Functionalist View of Education (AQA GCSE Sociology)

Functionalists see the education system as performing a number of key roles which are positive and of benefit to society as a whole

Functionalist Emile Durkheim (1973) argues that the education system is vital in creating a unified society

The main function of education is the secondary socialisation of children into society's norms and values to ensure members are united together

The education system performs this role by instilling social solidarity where the individual sees themselves as part of something larger than themselves

Durkheim argued that subjects like history instil shared norms and values due to a shared past and a commitment to wider society

Schools prepare us for wider society where children learn to cooperate with those who are neither their kin nor friends

• Everyone must follow a set of impersonal rules when interacting with others at work and in school

Through the hidden curriculum, children learn to respect rules in general

In Durkheim's view, rules should be strictly enforced for children to learn self-discipline and to see that misbehaviour damages society as a whole

In a complex industrial society, the production of a single item requires the cooperation of many individuals, each must have the necessary specialist knowledge and skills

Formal and informal education equips children with the knowledge and skills they will need for their future careers

This is reflected in the recent changes to the curriculum, for example, the introduction of T Levels, which are 2-year courses that follow GCSEs

• T Levels have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of the industry and prepares students for work

• Some examples include accounting and design, surveying and planning for construction

Durkheim assumes there is a shared culture that is transmitted through education and the hidden curriculum but in a multicultural society, there may not be one single culture to be transmitted

He assumes that students passively accept the values of society that are being taught but some students accept neither school rules nor society's norms and values

The education system may not adequately teach skills that are useful in the workplace

• Wolf (2011) claims that high-quality apprenticeships are rare and up to a third of 16- to 19-year-olds are on courses that do not lead to good jobs

Other sociologists argue that the culture being transmitted through the education system does not benefit society as a whole as:

• it benefits the ruling class, according to Marxists

• it is patriarchal, according to feminists

Functionalist ideas of the role of education were expanded upon by functionalist Talcott Parsons (1961)

The education system is the main agency of socialisation, as it is the bridge between the family and society and prepares children for their adult roles

Children have an ascribed status in families (such as eldest, good or bad) and are judged according to particularistic standards

In society, status is achieved based on personal talent or merit and people are judged according to the same universalistic standards that apply to everyone

Parsons believes that the education system prepares children for wider society by treating everyone according to the same universalistic standards

As an agency of socialisation, schools promote two key values:

• The importance of achievement

  • Students are encouraged to value high achievement and reward. They are urged to reach their full potential, which eventually helps society as a whole

• Equality of opportunity

  • The idea that they are competing against one another on an equal footing is promoted to the students. As a result, higher achievers are seen as worthy of their success, while lower achievers accept their inferior status as just

The education system is effective at allocating people to future work roles based on their talents and abilities

Parsons believed that the educational system was meritocratic because universalistic standards are applied equally and individual status is decided by merit rather than social class, gender, or ethnicity

Critics of role allocation and meritocracy argue that equality of opportunity is an illusion in an unequal society where wealth and privilege are more important than individual merit

• Those with the best qualifications don't always get the top jobs in society and many financially successful individuals left school with very few qualifications

• Social class differences in education show that achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than ability

Marxists argue that the values transmitted via the education system do not benefit society as a whole but instead benefit the ruling class

• The education system can be seen as a form of social control that serves the needs of a capitalist society

Feminists have questioned the idea that the educational system is meritocratic but rather perpetuates patriarchy as:

• gender stereotypes exist, particularly in subject choice, textbooks and the curriculum

• the system does not guarantee equal opportunities

• the majority of secondary school headteachers are male

Critics argue that functionalists wrongly imply that pupils passively accept all they are taught and never reject the school values

• Willis' research on counter-school subcultures supports this

Critics argue that the family, peer groups, the media, and religious institutions are some of the other agencies of socialisation that have a greater impact on teaching children norms and values than education.

Illich (1995) is critical of the education system as it encourages passive conformity so there should be alternatives to schools in teaching the norms and values of a society