...Functionalists emphasise positive aspects of schools, this is the idea of a ‘consensus’ perspective; where there is an agreement about what is valued within a society. These are like Emile Durkheim's social facts or moral regulation in that they govern behaviour, and while they are coercive, they are also generally agreed upon where ‘The function of education is to transmit society’s norms and values’ . According to functionalists education performs a wide range of roles for society; these roles include purpose and the passing on of values which contribute to a smooth running society. It is believed that education presents formal curriculum by creating a skilled, literate, hard-working workforce to meet the economic needs of society done by the National Curriculum. Another form of curriculum that is included is informal curriculum which is the hidden aspect of school this involves secondary socialisation such as teaching students obedience, ethos and norms and values. Talcott Parson a former functionalist claims that status is ascribed in that it is fixed by birth; in modern societies status is largely achieved, the usual example being occupational status. Behaviour is measured against school rules; their achievement against performance in tests. This is applied to all students regardless of their background. However could be argued that occupation reflects education and if ascribed a poor background can be given fewer life chance which relate to equality of opportunity. This...
Words: 286 - Pages: 2
...Assess the functionalist view of education (20 marks) In this essay, one will be testing out the functionalist view of education. Functionalism is a macro, consensus theory that has the idea that society is functioning well and efficiently. Functionalists believe education provides universalistic norms i.e they see it promotes the norms and values of wider society. One would suggest that Functionalists are bit naive in their view of the education system, as it could be argued that education doesn't benefit everyone, especially the working class. The first functionalist concept, one will be testing out is the Equality of Opportunity. This means that all students regardless of class, gender and ethnicity are seen as equally important by the school and are all given equal chance to succeed. The functionalist Durkheim says schools stress the importance of equal opportunities. In juxtaposition Marxists would say that this is a form of brainwashing. Working class children are told they have the same chances to succeed as everyone else so when they do badly they have no-one else to blame but themselves. Material deprivation means they have little chance of competing fairly. One would suggest that the Marxist view is a little more accurate in its argument as it's very optimistic to say that everyone has equal chance to succeed. The second functionalist concept, one will testing out is Meritocracy. This is the belief that individuals achieve according to their ability and effort...
Words: 1034 - Pages: 5
...* Assess functionalist views of the role of education (20 marks) There are multiple views in society of the education system. The first view is functionalist – they believe that the education system is positive. The second view is Marxism – they believe that education in negative. The final perspective is feminism and they believe that again education is a negative thing. Functionalists such as Durkheim believe that the education system is positive because it gives us a shared sense of belonging, he also believes that due to history in education we are all bonded together because we all share the same past. Moreover, he also said that education gives us social solidarity because we’re all functioning together in society due to education giving us specialised skills for the workforce and later life. Additionally, functionalists such as Parsons believe that education is vital because it’s a bridge from the family to society. He also believes that there is equality of opportunity in society and in education this means there is a meritocracy and social mobility. Moreover, he said that education encourages individual achievement and this achievement is measured by role allocation and setting. This means that those who do well in school (those in the top sets) will be pushed to go for the highest jobs. He also said that education develops a value consensus in society this means that society has a shared set of norms and values. Davis and Moore examined role allocation. They believe...
Words: 1302 - Pages: 6
...Introduction Assess the role of education form the functionalist perspective Functionalists believe that education performs very important roles for individuals, the economy and the wider social structure. It provides secondary socialisation, passing on shared culture enables individuals to develop their potential and regulates their behaviour. Functionalists argue that education has three broad; socialisation where education helps to maintain society by socialising young people in to key cultural values, such as achievement, individualism, equality of opportunity, social solidarity and democracy. The second one is skills provision in which education teaches the skills required by a modern industrial society. These may be general skills that everyone needs such as literacy and numeracy or the specific skills needed for particular occupations. And the final function is role allocation, where education allocates people to the most appropriate jobs for their talents using examination and qualifications. This is seen to be fair because there is equality of opportunity, everyone has the chance to achieve success in society on the basis of their ability. ...read more. Middle Educational mechanisms such as grades, examinations, references and qualifications are used to sort individuals. Society is this a meritocracy in which people are rewarded for intelligence, ability and effort. Functional importance is decided by length and specialist training required for particular occupations...
