Talcott Parsons believes that school is a focal socialising agency, acting as a bridge between family and wider society, this is enforced because families and society act on different levels. Within a family a child is giving different jobs based on their age and gender but within schools everything is the same for everyone. Schools and society are very similar that expectations and rules are applied to all and each pupil is judged in the same way. He believes a persons status is achieved not ascribed like within society. Depending on your personal achievement will determine how well you do.
Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism are common theories. Using the family and education system as examples, evaluate their effectiveness in explaining the social system. In this assignment, I am going to explain the theories of Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism. I will give examples that expand the definitions and show that such ideologies still have an impact on the society we live in. Functionalism is a macro theory, which looks at society as a whole rather than focuses on each individual.
So the main function of education is to maintain a value consensus in society. Consequently Parsons (1961) sees schools as a bridge between family and wider society. This bridge is needed as they both operate on different principles. Within the family, the child is judged by particularistic standards and status is ascribed. Whereas in education and wider society, status is achieved and we are all judged by the same universalistic standards e.g.
Assess the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles One perspective that supports this is the functionalist view that secondary socialisation prepares children for work later on in life. They believe secondary socialisation does this as in a school environment you learn the norms and values of authority figures, for example, the teachers. Functionalists therefore believe that this can then later be applied in the work place as the norms and values are carried on however the authority figure role changes from teacher to boss. Generally, the text implies that primary socialisation isn’t enough in preparation for a large-scale society. Education, a secondary agency of socialisation
The education system creates this effectively by teaching subjects such as history, which enables children to see the link between themselves and wider society. He argues that one of the two main functions of education is creating social solidarity. Social solidarity means individual members feel themselves to be a part of a single community or group. Education encourages social solidarity through several ways. E.g.
3.Understand how schools up hold their aims and values. 3.1 A) Define the meaning of aims-Aims are general statements concerning the overall goals, long term vision, expectations and achievements. Aims are mainly used in an educational context for curriculum lesson and activity planning. B) Define the meaning of values- A value is something you can strive to achieve to make a school/society a better place to grow in. In short values in a school are directions the head, the teachers, school governors and the majority of the parents wish to see their children achieve and strive towards.
Outline the functionalist perspective on the role of education Sociological functionalist have identified education as a crucial part of the socialisation process as it transmits and reinforces society’s norms and values, prepares children for adult roles and selects young people in terms of their abilities for crucial roles. This essay outlines Durkheim’s, Parsons and Davis and Moore’s perspective on how education creates an impact on the structure of society. Durkheim’s perspective on the role that education had on society was that it shapes an individual and prepares them for the ‘real world’; beyond their comfort zone. He argued that, in complex industrial societies, schools serve a function which cannot be provided by the individuals’ family nor their peer group. For us, school is a miniature version of society as it provides us with skills that we need once we enter work or when starting a family also, the experience prepares us for interacting with members of society and the rules that society has.
Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve what is best for the community as a whole. In education, the functionalist view proves that society’s values and expectations are reflected in the system, and social norms are simply learned through interaction with teachers and peers. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society's members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them.
Role of Cultural Capital in Determining an Individual’s Educational Success In economically advanced nations, the education system plays a crucial role in the society. A country’s education system not only aims to teach new skills and knowledge, but it also shapes individuals to become valuable members of the society by imparting social values into them. French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu, developed a concept known as cultural capital in his cultural reproduction theory to explain the relationship between social factors and educational inequalities (Savage & Bennett, 2005). Cultural capital can facilitate educational success. In order to gain a better understanding of how an individual can attain educational success, one has to examine other social constructs such as class, race and gender.
Sociologists carry out their research from a number of theoretical perspectives, and depending on the views they adopt they will have different ideas about the nature of social problems and know how to solve them. Early positivist and functionalist sociologists, such as Comte and Durkheim, would argue that sociology was a science and would discover both the cause of social problems and scientifically based solutions to them. Both positivist and functionalists see social policies beneficial to society as a whole, and contribute to it running smoothly. For example, educational policies help to promote equal opportunity and reduce class boundaries. However Marxists would argue that social problems such as underachievement are simply aspects of a wider structure of class inequality, and unlike functionalists, they do not see the state and its policies beneficial to all members of society.