...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...
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...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...
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...«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...
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...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...
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...Functionalists take a consensus view of the role of education. They see it as performing three important functions; socialisation into the shared culture, equipping individuals with work skills for the division of labour, and selection for work roles. Education is organised on meritocratic principles and reward pupils’ ability, not their social background. Functionalists take a very positive view of education. They see it as a form of secondary socialisation essential to the maintenance of society. it performs vital social functions, including transmitting shared norms and values and equipping pupils with the knowledge, skills and habits needed for work. School also acts as a bridge between the family and the world of work, reflecting the values of equal opportunity and individual achievement found in wider society. it gives everyone an equal chance of discovering and developing their talents. Education also sifts and sorts individuals, allocating them their future occupational roles on the basis of their ability and effort and enabling the talented to become upwardly mobile. The structure and processes of education systems are related to the general process of socialisation. All sociologists agree with this, but sociologists have many different views about how societies are structured. They have many different views about the role of education in society. The following research will focus on the role of education from a Functionalist, Marxist and an Interactionalist's...
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...the functionalist view of the role of the family in society (33 marks). Murdock, a functionalist, describes the family as a universal institution based on the nuclear family model. The functionalist view of the role of the family in society is that it maintains social order. The family is a tool for socialisation and a key social institution in sustaining the value that society works by consensus. Murdock identified four main functions of the family: sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. These four functions cover the role of the family in society. The sexual and reproductive functions are what keep society populated. If they became dysfunctional then society would not have the people inhabiting it. The economic function is the parent’s responsibility to take care of their family financially, usually through the division of labour where the man will take on the instrumental role of financial provider for the family while the woman will adopt the expressive role and take care of the home and family members. Marxists would contest this viewpoint arguing that the division of labour is capitalist dogma used to control the labour force and stop them from developing consciousness. The final function identified by Murdock was the educational functional, this is function where the family learns how to be socialised. It is this function that maintains the value consensus which allows society to remain functional. This is a key role of the family to functionalists if this...
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...The role of education can be seen to provide pupils with the curriculum and hidden curriculum; teaching skills that will prepare them physically, mentally and socially for the world of work in later life. There are two main views on the role of education; the Marxist and Functionalists who take different approaches to this area. Interactionists have a view on this topic, but not an extremely controversial one, with large grounds for debate. As an overview, Marxists see education as an unequal and corrupt system which recreates class inequality, whereas Functionalists take more positive views, arguing it prepares children for the world of work and helps them to develop their personal talents, discover who they are, and where they would best fit into societies workforce. However the new right view believe that the current education system isn’t functioning because it is run by the state. In state education systems, politicians use their powers to influence what children should study. For example they encourage compulsory studying of history and also they chose what kind of school we should have ignoring the needs of individuals. This is using the ‘one size fits all’ rule leaving the consumers with no say or choice. Therefore some schools run inefficiently leading to a waste of money as they get poor results. This lowers the standards of achievement for children, which may lead to a less qualified workforce therefore the country’s economy in the future, will be a less prosperous...
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...function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society” According to Item “A” functionalists believe that a Value Consensus is essential for the well-being of society. A Value Consensus is an agreement among society’s members about what social values (such as getting qualifications, learning job skills, etc.) are important. Item “A” also stats that functionalists believe that school is vital because it socialises (this is known as secondary socialisation, this is where children are taught social norms and values such as respect and obeying orders through school) young people. Functionalists also believe that schools operate on a meritocratic principle and they see education as “sifting and sorting” young students (this is another term for Role Allocation which is where students are matched to work roles that suit their abilities). On the other hand according to Item “A” Marxists believe that education doesn’t transmit values about society as a whole but values that benefit the ruling class (those who own the means of production are called the ruling class or the Bourgeoisie these are a minority in society). Functionalist Durkheim identified the two main functions of education were, creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity, without social solidarity, social life and cooperation would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires; the role of education is to produce...
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...functionalism to our understanding of the role of education (20 marks) Functionalists have a fairly positive view of education, however they do say that if one institution fails then the others do aswell. It is a common belief amongst functionalists that all institutions such as education help to maintain social order by performing main functions. Education in an institution that is considered an agency of social control which makes sure that norms and values are followed as they believe that by following these will prevent social issues. Functionalists Davis and Moore said that the education system was potentially involved with social inequality. They believed that education is used for selection and role allocation. They argued that social inequality was necessary in society because it meant that the most important and functional jobs were allocated to the most intellectual and skilled individuals. This view that Davis and Moore identified can be criticised because the most functional jobs don’t always get the highest pay, for example, doctors have a very functional job and benefit society, however they get paid less that people who work in the music industry. Durkheim identified that the education system performs two main functions. The first function that Durkheim identified was ‘creating and maintaining social solidarity’ which is where people are made to feel that they belong and fit in in their society. He argued that the education system helped to perform the function...
