Functionalism and Education What do Functionalists believe about

Functionalism and Education. What do Functionalists believe about society in general? 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Lesson Topic Functionalism and Education 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

What do Functionalists believe: • Functionalists look at the structures in society ( ___________ etc) and ask the question: How do these structures promote consensus, equilibrium, harmony? How are they functional? • They use the O____ A____ to compare society to a living organism. Both have pre-requisites, evolution, integration, adaptation. • Founding Fathers of the School of Thought are _____ and _____. This School of Thought dominated world sociology from 1945 through to the late 60 s. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Past Exam Questions • Assess the contribution of functionalism to our understanding of the role of education. • Assess the claim that ‘the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society. ’ 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

From what you know: • Outline some of the functions that the education system may perform. June 2011. • Elect a group leader to present. • Collate in 3 mins. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Outline some of the functions that the education system may perform. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

June 2011 Mark scheme: • Secondary socialisation; gender role socialisation; social integration; individualism; meritocracy; role allocation; specialisation; vocational training; competition; diversity; reproduction and legitimation of capitalism; correspondence principle; myth of meritocracy; patriarchy; gender regimes. • Sources may include: Althusser; Bowles and Gintis; Davis and Moore; Durkheim; Parsons; Thompson; Willis. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Functionalist perspective on education • Consensus perspective: examine society in terms of how it is maintained for the common good. • Emphasis on positive aspects of the school. • Socialisation: the learning of skills and attitudes in school. Education helps maintain society by socialising young people into values of achievement, competition and equality of opportunity. Next slide Bell Curve. • Skills provision: education teaches the skills for the economy. For example, literacy, numeracy and IT for particular occupations. • Role allocation: education allocates people to the most appropriate jobs for their talents, using examinations and qualifications. Kerplunk analogy two slides. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Durkheim: Social solidarity and skills • Creating social solidarity: community, cooperation. History = moral glue. • Education transmit culture: shared beliefs and values • School is a miniature society: cooperation, interaction, rules – universalistic standards. • Specialist skills: division of labour – schools teach specialist knowledge and skills. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Durkheim’s Melting Pot theory. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

In comparison with the “melting pot” theory, there is the “salad bowl” theory. This idea demonstrates a complete separate perspective that the newcomers bring different cultures, where each of these cultures is kept as an essential part to make up the whole. Every distinctive culture or belief is considered to be one of the tastes or ingredients that contributes in forming the whole; therefore its original shape and characteristics are maintained. The education system is the … 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Parsons - Meritocracy • Secondary agent of socialisation – bridge between family and society. • Education instils values of competition, equality and individualism. • In a meritocracy everyone is given equality of opportunity. Achievements and rewards are based on effort and ability – achieved status. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Davis & Moore: Role Allocation • Education selects talented individuals and allocates them to the most important roles in society. • How does it achieve this? • Higher rewards for these jobs encourages competition. • E. g. Doctor, pilot • Education sifts and sorts according to ability. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Blau & Duncan • A modern economy depends for its prosperity on using human capital – its workers and skills. Most important jobs. • A meritocratic education system does this best. 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education. Those most able

Evaluation: • How would you evaluate what we have learnt according to your group? 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Left -----------------------------------------------------Right Marxist: educational achievement is greatly influenced by social class background. 21/12/2021 Dennis Wrong: puppets – pupils passively accept and never reject the school’s values. Education transmit ruling class ideology. Melvin Tumin: jobs are considered important when they are highly rewarded. Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education. The New Right argue that the state education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work.

Key words – define: • • • Social solidarity Secondary socialisation Value consensus Functionalism Melting pot Vs Salad Bowl. Achieved status Meritocracy Universalistic standards Particularistic standards Equality of opportunity 21/12/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

Outline some of the functions that the education system may perform. (12 marks) Answers in this band will show sound, conceptually informed knowledge and understanding of sociological material on two or more functions that the educaton system may perform. This will be accurately and sensitively interpreted and applied to the demands of the question. Candidates will show the ability to organise material and to analyse and/or evaluate it explicitly so as to produce a coherent and relevant answer. Concepts and issues such as the following may appear: secondary socialisation; gender role socialisation; social integration; individualism; meritocracy; role allocation; specialisation; vocational training; competition; diversity; reproduction and legitimation of capitalism; correspondence principle; myth of meritocracy; patriarchy; gender regimes. Lower in the band, answers will outline a more limited range of material. Higher in the band, answers will be more detailed and complete, and/or may show a clear rationale in the organisation of material leading to a suitable and distinct conclusion. Sources may include: Althusser; Bowles and Gintis; Davis and Moore; Durkheim; Parsons; Thompson; Willis. 12/21/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

June 12 • Suggest three criticisms that other sociologists may make of the functionalist view of the education system. 12/21/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.

• the education system is not meritocratic/equal opportunity to achieve does not exist • education’s role allocation function is not meritocratic/many jobs are allocated on the basis of class background, not educational achievement • the education system does not instill shared values/it instills ruling-class ideology • the education system fails to prepare young people adequately for work • functionalists ignore the fact that many pupils reject the school’s values/pupils do not always passively accept what they are taught. 12/21/2021 Lesson objectives: To explore the role and function of education.