...the claim that the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society. Different sociologists believe that there are different functions of the education system. Some sociologists think that the main function of the education system is to maintain a value consensus in society while others think differently. In item A it states “Functionalists argue that value consensus - agreed social values - is essential for the well-being of society” They think that education transmits the norms and values to the students which would contribute towards the skills needed for work in the future. Education has many purposes such as secondary socialisation of children and allocation of roles. The functionalist perspective think that education helps maintain society by socialising young people into values of achievement, competition and equality of opportunity. Durkheim is a functionalist. He identified the two main functions of education were creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity and without it, life would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires. . Furthermore, he 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 in society. Parson views education as being part of a meritocracy. Meritocracy...
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...Value consensus is a term which refers to general agreement about norms and values amongst the members of society. Different theorists believe in different functions of the education system, some think it as promoting value consensus and some see as a method of control. Functionalists and Marxists have opposing views on the function of education which I will discuss in my essay, I will refer to sources from Durkheim, Parsons, Davis & Moore, Althusser and Bowles & Gintis and Willis and assess the function of education. Emile Durkheim, a functionalist’s view of education is that it teaches us the norms and value of society. Education helps to unite all the individuals of society which creates a sense of belonging and commitment to that society which he calls social solidarity. The way to reach this stage of harmony in society is to have norms and values which everyone agrees on. A way to criticise this idea is that the UK has become a multi-cultural society in which different people from different parts of the world live together. This means that we all have norms and values from our cultures which might lead to a conflict rather than value consensus as our values will go against each other. Another function of education in the case of Durkheim is that the school is a miniature version of school in which we are taught things in that prepare us for the future when we are in employment. Aspects such as ‘register’ throughout our school life teach us that punctuality is very vital...
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...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 in society. Durkheim...
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...Value consensus is a general agreement about the norms and values within a society, with set rules that the large majority of people within that society willingly follows without the need for supervision or enforcement. Sociologists and theorists all have a different perspective as 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...
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...function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society. The term value consensus means that the majority of society agree. For example in the United Kingdom people believe going to school and getting a education is a norm: this is a value consensus. The education system has many purposes such as secondary socialisation of children and allocation of roles, due to the meritocratic that lays within it. Different theorists believe in different functions of the education system, some think it as promoting value consensus and some see otherwise. Functionalists believe that education transmits society’s norms and values and therefore promotes value consensus, with the educational and economic system working hand in hand to develop the skills required for the world of work. Functionalists believe that education within schools, and the existence of the hidden curriculum, is positive. According to Parsons (1961), primary socialisation amongst the family, teaches us to share views and social values. In the 1950s and 1960s Talcott Parsons developed Durkheim ideas, adding he saw the educational system as the win agency of secondary socialisation, acting as abridge between the family and the wider society. Schools build on the primary socialisation provided by the family developing value consensus and preparing young people for their adult roles. According to Parsons, schools are miniature versions of the wider society. They reflect the values of the wider society. Young people...
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...role of education in society is seen by many different people in many different ways. This is due to the fact that different sociologists hold different and conflicting views. Functionalists tend to believe that society is based on a shared culture of similar values and norms; as Item A mentions ‘Schools play a vital role by socializing young people into these basic values.’ Whereas, a different approach to education is one of Marxists, who believe that education ‘transports values that benefit the ruling class not society as a whole’. It is a complicated argument as many questions could be raised by both viewpoints as to what the true purpose of education is. Firstly, Functionalists argue that the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus. Durkheim agreed that education performs the function of creating social solidarity; where individual members in society feel that they are part of a community. The education system has a curriculum which teaches all pupils the country’s history, giving them a sense of shared culture and British tradition. This prepares us for wider society as we are held together by this shared culture through committing to the same values. However, a criticism of this curriculum is that even though it brings social solidarity, it ignores multiculturalism which can result in ethnic minorities becoming disadvantaged and therefore underachieving. This could mean that individuals in society are not simply agreeing to the same values but are...
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...Education has a number of functions within society, value consensus being one of them. Value consensus is a term which refers to general agreement about norms and values amongst the members of society. Different theorists believe in different functions of the education system, some think it as promoting value consensus and some see otherwise. Functionalists and Marxists have opposing views on the function of education which I will discuss in my essay. I will refer to sources from Durkheim, Parsons, Davis & Moore, Althusser and Bowles & Gintis. Functionalists believe that education transmits society's norms and values and therefore promotes value consensus, with the educational and economic system working hand in hand to develop the skills required for the world of work. Emile Durkheim provides the basic framework of the functionalists view on the education system, agreeing with its function of transmitting norms and values. He believed that for society to operate effectively they have to develop a sense of belonging to something, becoming 'social beings' with a loyalty and commitment to society as a whole. The education system creates this effectively by teaching subjects such as history, which enables children to see the link between themselves and wider society. He argues that one of the two main functions of education is creating social solidarity. Social solidarity means individual members feel themselves to be a part of a single community or group. Education encourages social...
