Sociology of Education
Index
Lecture 1 – an introductory exploration..........................................................................................................................2
Bourdieu (1976) The school as a conservative force: scholastic and cultural inequalities...........................................2
Parsons (1959) The school class as a social system: some of its functions in American society. Chapter 6.................2
Comparative analysis lecture 1....................................................................................................................................3
Lecture 2 – schooling in the industrialized world............................................................................................................4
Collins (1979) The Credential Society. Chapter 5: The Rise of the Credential System...................................................4
Van de Werfhorst & Mijs (2010) Achievement Inequality and the Institutional Structure of Educational Systems: A
Comparative Perspective.............................................................................................................................................7
Comparative analysis lecture 2..................................................................................................................................10
Lecture 3 – schooling in the developing world..............................................................................................................10
Chirot & Hall (1982) World-System Theory. 81-106...................................................................................................10
Hanushek (2013) Economic Growth in Developing Countries: The Role of Human Capital. 204-212.........................13
Comparative analysis lecture 3..................................................................................................................................14
Lecture 4 – schools and social selection: opportunity...................................................................................................15
Rivera (2012) Hiring as Cultural Matching: The Case of Elite Professional Service Firms...........................................15
Young (1994) The Rise of Meritocracy: An Essay on Education and Equality. Chapter 1: Clash of Social Forces. 19-39
.................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Young (1994) The Rise of Meritocracy: An Essay on Education and Equality. Chapter 3: Origins of Modern
Education. 57-77........................................................................................................................................................17
Comparative analysis lecture 4..................................................................................................................................18
Lecture 5 – schools and social selection: inequality......................................................................................................19
Calarco (2011) “I Need Help!” Social Class and Children’s Help-Seeking in Elementary School.................................19
Ogbu (1998) Voluntary and Involuntary Minorities: A Cultural-Ecological Theory of School Performance with Some
Implications for Education.........................................................................................................................................19
Comparative analysis lecture 5..................................................................................................................................24
Lecture 6 – schools and socialization.............................................................................................................................25
Willis (1978) Learning to Labour: How working class kids get working class jobs. 1-23............................................25
Analysis...................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Lecture 7 – schools and cultural transmission...............................................................................................................26
Banks (1993) Multicultural Education: Historical Development, Dimensions and Practice. 1-21...............................26
Analysis...................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Structural thinking Deficit thinking
Educational outcome disparities are dominantly the Educational outcome disparities are dominantly the
result of structural barriers. result of disadvantages/marginalized circumstances.
Blame is on the system. Blame is on the student/their family.
1
,Lecture 1 – an introductory exploration
Bourdieu (1976) The school as a conservative force: scholastic and cultural
inequalities
School is still seen as a liberating force, however it also provides a justification for social inequalities. For example, the
chances of entering higher education are dependent on (in)direct selection varying in severity with subjects of
different social classes throughout their school lives.
Families transmit to its children, indirectly rather than directly, a certain cultural capital and a certain ethos which
help define attitudes towards educational institutions. Cultural heritage is the cause of the initial inequality of
children when faces with examinations and tests, and hence of unequal achievement.
Choice of options
The attitudes of the members of the various social classes, both parents and children, are largely an expression of the
system of explicit/implied values which they have as a result of belonging to a given social class. ‘Parental choice’ is
seen as a big factor of the options in education eg. what school children will go to.
Social mobility = the possibility to change a person’s socio-economic situation, or SES (socio-economic status).
In relation to their parents inter-generational mobility
Throughout their lifetime intra-generational mobility
Cultural capital = accumulated cultural knowledge as social relation within an economy of practices.
It seems that the level of aspiration of individuals is essentially determined by reference to the probability of
achieving the desired goal. The cultural capital and ethos combine to determine behavior in school and the attitude
to school which make up the differential principle of elimination operating for children of different social classes. A
major factor is thus family life and SES.
Students see their social advantages or disadvantages gradually transform into educational (dis)advantages.
