SECTION B: Functionalist perspective on Education: Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in SECTION B: Functionalist perspective on Education: Deck (23)
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1
Q

What are the two approaches to this approach:

A

Consensus Theorists and Conflict Theorists.

2
Q

Three key thinkers:

A
  • Emile Durkheim.
  • Talcott Parsons.
  • Davis and Moore.
3
Q

Functionalism and education:

A
  • Helps to develop the human resource if an industrialisation through its selection process to allocate individuals to the various levels of occupations.
  • Also contributes to social cohesion by transmitting to new generations the central values of society.
4
Q

Emile Durkheim: Socialisation:

A
  • Concerned that education should emphasise the moral responsibilities that members of society have towards each other and the wider society.
5
Q

Durkheim: Education and social solidarity:

A
  • All societies needed to create some kind of social solidarity.
  • In pre-industrial societies, social solidarity was created by people sharing common experience as part of families and through shared religious rituals.
  • Education plays a role in instilling a sense of shared culture and identity in the younger generation.
6
Q

Durkheim: Division of Labour:

A
  • Education was also preparing young people for the world of work, in the industrial societies where there is more competitive labour.
  • Individuals can choose from a range of specialist jobs.
  • Schools can therefore provide the specialist skills and knowledge requites of an industrial workforce which families themselves may it be able to deliver.
7
Q

AO3: Evaluation on Durkheim: Strength:

A
  • Durkheim’s vision of socialisation has successfully reinforced this idea that schools have a duty to prepare the young people for both the economy and the wider society.
  • Durkheim’s vision of education and social solidarity creates a sense of unity for the young people.
  • Durkheim vision division of labour offers an equal opportunity for everyone and aims to support the least privilege families by offering a free education.
8
Q

AO3: Evaluation on Durkheim: Weakness:

A
  • Durkheim’s vision of socialisation creates this oppressive system in which makes schooling unwelcoming for young people.
  • Durkheim’s vision of education and social solidarity reinforces cultural homogenisation in a diverse community.
  • Durkheim’s vision of education and social solidarity normalises the class division for the lower-class, ensuring that they accept the upper-class ideology.
  • Durkheim division of labour doesn’t seem to accompany any other family type that isn’t a nuclear family such as single-parent family.
9
Q

Social solidarity:

A

A feelings of unity and belonging based on shared beliefs and value.

10
Q

Schools presenting unity and belonging:

A
  • Students being allocated uniforms symbolises unity and belonging.
  • British values.
  • Equality and diversity.
  • Citizenship.
11
Q

Talcott Parsons: Skills Provision:

A
  • Agrees with Durkheim.
  • Education forms a bridge between the family and the wider society. By socialising children to adapt to the meritocratic view of achievement.
12
Q

Conclusions drawn from Talcott Parsons:

A
  • Education should socialise young people into a Conesus agreement.
  • Key concepts include particularistic and universalistic values.
  • Particularistic standards = children are treated as particular individuals. Socialised within the family.
  • Universalistic standards = people are judged according to standards that people apply equally to everybody. Found in society as a whole.
  • Schools should be meritocratic and based upon equality of opportunity.
13
Q

Meritocratic:

A

Relating to or characteristic of a society in which power is held by people selected according to merit.

14
Q

AO3: EVALUATION: Talcott Parsons: Strength:

A
  • Argues that education should be an equal opportunity for everyone regardless of their class status.
15
Q

AO3: EVALUATION: Talcott Parsons: Weakness:

A
  • State schools will never have the same opportunity as privates school.
  • The meritocratic system doesn’t accompany everyone’s future.
16
Q

Davis and Moore: Role allocation:

A
  • Education allocates people to the most appropriate job for their talents, using examination and qualification.
  • Their argument is based on the principle of meritocracy.
  • Heart of economy = education.
17
Q

AO3: EVALUATION: Davis and Moore: Strength:

A
  • Role allocation is appropriate for the industrial society because the right employees with the right talents are allocated to a specific job.
  • The principle of meritocracy helps individuals to strengthen their talents by challenging it.
18
Q

AO3: EVALUATION: Davis and Moore: Weakness:

A
  • Role allocation creates this ideology that success is only achievable through the education system.
  • Peoples talents are being used as a tool in order to enter the economic industry by being challenged and
    given a qualification to certify the talent.
19
Q

Blau and Duncan (1978):

Supports Davis and Moore.

A

Argue that a modern economy depends for its prosperity on using ‘human capital’.

20
Q

Labour Government (2002):

A
  • Introduced the citizenship of education which was designed to transmit the shared values of UK working society.
21
Q

Al Madinah:

A
  • An Islamic primary school in Derby raised concerns as it appeared to be following very strict Islamic approach to education the school was closed in 2014 by Ofsted.
22
Q

AO3: Evaluation: Strengths:

A
  • Functionalists see education as a process that insists the shared values of society.
23
Q

AO3: Evaluation: Weakness:

A
  • Marxists argue that education in a capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority, the ruling class.
  • Neo-Liberals and the new rights argue that the state education system fails to prepare young people.
  • Ofsted closing down the Al-Madinah school demonstrates the view that the education system isn’t as accepting to the diverse societies norms and values.