(JUNE 2012)

01: Explain what is meant is meant by the ‘correspondence principle’. (2 marks)

By ‘correspondence principle’ sociologists, Bowles and Gintis, mean the close similarity between the social relationship in the classroom and the workplace. This correspondence (similarity) is important as it prepares the new generation to accept their roles in a capitalist society.

02: Suggest three criticisms that other sociologists may make of the functionalist view on education system. (6 marks)

The first criticism by other sociologists would be by Melvin Tumin (1953), who criticises Davis and Moore for their role allocation theory. He says that this argument is seen to be circular, as we know which job is important by which one is more highly rewarded and the highly rewarded jobs are more important. Therefore, how do we really know which jobs are important and which aren’t, as bin collecting jobs are not seen to be important however they earned £24,000 and £26,000 and are seen to get bonuses up to £4, 000 but their job isn’t seen to be important in society or doesn’t require such skill. So how do we really know which jobs are important in society?

The second criticism against Davis and Moore is that the New Right argues that the state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work, so it is highly unlikely that the individual will get to the job they are best suited for. This is because the state control of education discourages efficiency, competition and choice, as schools are unresponsive to the consumers such as pupils, parents and employers; this means that schools waste money or get poor results. They believe that marketisation of education will empower consumers as there is now competition so schools will improve their standards in order to meet their consumers needs, seen as the laws of supply and demand.

Finally, the last criticism