Functionalist and Marxist Perspectives on Education
This page presents a comprehensive overview of the functionalist view on education and the Marxist perspective on social inequality in education, highlighting their key concepts and critiques.
The functionalist perspective, rooted in the works of Durkheim and Parsons, sees education as fulfilling essential societal functions. It emphasizes four main aspects:
- Socialisation: Education teaches societal norms and values.
- Bridge effect: Schools bridge the gap between home and society.
- Human capital: Education develops skills beneficial for the workplace.
- Role allocation: The system prepares students for specific jobs.
Definition: Functionalist theory of education views schools as institutions that maintain social order and prepare individuals for their roles in society.
The Marxist perspective, on the other hand, critically examines education's role in perpetuating social inequality. Key concepts include:
- Reproduction of social inequality: Education deliberately engineers working-class failure to create an unqualified workforce.
- Legitimisation of social inequality: Middle-class students have more access to cultural and economic capital, giving them an advantage.
- Correspondence principle: Schools mirror the working world to prepare students for manual labor.
Example: The correspondence principle suggests that schools enforce obedience, discipline, and consequences to prepare students for the realities of the workplace.
Both perspectives face criticism. Functionalism is critiqued for ignoring dysfunctional aspects of education and viewing children as passive recipients of socialization. Marxism is challenged for potentially oversimplifying the relationship between education and social inequality.
Highlight: The concept of the "myth of meritocracy" is central to critiques of both perspectives, suggesting that the link between educational success and economic success is weaker than often assumed.
Quote: Wong states that "functionalists see children as passive puppets of socialisation when there is much more complex ideas in the process."
Vocabulary:
- Particularistic values: Behaviors acceptable at home that differ between families.
- Universalistic values: Behaviors accepted in wider society.
The page concludes by noting that some critics argue education reproduces diversity rather than inequality, highlighting the ongoing debate in educational sociology.
