Zusammenfassung der Ressource
AS Sociology - Education Theories
- Functionalism
- Durkheim
- Education has two functions: Social Solidarity - Education
transmits societies culture, school is society in miniature
Specialist Skills - as a result of structural differentiation the
economy demands specialist workers, education provides
these.
- Parsons
- Education acts as a bridge. Home is based on
particularistic values, whereas education treats
people with universalistic standards. School is
meritocratic. Education enables achieved status.
Schools are agencies of secondary socialisation.
- Davis and Moore
- Inequality is inevitable, people naturally have different
abilities. Education 'sifts and sorts' the most from the
least able. Most able and talented people get the 'most
important jobs'.
- Secondary
socialisation
- Criticisms
- Any other theory.
- Traditional Marxists argue that
students are being taught
capitalist values
- New Right
- Chubb and Moe
- Argue that the education should be privatised,
introducing marketisation. this is because they
argue that the competition between schools
will improve standards, as the idea is that a
paying customer can complain if things aren't
up to standard and changes will have to be
made, driving up efficiency and standards.
- Gove (Conservative 2010 - present)
- Removed coursework from many courses. No January
resists. No AS level and then A2. Introduced Free Schools.
Introduced Pupil Premium. Raising of tuition fees
(expected to rise again).
- Criticisms
- Have made
education harder.
- Not good for w/c pupils.
- Supports capitalism.
- No coursework creates
a disadvantage for girls.
- Marxist
- Althusser
- Ideological State Apparatus -
education system is used by
the government to reinforce
and legitimate capitalism and
class inequalities.
- Willis (Neo Marxist, New Criminology)
- Combines
interpretivist ideas
(labelling) with
marxist (capitalism).
- w/c boys labelled as trouble, form a
anti-school subculture, which values
mucking around, fulfilling predicted
label as then fail at school. Provides a
workforce for capitalism.
- Bowles and Gintis
- Correspondence Principle - school
mirrors the work environment (school
prepares individuals to accept work).
- Hidden Curriculum - things that are learnt
bu are not directly taught, e.g. accepting
hierarchy, competition, working for
rewards, avoiding punishments.
- Myth of Meritocracy - the
education is made to seem fair,
but isn't. Stops the disadvantage
from blaming/challenging the
system when failing, instead
blame themselves.
- Criticisms
- Without the hidden curriculum
wouldn't be able to function
successfully in the workplace.
- Feminists argue, ignores gender.
- Feminist
- Liberal
- Things have got better,
'march of progress'
- Radical
- Interactionist
- Postmodernism