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...The sociological view of functionalists is that value consensus, or 'agreed social values' are an essential part of the wellbeing of society. By this logic, they argue that as school is a method of secondary socialisation, its main function is to maintain this value consensus. Functionalists believe that education within schools, and the existence of the hidden curriculum, is positive. Primary socialisation, amongst the family, teaches us to share views and social values, but the specific views and values gained from socialisation within the family are particularistic. In contrast to this, those norms and values taught within the education system are universalistic, and cover a much wider range of situations and areas. This also helps to combat areas where the views within a certain family may oppose the acceptable values held by the majority of a society; for example, a child's parents may lack respect for authority, and their particularistic views may lead that child to believe that this is acceptable behaviour, but the more universalistic teachings within education demonstrate that, in fact, society as a whole feels that respecting authority is an important social value. Functionalists also believe that, as schools operate on meritocratic principles, they teach children that those who work hard and achieve are rewarded, while those who do not receive no reward, and will leave school with fewer prospects, and overall live a less fulfilled life than those who have internalised...
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...Evaluate the Functionalist contribution to our understanding of society. (33) Functionalism is one of the earliest sociological theories; it was a development from the first sociological theories developed by Auguste Comte in the early part of the 19thC. Comte developed sociology as ‘the Queen of the Sciences’ in order to use a scientific approach to understanding society. In addition to this scientific approach, he believed that society had a structure and each element of the structure played a particular role in the functioning of society. Emile Durkheim developed these ideas into a sociological perspective which we now call Functionalism. This perspective continued to be modified and developed until the middle of the 20thC when other perspectives gained importance. Functionalists believe that society is a social system made up of interrelated parts, which have specific functions to perform. Durkheim’s organic analogy suggests that society is like a living organism, just like the human body it is made up of organs which have specific functions to perform to keep the body alive, so society has institutions which have specific functions to perform which keep society in a state of equilibrium. Functionalism is therefore a Structuralist theory, examining the structures or institutions of society to see how they work to benefit society. Durkheim believed that society existed external to the individual and controlled the actions of individuals through social integration...
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...understanding of society (33 marks) The functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. Functionalists take a structural approach towards society that concentrates on the way society controls the individual. Functionalists believe there are forces that influence our behaviour as well as the way we think. These are said to be as a consequence of the society we live in. There are many functionalists theorists who try to explain society which will be discussed below. A main Functionalist is Emile Durkheim who believes that sociology is a science. He is a structuralist and positivist and thus disagrees with empathy, meanings and the social action theory. Functionalists believe that society is based around a value consensus and social solidarity, which is achieved by socialisation and social control. Other theorists such as Marxists and feminists would argue against this. Durkheim sought to explain social stability through the concept of solidarity, and differentiated between the mechanical solidarity of primitive societies and the organic solidarity of complex modern societies. According to Durkheim, more primitive or traditional societies were held together by mechanical solidarity; these societies have people involved in similar roles so labour division is simple. Therefore, a similar lifestyle is lived with common shared norms and values and beliefs. They have a consensus of opinion on moral issues giving society a social...
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...functionalist’s explanations of the role of the education system in society. As a theory which places heavy emphasis on the analysis of institutions and their relationship with society, especially with regards to the functions of institutions, Functionalists place a significant amount of focus on the education system. Functionalists believe that education has 3 basic roles. The first being socialistion, the second being to teach skills required by a modern industrial society and the third being to role allocate. However, this perspective is not always accepted, it’s macro theory approach is often seen as too wide bearing to be applied to the study of the education system as well as critics which dispute the functions of the education system as portrayed by functionalists. Nevertheless, its macro theory approach puts the education system in context and is therefore a theory which is notable when discussing the role of the education system. Firstly, it cannot be ignored that one of the main principles of the theory is that society is based upon consensus, - agreement between norms and values. As an institution of secondary socialisation, Functionalist theorists see the education system as one of the main institutions which help to achieve value consensus within society, allowing society to operate in a smooth manner. Durkheim suggested that the education system is an institution which helps to create a “collective consciousness”, uniting society into one body, with the system creating...
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...Assess the view that educations main function is to maintain a value consensus. Functionalists argue that the main aim of education is to maintain a value consensus in society. They highlight the positive features of education and they believe that educational organizations are a way of using different types of people’s skills and talents to help find a suitable place for them in society. This is known as the 'sifting and sorting' process. Which matches them to their future work roles that suits their different abilities. They see the learning of history as important for children to gain an insight into their heritage. This is particularly strong in American schools where loyalty to the flag and recognition of heroic characters is encouraged in all schools. This helps the children in education to feel a sense of belonging and can help develop role models. It can be argued that people from cultural sections in the USA may feel that paying loyalty to a flag which is not their culture, can cause conflict and negative sub-cultures as they may feel their culture isn't recognized and they may feel singled out. Functionalist’s believer meritocracy is true and that if students work hard enough they can achieve high grades and work their way up the social ladder based on how well they work. This will allow different abilities to be 'sifted and sorted' into their appropriate role in society. However, not everybody agrees with this consensus opinion. Marxists deliver a conflict...
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...and evaluate 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...
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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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...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 have a specialist division of labour which...
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