The functioning of the school and its role as a socially conservative force
By treating children of different social classes as equal, the educational system is led to cultural inequalities and
general education (equality > equity). This brings the question how teachers can avoid unconsciously bringing into
play the values of the milieu from which they come or to which they now belong, when teaching and assessing their
students. Students from a social milieu comparable to the social milieu, including its language, in the classroom will
have a greater advantage than other students.
Plato’s myth of the initial choice: individuals should rely on judgement and be persuaded that they themselves have
chosen the fate that was already reserved for them.
Parsons (1959) The school class as a social system: some of its functions in
American society. Chapter 6
Aim: to outline elementary and secondary school class (not whole school) as a social system and the relation of its
structure to its primary functions in the society as an agency of socialization and allocation.
The problem: socialization and selection
The school class can be treated as an agency of socialization an agency through which individual personalities are
trained to be motivationally and technically adequate to the performance of adult roles. In American society, there is
an increasing correlation between one’s status level in the society and one’s level of educational attainment. The
main factor is the socio-economic status of the student’s family, and the factor underlying their opportunity for
achievement is their individual ability. Other factors that play a role are a student’s level of independence and the
sex/gender of the student.
The structure of the elementary school class
Elementary schools are designed as one class with one main teacher who teaches all subjects. The classes have their
teachers for usually one school year and then go to the next class with a new teacher. Classes are around 25 students
2
, from both genders from usually the same geographical area (neighborhood of the school). Initially there is no formal
basis for differentiation of status within the school class. This gradually develops on the basis of student’s
achievements. The school system is thus the basis of selection for future status in society.
The nature of school achievement
The two main components in school achievement are cognition (eg. basic math) and morality (eg. respect for each
other). A good student is defined in terms of a fusion of the cognitive and the moral components.
Family and peer group in relation to the school class
School age children live in the parental household and are highly dependent, emotionally and instrumentally, on their
parents. As the children become older, the more their independence from the parental household increases (eg.
getting a sidejob). Next to this, children expand in the area for association with age-peers without detailed adult
supervision. Peer groups are important in socialization within society. Schools are thus important in that they are
adult-supervised institutions.
Socialization and selection in the elementary school
Fundamental conditions underlying the process of socialization in elementary school classes:
1. An emancipation of the child from primary emotional attachment to their family.
2. An internalization of a level of societal values and norms a step higher than learned within the family home.
3. A differentiation of the school class in terms both of actual achievement and of differential valuation of
achievement.
4. A selection and allocation of its human resources relative to the adult role system.
At its core is the sharing of common values by the 2 adult agencies involved: the family and the school, eg. the shared
valuation of achievement.
Differentiation and selection in the secondary school
The focus in secondary schools is on the differentiation of qualitative types of achievement. Eg. high moral achievers
will end up in humanly oriented roles while high cognitive achievers will end up in more or less technical roles.
2 important shifts in the patterning of youth culture:
1. The emergence of more positive cross-sex relationships outside the classroom.
2. The much sharper prestige-stratification of informal peer groupings selective function: bridge between
the achievement order and the adult stratification system of the community.
The youth culture can be seen as a field for practicing the assumption of higher-order responsibilities and for
conducting delicate human relations without immediate supervision and learning to accept the
consequences.
Conclusion
Schools are a specialized agency that play a vital role in American society. It is the principal channel of selection as
well as an agency of socialization.
Comparative analysis lecture 1
Bourdieu focuses on cultural inequalities and the reproduction of social hierarchy, while Parsons highlights the
functions of socialization and allocation of education in society.
Bourdieu (1976)
Focus: concentrates on cultural and symbolic aspects of education, ‘cultural capital’ and argues that cultural
inequalities, rooted in social class distinctions, shape educational outcomes.
Inequality: educational institutions contribute to the reproduction of social inequality through favoring students
with cultural backgrounds that align with the dominant cultural norms.
Critique: Bourdieu is critical of how schools may privilege students from higher social classes, hindering social
mobility and perpetuating a cycle of inequality.
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