation have improved the chances of the working
class.
● Neo-liberals - Sauders claim that middle class educational success is due to
biological differences.
● New Right - Chubb and Moe argue that Marxists fail to see how education has failed
all social groups, not just the working class. They believe that education has failed to
equip all students with the skills needed to be successful in the global marketplace.
● Postmodernism - Marxism fails to acknowledge that education actually reproduces
diversity rather than inequality. Morrow and Torres claim that students create their
own identities rather than being constrained by traditional structures like class. In
Postmodern societies students are able to make their own choices about their
identity.
, Education Policies (Equality)
3 aims of education policy in the UK?
● Economic efficiency - develop the skills of the young to improve the labour force. This
involves making the education system meet the needs of industry and employers.
● Raising educational standards - UK education needs to compete in a global
education market and is ranked against other countries - e.g: PISA.
● Creating equality of education opportunity - Ensuring that all students get the best
educational opportunities.
4 aspects of educational equality identified by Gillborn and Youdell
● Fallacy of access - Every child should have the same opportunities to access
educational provision of similar quality regardless of socio-economic background.
● Equality of circumstance - Children should all start school with a similar socio-
economic background so that they are all truly equal.
● Equality of participation - All students have the chance to participate on an equal
footing in the processes that make up school life.
● Equality of outcome - All students have the same chances of achievement in
education regardless of socio-economic background.
Policies which increased equality in education
● 1988 Education Reform Act - National Curriculum - all schools had to teach the same
core curriculum - Not suitable for all as it suited “academic” pupils more.
● 1965 Comprehensivisation Act - Got rid of the 11+ exam and made it so all students
would get “Parity of Esteem” and “Equality” within education. - Comprehensives are
large schools so they lack individual attention.
● Schools Admissions Code - Forbids discrimination in admitting pupils on grounds of
socio-economic backgrounds or ability. - Covert selection still takes place by both
schools and parents. Postcode lottery.
● Policies that improve equality in circumstances - Pupil premium which is additional
funding to those students from a poor socio-economic background. - Kerr and West
said too many other factors outside of school impact achievement.
Selection and admissions Policies
● 3 types of selection - Ability (entrance exams), Aptitude (Talent), and Faith.
● Arguments in favour of selection - Allows “high-flyers” to benefit. Specialised and
focused teaching can take place.
● Arguments against selection - Late developers don't benefit. Mixed ability fosters
social cohesion. Reduced risk of labelling and therefore sfp. HIgher attaining can act
as an inspiration to other students.
● Over subscription policies - Priority to: Children in care, Pupil premium, Siblings,
Catchment area and faith.
● Covert selection - Tough and Brooks: Backdoor social selection to cherry pick
students. Discouraging parents of poorer students from applying in the first place
through high uniform prices, making literature hard to understand, not advertising in
poorer areas. Faith schools require a letter from a spiritual leader to gain insight to
the potential students family and commitment to both the faith and the school ethos.
