Education- full topic revision
,Sociological perspectives on
education
, Durkheim- Solidarity and skills Parsons- Meritocracy
Solidarity- • Argues that school bridges the gap between the family and wider society-
• Is necessary in society to be part of a community that learn society’s principles.
has shared norms and values, and that education Particularistic standards: rules/judgements that only apply within the family
provides it.
Universalistic standards: rules/judgements that apply to everyone, in schoo
• Says education does this by transmitting shared beliefs
and values from one generation to the next society.
EG: teaching a country’s history gives pupils a feel of • Believes school/wider society gives us achieved status gained through
shared heritage and commitment to wider social groups. efforts/achievement, not through fixed characteristic like gender or class-
• School is ‘society in miniature’- prepares us for later • Meritocracy at school helps us move from family to wider society, meritoc
life. everyone is given equal opportunities, and are rewarded through their ow
EG: teacher/pupils are like colleagues/customers at work.
Or school rules like dress codes are similar to workplaces.
Specialist skills- Functionalism
• Argues that education gives pupils knowledge and
skills needed for work.
• Economies have complex divisions of labour, so school
helps pupils to get the skills needed to fulfil their
Evaluation of the functionalist perspective:
‘place’ in the workforce. • Wolf (2011)- found that high quality apprenticeships are rare, and of
in high-paid jobs- means education doesn’t teach specialist skills adeq
• Equal opportunities don’t exist in education- achievement is based in
Davis & Moore- Role allocation gender and class- not ability.
• Argue that education allocated pupils to suitable future job roles.
• Tumin (1953)- David and Moore’s argument is circular, -we know a jo
• They focus on the relationship between education and
because it’s highly rewarded, and a job is highly rewarded because it's
inequality- That important roles in society need to be for the
• Marxists say education in a capitalist society only transmits ideas of the
skilled and talented, as some are naturally more talented than
the shared beliefs and values of society as a whole.
others.
• Education is where students prove their ability, and are then • Interactionalist Wrong (1961)- the functionalist view is ‘over social
sifted and sorted by ability. The highest qualifications get the people as society’s puppets- assumes pupils passively accept teaching
highest positions. reject values.
These are known as functionally important roles. • New Right and Neoliberals- argue that the state education system
students for work.
, However…
Similarities to the functionalist • New right believes the education system fails to do Solution- The mark
view: these things because it’s run by the state. educatio
• That some people are naturally more • Argues that education has a ‘one size’ fits all • This would create an
talented than others. approach- this imposes uniformity and ignores local market’.
• Favours the meritocratic system- needs. • Having competition b
principles of competition and preparing • Consumers (parents, pupils, employers) have no say- schools and empowe
students to join the workforce. making state education inefficient/unresponsive. will give us more: div
• Education should socialise us into • Overall, these factors mean lower achievement and efficiency in sch
shared values like competition and standards- which means a less qualified workforce. • School’s ability to me
national identity. all consumers will als
Chubb & Moe- consumer if education is marke
choice New Right Two roles for t
• They propose a ‘voucher system’ The New Right want ma
where parents ‘shop’ for a school education, but they still
to give their voucher to. Evaluation of the New Right perspective: state can fulfil:
• This forces schools to listen to • Ball (1994)- argues that competition between schools • The state imposing a
what consumers want, and only benefits the MC- because they can access better that schools compet
therefore raise education schools using their cultural and economic capital. parents more info so
standards. • Critics- the real cause of lower education standards is an informed choice
• Schools would have to compete lack of funding, not state control. example: Ofsted inspec
to attract ‘customers’ with these • New Right’s contradiction: they support parental choice, league table of school’s
changes because the vouchers but also want schools to have a compulsory national • The state ensures sc
would be their main source of curriculum. shared culture. Havi
income. • Marxists argue that there’s no shared culture in Curriculum makes su
• Parentocracy: ran/influenced by education- there is a ruling class culture that devalues social pupils into 1 c
parents. working class and ethnic minorities’ culture.
