AS Sociology

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  • Created by: Jess
  • Created on: 10-05-12 10:30

Marxism

the educational underachievement can be blamed on the bourgeoisie and the capitalist system, one of the main roles of the state control system is an ideological one. Capitalism is maintained through thought control therefore as a result workers accept their exploited position in society. marxists argue that the education system helps to maintain capitalism through the hidden curriculum, which is everything taught during schooling in addition to the taught official curriculum. for example, school assemblies teach pupils to have respect for religious beliefs. priviledges and responsibilities given to older pupils teaches pupils to have respect for elders. Value is placed on working hard, therefore they believe everyone can make it to the top if they try hard enough.

Bowles and Gintis were critical of the idea that society is meritocratic, they saw education as the crucial element in the preparation of individuals for the world of work. they argued that education helps to form the skills and attitudes workers need to be fully prepared for work. they called this the correspondence theory. Bowles and Gintis argue that the hierarchical structure of school socialises pupils into relationships similar to those they can expect to find in the world of work.

Bourdieu

argued that the education system is biased towards the culture of the Bourgeoisie and devalues the knowledge and skills of the working class. The key role of education system is Cultural Reporduction - reporducing the culture of the Bourgeoisie and therefore helping to maintain their powerful position in society. The dominant culture is cultural capital, those who have cultural capital have more power and wealth, which therefore leads to middle class success in education as they have already been socialised into the dominant

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