Words: 1367 - Pages: 6
...«The role of education is to enable children to prepare for their place in society» To what extent would Marxists and Functionalists agree on this? In sociology there are two main structural approaches consensus theory (functionalism) and conflict theory (Marxism). They have different perspectives that see society differently. Education is the action or process of teaching someone especially in a school, college, or university; it is one of the institutions society consists of. Accordingly functionalists’ and Marxists’ view of the role of education in society differs. Both functionalism and Marxism agree that schooling socialises students into their place in society, however they have a conflict view on whether this is a ‘good’ thing or not. Functionalists assume that educational institutions serve the needs of industrial society, by an advanced division of labour. Educational institutions are examined for the positive contribution they make towards maintaining society and it is seen as vital part of socialization. Education also serves the needs of the social system by socializing pupils to shared values, norms and beliefs. This leads to great social solidarity. Emile Durkhiem (1903) identified two main functions of education: creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. He argues that society needs to have sense of solidarity, where every individuals should feel themselves to be part of the community. Durkhiem stated that school serves a function in a complex...
Words: 997 - Pages: 4
...Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess functionalist views of the role of education in modern society (20 marks) The consensus functionalist approach is just one of many that attempt to explain the role of education in modern society. Functionalism is based on the view that society is a system of interdependent parts held together by a shared culture or value consensus. Each part of society such as the family, economy and education system performs functions that help to maintain society. Functionalists such as Durkheim and Parsons seek to discover what functions that educations performs and what is does to meet society’s needs. Marxists such as Althusser and Bowle & Gintis disagree with functionalists and argues that education in modern society continues to uphold the capitalist system. The French sociologist, Durkheim (1903) argued that education provided two main functions. Firstly, social solidarity; some of the subjects taught as part of the national curriculum such as History and Citizenship helps students to understand the complexity of British culture. This sense of shared culture between children creates a strong sense of unity and commitment to a wider social group. Without social solidarity, society would fall apart as there would be no cooperation as each individual would pursue their own selfish desires making education a vital role for modern society. The second function that education has is that it prepares young people for work. Industrial societies...
Words: 1181 - Pages: 5
...Theories of Education Historically, American education served both political and economic needs, which dictated the function of education. Today, sociologists and educators debate the function of education. Three main theories represent their views: the functionalist theory, the conflict theory, and the symbolic interactionist theory. The functionalist theory The functionalist theory focuses on the ways that universal education serves the needs of society. Functionalists first see education in its manifest role: conveying basic knowledge and skills to the next generation. Durkheim (the founder of functionalist theory) identified the latent role of education as one of socializing people into society's mainstream. This “moral education,” as he called it, helped form a more‐cohesive social structure by bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, which echoes the historical concern of “Americanizing” immigrants. Functionalists point to other latent roles of education such as transmission of core values and social control. The core values in American education reflect those characteristics that support the political and economic systems that originally fueled education. Therefore, children in America receive rewards for following schedules, following directions, meeting deadlines, and obeying authority. The most important value permeating the American classroom is individualism—the ideology that advocates the liberty rights, or independent action, of the individual...
