The Functionalist Approach
Sociology: AQA GCSE, topic 3.1.1
The Functionalist Approach to Education
Functionalists focus on the positive functions of education. Functionalists claim that schools serve to teach four functions: social cohesion, skills for employment, core values, and meritocracy.
Social cohesion
- Education teaches us how we should behave, the values and culture of the society.
- This is taught to pupils via:
- The official/formal/national curriculum (timetabled lessons).
- The hidden curriculum (values, attitudes, and how to behave).
- This brings people together by building social cohesion or social solidarity; people feel they are part of something bigger.
Durkheim (1925)
- Emile Durkheim's expounds on his views of education in his work 'Moral Education (1925).
- Durkheim believed that education transmits the norms and values of society.
- He believed that it is necessary that individuals are united for society to function properly.
Durkheim (1925) cont.
- Durkheim argues that education provides the link between the individual and society so that pupils will have a sense of belonging (social cohesion).
- He believed that the school is a ‘society in miniature’ where children learn to cooperate with those who are neither their kin (family) nor their friends and thus they learn self-discipline.
Skills for employment
- In society, different skills are needed for different jobs.
- All people might start their education with the same subjects but then each one follows a different path.
The Functionalist Approach to Education
Functionalists focus on the positive functions of education. Functionalists claim that schools serve to teach four functions: social cohesion, skills for employment, core values, and meritocracy.
Core values
- Schools are responsible for secondary socialisation of children by teaching them the norms and values of society.
- Parsons (1961) is a functionalist.
- He believed that the school acts as a bridge between the family and society.
Meritocracy
- Parsons argued that schools are meritocratic (the harder a student works, the more they will succeed).
- Individuals are judged on universalistic standards (standards that are the same for everyone).
- This is in contrast to particularistic standards that are applicable in the family.
Meritocracy (cont.)
- The most able person is allocated to the most important job based on their qualifications and talents.
- This is seen as meritocratic by functionalists as this shows that society provides equal chances for everyone to succeed depending on their merits.
- This can result in social mobility (where someone can move up and down the hierarchy depending on their abilities).
Value consensus
- Parsons argued that schools promote value consensus (values that are shared broadly by everyone).
- He believed that schools were important in selecting the right individuals for the right place once they become adults.
Criticisms of Parsons
- The values of the education system may simply be those of the bourgeoisie.
- Meritocracy is a myth in an unequal society where wealth and status are more important than individual merit.
Evaluation
- Functionalists tend to ignore that education may not always have positive functions as individuals may differ so education might not fulfil its role.
Test yourself on The Functionalist Approach
Durkheim argues that education provides the link between the individual and society so pupils will have a sense of belonging, which is otherwise known as what?
Functionalists believe that education serves to teach which four functions?
Parsons argued that schools promote value consensus. What is 'value consensus'?