Functionalism and Education
Brief Summary of the Funtionalist attitudes towards Education
- Created by: Lychee1995
- Created on: 05-03-20 20:08
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- Functionalim & Education
- Durkheim
- Education system creates social solidarity by transmitting society's culture - shared beliefs and values.
- For Example teaching the country's history instils in children a sense of shared heritage and commitment to wider social group
- School also acts as a "society in miniature" preparing us for life in the wider society, when we need to cooperate with people.
- Specialist Skills
- Modern industries have complex division of labour where cooperation of many different specialists are needed. This cooperation promoted social solidarity
- Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play a part in the social division of labour.
- Modern industries have complex division of labour where cooperation of many different specialists are needed. This cooperation promoted social solidarity
- Education system creates social solidarity by transmitting society's culture - shared beliefs and values.
- Parsons
- School is the "focal socialising agency" acting as a bridge in between family and wider society
- Within family, a child is judged by particularistic standards (ascribed status) (rules that only apply to the child).
- Both in school and wider society, a persons staus is largely achieved and not ascribed sacked
- Whereas, school and wider souniversalistic ciety judge us all by stanadrds, in society the same law applys to everyone.
- Both in school and wider society, a persons staus is largely achieved and not ascribed sacked
- Sees school as preparing us from the family to wider society because school and society are based on meritocratic principles.
- Davis and Moore
- Schools also perform the function of selecting and allocating pupils to their suture roles, by assessing their abilities.
- Argue inequality is necessary to ensure the most important roles are filled by the most talented.
- This encourages everyone to compete for them and society then can select the most talented people for these positions
- Education plays a key part in this process since it acts as the proving ground. People are "sifted and sorted" according to ability.
- This encourages everyone to compete for them and society then can select the most talented people for these positions
- Blau and Duncan
- Modern economy depends on prosperity on using its "human capital" (the workers skill)
- They argue the meritcratic education system does this best, since it allows poeple to be allocated to their suitable job role
- This will make most effective use of their talent and maximise their productivity.
- They argue the meritcratic education system does this best, since it allows poeple to be allocated to their suitable job role
- Modern economy depends on prosperity on using its "human capital" (the workers skill)
- Evaluation of the Functionalist Perspective
- Marxists argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority - the ruling class
- Wrong argues * "over socialised" view of people as mere puppets of society. Pupils do not passively accept all that they are taught and never reject school values.
- Neoliberals and New Right argue that state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work.
- Durkheim
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