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... Early Functionalists such as Durkheim believed that society is made up of many institutions which work together to function. Regarding families, Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is best for society. Functionalists look at what the functions the family performs and they therefore say that the nuclear family is best for society. For example functionalists believe that traditional domestic roles (for the male to play an instrumental role as the breadwinner and the female to do the dual-burden) are necessary to ensure that children are socialised correctly with both male and female role models. Functionalists believe that the nuclear family is perfect for bringing up a geographically mobile workforce which allows families to move about for work easily, for example Functionalists believe during the industrial revolution nuclear families became more common as it was easier for families to move to an urban area in search of work than if it was for example an extended family. Conflict theories such as Marxism and Feminism challenge the Functionalism and the consensus of society by taking a more critical view. Social historians such as Laslett and Anderson also criticize the functionalist view of a ‘Functional Fit’ in the family. The main supporters of Functionalism in the family are Murdock, Parsons and Fletcher – each with their own views on how the nuclear family benefits all the members of the family and society as a whole. One of the first functionalist sociologists...
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...In this essay I will assess the functionalist views of the role on education. Functionalists agree that education in the form of institutions, such as schools, is the best way to pass on the skills required in society. They argue that school provides secondary socialisation which is when a child is influenced by the surroundings when they are not with their family. The term 'meritocracy' means that the highest social positions are given to the most able people. This provides equal opportunities and allows schools to recognise individual potential. Emile Durkheim is a functionalist who states that 'school is a vehicle for transmitting norms and values.' He sees the major function of education as the transmission of this. By this he means that education prepares children for life in the real world. He says that school serves a function which cannot be provided either by the family or peer group. This supports the idea of secondary socialisation. The term 'miniature society' was used by Durkheim to describe the education system. This refers to the way the students are being taught in preparation for the world of work. Discipline, sanctions and fear of exclusion are matters that take place in the employment sector as well as in the education system. Also, authority, hierarchy, conflict and friendship count for this. Durkheim was particularly concerned with social solidarity where the social unit is more important than the individual. In school, children must show commitment...
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...claim that the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society is portrayed by different sociologists in different ways e.g. feminists believe that to maintain a value consensus in society, patriarchy needs to be abolished. Different theorists believe in different functions of the education system, some think of it as promoting value consensus and some see otherwise. Functionalist Durkheim (1993) identified the two main functions of education were, creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity, without social solidarity, social life and cooperation would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires; the role of education is to produce social solidarity. School also acts as a ‘society in miniature’, preparing us for life in wider society, school serves a function that cannot be provided the family or peer groups and that individuals must learn to cooperate with those who are neither family nor friends, he says the school is a place where these skills can be learned. Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour, where the production of even a single item usually involves the cooperation of many different specialists. Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skill that they need to play their part in the social division of labour, therefore the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus...
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...xamine Functionalists explanations of the family (24 marks) Functionalists believe that society is based on a set of shared values and norms; this is known as a value consensus. These norms and values socialize its members, which enables them to cooperate with each other so society’s needs are met, this creates social order. It offers a structural and macro view of the family which is top down. Functionalists see society as being similar to a biological organism for example the human body. This is called the organic analogy. The human body is made up of various different parts that function together, each part is necessary for the normal functioning of the whole body. Society is made up of various institutions (for example education or family), Functionalists believe that these institutions rely on each other each other which helps maintain social order. If one institution is quickly modified or fails to work with other institutions, society would be dysfunctional and would end up in anarchy. Functionalists compare this with the human body because if one component is unable to work, this often affects other components in the body, which could result in death. Functionalists believe that a family is a vital institution, which contributes to maintaining social order because it meets the needs of other institutions such as the education system, which enables society to function in a unified manner. Functionalists believes that the nuclear family fits society’s needs, however...
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...to what the main function of education is e.g. feminists believe that to maintain value consensus, patriarchy needs to be abolished in order to do this. However, functionalists would argue that society already has a value consensus and that everyone has their roles within society, and that the role is important in maintaining the value consensus. Functionalist Durkheim identifies the two main roles of education to be to create social solidarity and to teach specialist skills that are needed for life and work after education. He argues that society needs solidarity so that we can all function properly and so that people don’t always go for their own selfish desires – one of the roles of education is to help create this social solidarity. Schools act as ‘society in miniature’ because it prepares us for life in a wider society as we have to co-operate with people who aren’t family or friends, and interact with people according to a set of impersonal rules; Durkheim says that school is the only place that can teach these skills as they can’t be taught by family or friends outside of the school settings. He also says that schools create a social solidarity by transmitting society’s culture, and norms and values, from one generation to the next e.g. teaching the country’s history instils a sense of shared heritage among children. Durkheim also argues that education teaches the necessary specialist skills and knowledge to be able to perform their roles, especially in the modern industrial...
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...FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS Examine the different functions performed by the family for individuals and society? The family is a unit of people living together tied down by biological or legal bonds. Functionalists take the family to be an important part on the way society works and therefore emphasise the importance of the function of the family. Functions are the jobs and roles of a particular object. Functionalists and Marxists are social systems, also known as structural thinkers. Structural theories define individuals as being completely shaped by our society and the way it works and is organised. Functionalism visualises society as socialising individuals into the shared norms and values, which dictate the way they will behave. Marxism and a majority of feminist groups are also classed as structural thinkers. Both functionalists and Marxists take a macro approach and make generalisations towards the role the nuclear family plays in society as a whole. However functionalists take a positive view of the role of the nuclear family whereas traditional Marxists and feminists have criticised the view. George Peter Murdock was a functionalist sociologist. From his study of 250 diverse societies he concluded that the family actually performs 4 basic functions, which are essential for social life. The first were sexual and reproductive which are important, as they are the means of producing members of society. Without these two major functions society itself would seize to exist...
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