Assess the Functionalist view of education. (20 marks)
Assess the Functionalist view of education. (20 marks)
Functionalists is a consensus theory that sees society as working well like a well oiled machine. In this essay I will be assessing Functionalist views of education with juxtaposition from Marxists, Interactionists and Feminists over the following concepts; equality of opportunity, meritocracy, role allocation, skill provision, secondary socialisation, and education allowing for upward mobile mobility. Functionalists believe that education provides universalistic norms which means they see education as promoting the norms and values of wider society. I think that functionalists have a positive view of the education system and in some ways they are correct in their view. The first functionalist concept I will assess is the equality of opportunity. A functionalist called Durkheim believed that society could only exist with high social stability and that education helps to promote this by teaching norms and values and promoting equality of opportunity to all pupils. By equality of opportunity, Durkheim meant that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in education. In juxtaposition, Marxists argue that there is little equality of opportunity in education. They believe that the education system serves mainly to conform most pupils in their existing class position. Bowles and Gintis believe that equality of opportunity is a myth because the education system is to blame if people don't succeed. Feminists argue that there is a gender inequality in education and they believe that one of the main roles of education has been to maintain gender inequality. An interactionist called Lacey found that pupils were placed in sets and that they led to working class pupils feeling a failure. This goes against the functionalist perspective of having an equal opportunity because pupils are put in sets and top sets are more independent and have a higher chance to succeed than those in low sets because they
Functionalists is a consensus theory that sees society as working well like a well oiled machine. In this essay I will be assessing Functionalist views of education with juxtaposition from Marxists, Interactionists and Feminists over the following concepts; equality of opportunity, meritocracy, role allocation, skill provision, secondary socialisation, and education allowing for upward mobile mobility. Functionalists believe that education provides universalistic norms which means they see education as promoting the norms and values of wider society. I think that functionalists have a positive view of the education system and in some ways they are correct in their view. The first functionalist concept I will assess is the equality of opportunity. A functionalist called Durkheim believed that society could only exist with high social stability and that education helps to promote this by teaching norms and values and promoting equality of opportunity to all pupils. By equality of opportunity, Durkheim meant that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in education. In juxtaposition, Marxists argue that there is little equality of opportunity in education. They believe that the education system serves mainly to conform most pupils in their existing class position. Bowles and Gintis believe that equality of opportunity is a myth because the education system is to blame if people don't succeed. Feminists argue that there is a gender inequality in education and they believe that one of the main roles of education has been to maintain gender inequality. An interactionist called Lacey found that pupils were placed in sets and that they led to working class pupils feeling a failure. This goes against the functionalist perspective of having an equal opportunity because pupils are put in sets and top sets are more independent and have a higher chance to succeed than those in low sets because they