Words: 1653 - Pages: 7
...Sociological Theories In Education Introduction to Sociology Professor Whited Monday February 13th 2012 Education is often considered as the most important aspect of an individual’s life. Education essentially shapes a person’s future. Without an education, moreover a good education, in today’s economy people would struggle in everyday life just to make ends meet. In fact, according to statistics published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent, on a survey taken by 11,437 people in January 2011, is 16.5%. That is a staggering 1,892 people who are unemployed because they do not have adequate education. Thus it is therefore evident that an education, or some education is paramount to a person’s success or accomplishments in life. There are three theories that help understand education. Although most view these theories as opinions, these theories support the need for education by allowing society to better understand education and they demonstrate or help identify what education really is. The three theories that are important for purposes of this paper are: Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism. These three theories play a vital role in helping understand education and why it is so important. Contrary to most beliefs, the theories previously mention are not simply one man’s opinions, rather they give a prime meaning to the necessity of education. Traditionally, American education has served both...
Words: 2321 - Pages: 10
...The New Right perspective have a more political view on education which could be named as old fashioned compared to functionalists. They believed that education is for socialising and preparing young children for the world of work however they say that the state cannot meet peoples needs. The New Right are similar in many ways to functionalists as they believe that some people are naturally more talented than others. They believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values, such as competition so the most talented people can get the best jobs and instil a sense of national identity. They broadly favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition, and one that serves the needs of the economy by preparing young people for work. However, unlike functionalists, the New Right do not believe that the current education system is achieving these goals as according to New Right, the reason for their failure is that its run by state and that instead we should be encouraging competition through different forms of private education. A central principle of the New Right is the belief that the state cannot meet people’s needs and that people are best left to meet their own needs and that people are best left to meet their own needs through the free market. A number of the principles of the New Right are based on the theories of market forces. They felt that the British economy was in decline and something needed to be done to change the situation...
Words: 329 - Pages: 2
...Outline some of the function that the education system may perform (12) Functionalists have a consensus perspective on society. Functionalists see society as a living organism, in which everything has to work together and in order to keep it alive. They believe that society should have shared values of which they are based on and socialised to. The sociologist Durkheim studied 3 concepts of functionalism in education; the first of these is specialist skills. It consists of employing the most skilled people, into the most skilled and difficult jobs and so that their skills can be passed onto the next generation. This concept however can be criticised by the fact that specialist skills don’t always mean that the brightest students get the best jobs, and the fact that these jobs have been ‘graded’ and then socialised to, even though without binmen (for example) the world would be much more difficult. My other Durkheim concept is that of society in miniature. (In education) Durkheim portrays that school replicates society, just on a smaller scale thus helping students to integrate into the society of the real world much more easily. This can be linked with specialist skills as the cleverer students go on to achieve educational rewards, much like they would in the real world for example with wages. Similarly, Davis and Moore, who also came up with 3 concepts on functionalism in education, they are role allocation, sifting and sorting and stratification. Role allocation judge’s...
Words: 461 - Pages: 2
...Explain what is meant by the ‘correspondence principle’ The correspondence principle is all the lessons that are taught to you in school but they are not directly taught. For example, simply through every day workings of the school, pupils become accustomed to accepting hierarchy and competition. Suggest three criticisms that other sociologists may make of the functionalist view of the education system? Functionalists see education as a process that instils the shared values of society as a while, but Marxists argue that education in capitalist society only transmits the ideology of a minority, the ruling class. The interactionist Dennis Wrong argues that functionalists have an ‘over-socialised view’ of people as mere puppets of society. Functionalists wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all they are taught and never reject the schools values. Unlike Davis and Moore, the New Right argue that the state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work. This is because state control of education discourages efficiency, competition and choice. Outline some of the ways in which government educational policies may have affected social class differences in educational achievement? Marketisation brought in a change in selection policies, it brought in a funding formula that gives the school the same amount of funds for each pupil, also exam league tables that rank each school according to its exam performance and make no allowance for the level...
