Evaluating Different Perspectives
Sociology: AQA GCSE, topic 3.1.2
Evaluating Different Perspectives on Education
Functionalist views of education
- Functionalists argue that the education system is meritocratic.
- They ignore the inequalities that exist generally and how these impact on the educational attainment of different groups.
- For example, how class, ethnicity, and gender affect the attainment of pupils.
Functionalist views cont.
- Functionalists tend to focus on the positives of education and ignore the fact that there are groups who might suffer in school.
- Functionalists mention that school promotes shared values but does everyone have the same values, or is the British education system ethnocentric (the belief that your values are better than the values of other cultures)?
Marxist views of education
- Marxists are criticised for focusing on the negatives of education and they state that meritocracy is a myth.
- Marxists assume that working-class pupils have no free will and that they are doomed to fail. This isn’t the case as there are many successful examples of working-class pupils.
Marxist views cont.
- Marxists ignore other inequalities within the education system such as gender and ethnicity.
- Marxists claim that the only thing the education system does is produce a docile, obedient workforce to serve the needs of the bourgeoisie. This is an exaggeration.
Feminist views of education
- Mainstream feminist thought can focus too much on patriarchy as the sole cause of inequalities in the education system.
- Other inequalities might exist in education due to class or ethnicity.
Test yourself on Evaluating Different Perspectives
Which group of people believe that the only thing the education system does is produce a docile, obedient workforce to serve the needs of the bourgeoisie?
Which group of people focus on the positives of education and ignore the fact that there are groups who might suffer in school?