,Sociological perspectives on
education
, Durkheim- Solidarity and skills Parsons- Meritocracy
Solidarity- • Argues that school bridges the gap between the family and wider society-
• Is necessary in society to be part of a community that learn society’s principles.
has shared norms and values, and that education Particularistic standards: rules/judgements that only apply within the family
provides it.
Universalistic standards: rules/judgements that apply to everyone, in schoo
• Says education does this by transmitting shared beliefs
and values from one generation to the next society.
EG: teaching a country’s history gives pupils a feel of • Believes school/wider society gives us achieved status gained through
shared heritage and commitment to wider social groups. efforts/achievement, not through fixed characteristic like gender or class-
• School is ‘society in miniature’- prepares us for later • Meritocracy at school helps us move from family to wider society, meritoc
life. everyone is given equal opportunities, and are rewarded through their ow
EG: teacher/pupils are like colleagues/customers at work.
Or school rules like dress codes are similar to workplaces.
Specialist skills- Functionalism
• Argues that education gives pupils knowledge and
skills needed for work.
• Economies have complex divisions of labour, so school
helps pupils to get the skills needed to fulfil their
Evaluation of the functionalist perspective:
‘place’ in the workforce. • Wolf (2011)- found that high quality apprenticeships are rare, and of
in high-paid jobs- means education doesn’t teach specialist skills adeq
• Equal opportunities don’t exist in education- achievement is based in
Davis & Moore- Role allocation gender and class- not ability.
• Argue that education allocated pupils to suitable future job roles.
• Tumin (1953)- David and Moore’s argument is circular, -we know a jo
• They focus on the relationship between education and
because it’s highly rewarded, and a job is highly rewarded because it's
inequality- That important roles in society need to be for the
• Marxists say education in a capitalist society only transmits ideas of the
skilled and talented, as some are naturally more talented than
the shared beliefs and values of society as a whole.
others.
• Education is where students prove their ability, and are then • Interactionalist Wrong (1961)- the functionalist view is ‘over social
sifted and sorted by ability. The highest qualifications get the people as society’s puppets- assumes pupils passively accept teaching
highest positions. reject values.
These are known as functionally important roles. • New Right and Neoliberals- argue that the state education system
students for work.
, However…
Similarities to the functionalist • New right believes the education system fails to do Solution- The mark
view: these things because it’s run by the state. educatio
• That some people are naturally more • Argues that education has a ‘one size’ fits all • This would create an
talented than others. approach- this imposes uniformity and ignores local market’.
• Favours the meritocratic system- needs. • Having competition b
principles of competition and preparing • Consumers (parents, pupils, employers) have no say- schools and empowe
students to join the workforce. making state education inefficient/unresponsive. will give us more: div
• Education should socialise us into • Overall, these factors mean lower achievement and efficiency in sch
shared values like competition and standards- which means a less qualified workforce. • School’s ability to me
national identity. all consumers will als
Chubb & Moe- consumer if education is marke
choice New Right Two roles for t
• They propose a ‘voucher system’ The New Right want ma
where parents ‘shop’ for a school education, but they still
to give their voucher to. Evaluation of the New Right perspective: state can fulfil:
• This forces schools to listen to • Ball (1994)- argues that competition between schools • The state imposing a
what consumers want, and only benefits the MC- because they can access better that schools compet
therefore raise education schools using their cultural and economic capital. parents more info so
standards. • Critics- the real cause of lower education standards is an informed choice
• Schools would have to compete lack of funding, not state control. example: Ofsted inspec
to attract ‘customers’ with these • New Right’s contradiction: they support parental choice, league table of school’s
changes because the vouchers but also want schools to have a compulsory national • The state ensures sc
would be their main source of curriculum. shared culture. Havi
income. • Marxists argue that there’s no shared culture in Curriculum makes su
• Parentocracy: ran/influenced by education- there is a ruling class culture that devalues social pupils into 1 c
parents. working class and ethnic minorities’ culture.
