Teaching Core Values

The functionalist perspective in education explained essay emphasizes the role of schools in transmitting core societal values. Talcott Parsons, another prominent functionalist theorist, described education as the 'focal socializing agency' in modern society, highlighting its central role in secondary socialization.

Schools prepare children to adapt to the wider world, which operates on different principles than the family environment. In families, children are judged by particularistic standards, with rules adapted to each child's unique abilities. However, schools introduce universal standards, preparing students for the impartial judgment they will face in wider society and the workplace.

Definition: Particularistic standards - Rules or judgments that apply only to a specific individual or situation.

Example: A parent might adjust expectations for a child with learning difficulties, while schools apply standardized grading criteria to all students.

Highlight: The transition from particularistic to universal standards is a key aspect of teaching core values in functionalist education.