Words: 1003 - Pages: 5
...Outline and Assess Features of an Ideal School (50 marks) In my opinion, the purpose of education is too teach students specific skills to students that would give them specific skills to help them in the future and continue to benefit them in later life. Education should be beneficial to the individual and that should be seen as most important, then this should automatically lead to it benefiting society completely. If every individual was being separately catered to in education where they are excelling well then this would create a problem free system. I think Marxists view schools as a control mechanism that is only beneficial to the capitalists. Whereas, functionalists view it as a teaching mechanism which ensure a consensus within society. Feminists view education and the education system as patriarchal and only really beneficial for men. My ideal school may not be appropriate for all individuals as not everyone is not guaranteed success in later life by being taught the skills we teach. I think the purpose of schools and education in general is to prepare a student for the next stage in their life. Education should be there to help you become the best possible person in the future. You should be prepared for important things in the future such as voting, money handling, bill paying, money managed meant and also things like how to live in a recession and how to deal with the stress of living in a recession etc. I think that this would ensure an ideal school as these are...
Words: 2359 - Pages: 10
...The Impact of Sociological Theories in Education SOC101 Sheila Schmitz May 7, 2012 Education is the key to success in a person’s life. Not being educated people would be hurting just to try and get through day to day life situations. There are three main theories that help with understanding education and that is functionalist theory, the conflict theory, and the interactionist theory. Theory helps us comprehend why different groups may disagree about how they view social problems, but why they all believe they are right (Vissing, Y., 2011, Chap 1.6). Education could be the difference from getting a low paying job or a high paying job. Education also plays a huge role in helping you to understand things better, it helps your social skills, the way people view you and also the way you view yourself. Functionalism Functionalism approach held that all social structures (institutions or stable units of society) exist because they fulfill some specific functions (Vissing, Y., 2011, Chap 1.6). They view schools as an institution to educate the next generation to give them the knowledge and skills to prepare the youth in their future occupational jobs and leadership roles. The functionalist theory also views all the ways education serves the need of society. Functionalists such as Parsons and Durkheim believe that the school environment is a microcosm (small version) of the adult occupational world and therefore prepare students for their future (Casey Kingsland...
Words: 1584 - Pages: 7
...Examine the different functions perform by the education system Different theories try to explain the function and role of education in society. Some look at the positive side of education and others the more negative side due to some pupils only being exploited in the education system. Despite all having different views that can be related to, they also all have their advantages and disadvantages meaning some arguments are stronger than others. One group of sociologists, the functionalists, believe that education has four main functions to help society. One role of education is to create social solidarity. It is Durkheim who believes that this is essential for the survival of societies. He believes that it helps to bring people together as it enables students to share similar beliefs, norms and values. Education helps to bind the members of a society together as there are essential similarities that help people to unite and all feel a sense of belonging. The way schools helps to allow its students to feel apart is by making all students wear a uniform enabling everyone to have something in common and to feel apart of a community. Lessons such as history, CPSHE and R.S help to weld the diverse mass of people into a nation as we realise we have much in common with each other. The second function is to allocate people to the role and job by testing students to discover talents and then develop the talent to enable them to find a job that will best suit them in the future....
Words: 2026 - Pages: 9
...George Halifax (1660) once said “Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that have been taught.” In the simplest term education is a form of acquiring knowledge, skills, values and norms that are transferred from one generation to the next through training and teaching. Formal and informal are the two main categories of education, parents are said to be a child’s first teacher, this indicate informal education starts at home as a way of passing on the ways and expectations of society to children (socialization). Formal education usually takes place in an institution such as school, college and universities, although in The U.S.A and other developed countries it can be done at home, the tool of operation for formal education is a recognised curriculum. In Britain formal education was made accessible to the masses through the 1944 Education Act with the aim to give every pupil an equal chance to develop their ability. Previously formal education in Britain was available only to the upper and middle classes of society who could afford it. Even so there different school for each class with different ambitions: The upper classes attended Public schools that was to train them in preparation for leadership of society whiles the middle classes attended grammar schools that prepare them to manage industries. The working class receive very minimal education often run by churches (class note). It is not surprising, that the aim of education has proved to be an issue of contention...
Words: 1975 - Pages: 8
