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7 Cards in this Set
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Lobban |
[FEMINIST] Claimed that the early years of some educational reading schemes in schools reinforce the gender stereotyping found in wider society. From a study of stories in six reading schemes, she found that only around 30% had heroines compared to 70% which had heroes in it. Girls and women were almost exclusively portrayed in traditional domestic roles and it was nearly always men and boys who took the lead in non-domestic tasks. Summarising the findings and the likely effects of the reading schemes, Lobban says: "The girls who read them have already been schooled to believe, as our society does, that males are superior to females and better at everything other than domestic work, and the stories in the schemes cannot but reinforce the damage that our society does to girls' self-esteem. |
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Bowles & Gintis |
[MARXIST] They claimed that although schools teach children that we live in a meritocracy (in other words, that society is fair), this is actually not the case. For example, those that do the best in tests are not always the most intelligent, but are those who behave in the way that middle class teachers expect. They went on to argue that through the 'hidden curriculum', children are taught to respect authority and accept boredom. Therefore it teaches people the norms and values necessary to be 'good workers' in a capitalist society. This secondary socialisation at school is good for the ruling class because it reduces the chance of working class rebellion and teaches working class children to accept the culture of the ruling class and an unfair society. ruling class and an unfair society. ng class and an unfair society.
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Spender |
[FEMINIST]
Claims that education is largely controlled by men who use their power to define men's knowledge and experiences as important, and women's as insignificant.
(Thus, in economics, for example, the contribution of women is often unpaid work to the world's economy is often ignored.) Women who have made a notable contribution to human progress (such as Ada Lovelace who helped to develop computer software) are also ignored. Spender sees the whole curriculum as being riddled with sexism, which is bound to undermine girls self confidence and hinder their progress.
In addition, girls get less attention than boys in the classroom, they have to wait longer than boys for what attention they do receive and that female contributions to discussions are treated dismissively by the males present. Boys are often abusive and insulting to girls', yet teachers often fail to rebuke them.
Spencer sees male dominance in society as a whole as the basic cause of girls difficulties in education, but schools help to reinforce that dominance and ensure that it continues:
"Mixed sex education is preparation for real life for in real life it is men who dominate and control, but this is not equality of educational opportunity it is indoctrination and practice in the art of dominance and subordination." |
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Durkheim |
[FUNCTIONALIST] He believed that the major function of education as the transmission of society's norms and values. In order to create social solidarity (that is, a commitment to society), a sense of belonging, and a feeling that the social unit is more important than the individual. Education, and in particular history, provides a link between the individual and society enabling individuals to see that they are apart of something larger than themselves and therefore develop a sense of commitment to the social group. |
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Bourdieu |
[MARXIST] Argues that the major role if the education system is not the transmission of the culture of society as a whole (like Durkheim argued), but instead the reproduction of the culture of the dominant classes'. These groups have the power to define their own culture as 'worthy of being sought and possessed', and to establish it as the basis for knowledge in the educational system. He refers to the dominant culture as cultural capital because, via the educational system, it can be translated into wealth and power. Thus, students with upper class backgrounds have a built in advantage because they have been socialised into dominant culture.
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Talcott Parsons |
[FUNCTIONALIST] He argued that schools act as a bridge between the family and society as a whole, preparing children for their adult role. He claimed that in families children are taught particularistic values (values and norms specific to small-scale social groups like families), meaning that some children may be allowed to do things that others are not. In schools, children are taught universalistic norms and values (the value system used by wider society). This means that all children must stick to to the same rules. Part of this universalistic set of norms and values is that people are judged on the basis of what they have or have not achieved. He argued that in school, children learn that we live in a society where success is based on ability and effort (called a meritocracy). This means that those who get the best exam results are more suited to successful careers. In addition, the hidden curriculum is good because it teaches children what they need to keep society working properly. |
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Davis & Moore |
[FUNCTIONALIST] They saw education as a means role location: the educational system grades people based in terms of ability, (via exams, etc) thus ensuring that the most talented and able members of society are allocated to those positions that are functionally most important for society. The education system sifts, sorts and grades individuals in terms of their talents and abilities. It rewards the most talented with high qualifications, which in turn provide entry to those occupations that are functionally most important to society. |
