FUNCTIONALIST VIEWS OF EDUCATION
Durkheim Parsons Davis & Moore
AO1 School acts as a society in School acts as a bridge The education system is
miniature, where social solidarity between the particularistic meritocratic, it is a level
is reinforced. It does this through standards that exist within the playing field and each
learning about shared culture family, and the universalistic student has equal
(History, English etc.) and rituals, standards that exist in the opportunity. Due to
e.g assembly. workplace. meritocracy, the most
talented people end up in the
It provides us with the specialist ‘best’ jobs – everyone else
skills needed for a diverse ends up in a suitable job,
workforce. depending on their natural
aptitude.
AO3 Content learned in school has little Universalistic standards benefit Certain students are bound
to do with work life. a select few. There is doubt to do better (social class,
about whether contemporary gender and ethnicity) the
Marxists: schools serve the r/c society is based on achieved system is not equal.
and transmit dominant culture status.
and ideology rather than shared No link between income and
values. Respecting hierarchy benefits educational achievement.
r/c. Social stratification exists,
Feminists: schools pass on making role allocation
patriarchal values. unlikely to be ‘fair’.
Ethnocentric curriculum. Girls outperform boys at
GCSE, and end up in lower
School is a m/c institution, m/c paid jobs.
values.
Schools don’t provide students
with specialist skills for all jobs.
, NEOLIBERALISM AND THE NEW RIGHT
The New Right: the state cannot meet people’s needs, they should meet their own needs through
the free market. For this reason, the New Right favour MARKETISATION. The New Right are similar
in to functionalists:
● They believe some are naturally more talented than others
● They favour an education system run on meritocratic principles of open competition, and
one that serves the needs of the economy by preparing young people for work
● They believe education should socialise pupils into shared values, i.e competition, and instil a
sense of national identity
HOWEVER…
● The New Right do not believe the current education system is achieving these goals as it is
run by the state.
The New Right argues that in all state education systems, the state decides what type of school is
best for all of the country which leads to a “one size fits all” approach that imposes uniformity and
disregarding local needs of students. However, parents argue they have no say in what their child
gets to do at school, or that they need more funding for necessary educational materials e.g
computers.
The New Right’s solution to these problems is the marketization of education – creating an
‘education market’. They believe competition between schools and the laws of supply and demand
will empower the consumers, bringing diversity, choice and efficiency to schools and increasing
their ability to meet the needs of pupils, parents and employers.
Chubb and Moe: Consumer Choice
Chubb and Moe: private school system is better as private schools deliver higher quality education
as they are answerable to paying consumers – the parents. They propose:
● Introduce a market system in state education.
● Give control to consumers (parents).
● Could be done via a voucher system, each family would be given a voucher to ‘spend’ on
buying education from a school of their choice.
● Would force schools to become more responsive to parents’ wishes.
● Schools would compete to attract ‘customers’ by improving their product.
What is the role of the state according to the New Right ?
- The state must provide a framework within which educational institutions operate. E.g.
publishing results in league tables, being open to government inspection (Ofsted), publishing
a prospectus. These factors will allow parents a more informed choice.
- By imposing a National Curriculum, it seeks to guarantee that schools socialise pupils into a
single cultural heritage. E.g. teaching British Values through PSHE, History etc.
