...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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...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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...Tea has a rich culture in Pakistan from the decades and part of our daily lives. People love its aroma, color and especially the most important is taste. Tea is becoming social day by day as it is offered to guests as a minimum. Results were compared with the previous researches and questionnaires were given to students who were also from other provinces than Punjab. So, mostly respondents think that tea is easily affordable and accessible. Consumption of tea increases as population increases day by day. Introduction Tea is a beverage that with a huge diverse aroma and taste, commonly prepared by pouring hot and boiling water over curd leaves of tea plant. Different regions throughout the country have their own different flavors and varieties, giving Pakistani tea culture a diverse blend like doodh chai patti in Punjab and masalah chai in Karachi. In present day tea is consumed in morning, at lunch time in office hours and evening time at home with snacks like biscuits and cakes. Tea is going to become a social symbol day by day. It is served at both professional and social gatherings. Tea is a part of a culture in a sense that it is offered to guests as a minimum. Tea is symbolically a drink that has been used by upper, middle and lower classes and commonly available everywhere easily in Pakistan. Tea is a symbolic representation in Pakistan. There are several different occasions...
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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 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...
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...Essay: Evaluate the role of education in society. Consider issue of gender in your response. Also, consider how such factors may impact on a person’s life chances. This essay will examine the role of education in society and an analysis of inequality in relation to Gender. It will discuss briefly education and examine the different theoretical approaches to education followed by an analysis of inequality using information on statistics of inequality in British education in relation to gender and attainment. This essay will Identify and evaluate key policy developments in education provision designed to bridge the gap of gender inequality in British education. The role of education in society has been among the major issues in contemporary sociological and political debate. According to Iannelli and Paterson (2005) education is a major factor that helps determine the jobs and social class positions of individuals in society. As an institution of sociology, education plays a dominant role in transmitting prevalent ideologies of society by providing pupils with the curriculum and hidden curriculum as well as the skills that will prepare them physically, mentally and socially for their life chances (Clark 2005). Educational institutions play a very important role in reducing social inequalities. Over the last century British schools experienced very important changes and moved from a selective system to a comprehensive one in the 1960s and 70s. Much research has shown that the...
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...views of the role of education (20 marks) There are multiple views in society of the education system. The first view is functionalist – they believe that the education system is positive. The second view is Marxism – they believe that education in negative. The final perspective is feminism and they believe that again education is a negative thing. Functionalists such as Durkheim believe that the education system is positive because it gives us a shared sense of belonging, he also believes that due to history in education we are all bonded together because we all share the same past. Moreover, he also said that education gives us social solidarity because we’re all functioning together in society due to education giving us specialised skills for the workforce and later life. Additionally, functionalists such as Parsons believe that education is vital because it’s a bridge from the family to society. He also believes that there is equality of opportunity in society and in education this means there is a meritocracy and social mobility. Moreover, he said that education encourages individual achievement and this achievement is measured by role allocation and setting. This means that those who do well in school (those in the top sets) will be pushed to go for the highest jobs. He also said that education develops a value consensus in society this means that society has a shared set of norms and values. Davis and Moore examined role allocation. They believe that education selects talented...
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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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...(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...
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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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...Sociology can be seen as the scientific study of groups in the human society and social interactions which aims to understand social situations, which looks for repeating patterns in society. Sociology can be seen as a natural science because it consists of those disciples which apply systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses to the study of society. Sociology can be seen as one of the social sciences which had a late start; the subject of sociology fell on it way in the middle of the 1800. When the American society was in the middle of the Industrial Era. Sociology developed great recognition during this time with the great success of the French and American Revolution. The first and main contributor to sociology in the social world was Auguste Comte; his method of practice was called positivism which states that “the theory that knowledge can be acquired only through direct observation and experimentation, and not through metaphysics or theology.” Another major contributor to sociology was Herbert Spencer; he was credited in finding the Science as a field of study. Spencer came up with the idea of Social Darwinism which implies “people would gravitate to either the bottom or the top of society…the principle was termed “survival of the fittest.”” Karl Marx also played a huge part of early Sociology. Marx was a social activist who came up with the theory of class conflict, which says that; “the lower and...
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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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...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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...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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...Outline the Functionalist view of education (12marks) 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 or education system performs functions that help maintain society as a whole. The functionalist perspective on education can be broken down into the three main topics: solidarity and skills, meritocracy and role allocation. Durkheim states that education performs two main functions: creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Durkheim argues that society needs a sense of solidarity and he argues that this function is important as without it social life and cooperation would be impossible because each individual would pursue their own selfish desires. The education system helps to create social solidarity as school is a vehicle for transmitting norms and values from one generation to the next. For example the school teaches students about history which gives them a sense of shared heritage and a commitment to wider social group. School also acts as a society in miniature preparing students for life in wider society. For example school mirrors the workplace which helps students know how to deal with real world situations. Durkheim also argues that education also teaches individuals the specialist knowledge and skills that they need to play their part in the social division of labour. A weakness of this view is that it assumes...
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