The Functionalist View of Education (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note
Exam code: 7192
Durkheim's functions of education
Functionalists view education as a vital institution that helps maintain:
social order
integration
economic productivity
They believe that schools, as agents of secondary socialisation, function to:
prepare individuals for adult roles
support meritocracy
provide skills and values necessary for society to operate smoothly
Functionalist Emile Durkheim (1903) argued that the education system functions to create social solidarity and to teach specialist skills
Social solidarity
Education helps to bind members of society together by transmitting a shared culture and set of values (such as competition, morality, and individualism)
Subjects like history and religious education allow students to learn about a shared national identity and collective heritage that links them to society
School acts as a 'mini society' where both the hidden and academic curricula teach students how to interact with one another
Formal & informal education: the hidden curriculum
The education system provides students with formal and informal learning:
Formal curriculum | Hidden curriculum |
|---|---|
Formal learning of timetabled subjects that are taught in lessons | Informal learning that takes place outside of lessons through interactions between students and teachers in school |
The official curriculum is overt and transparent | The hidden curriculum is learned without explicit teaching |
The government determines what subject content is taught in state schools Examples include:
| Examples include:
|
Specialist skills
Modern industrial societies require people to take on diverse roles
Education provides the specific knowledge and skills needed for the economy
A well-functioning society depends on individuals being trained to fill specialised jobs (e.g. engineers, teachers, and doctors)
Parsons' functions of education
Parsons (1961) viewed school as a bridge between the family (which treats children as special) and wider society (which treats everyone equally)
He saw the classroom as a microcosm of society where children would be exposed to different cultures and learn tolerance and how to integrate
Universalistic vs particularistic standards
In the family, children are judged by particularistic values (unique to them)
A child's status is ascribed, e.g., being the eldest child with specific responsibilities
In school and society, children are judged by universalistic standards (e.g., school rules apply to all)
A child's status is achieved, e.g., a child will pass their exams based on the amount of effort they put in
School as a meritocratic institution
Parsons believed education was a meritocracy—everyone is given equal opportunity to succeed based on effort and ability
Schools are meritocratic institutions because:
children are objectively assessed through exams and the awarding of qualifications
individuals are sorted into appropriate roles based on achievement, preparing them for their future in the workforce
Education & the economy
Functionalists believe that education provides the skills and knowledge required to meet the needs of the economy
Skills provision
Education equips students with the technical skills, literacy, and numeracy needed in modern jobs
Governments have supported this through:
Vocational education (e.g., BTECs, T-Levels)
Specialist schools (e.g. STEM and languages)
Apprenticeships and training schemes
Human capital theory
Human capital refers to the knowledge and skills individuals possess
Investing in education increases a country’s productivity and helps it compete in the global economy
E.g., New Labour and Conservative governments raised the school leaving age to allow Britain to compete in the global marketplace
Role allocation
Davis and Moore (1945) argued that one of the main functions of education is to select and allocate individuals to future work roles
Through exams and qualifications, education assesses students’ abilities and matches them to suitable jobs
They argue that inequality is necessary to ensure that the most talented individuals strive for important positions (e.g., surgeons, judges) regardless of background
Rewards (e.g., pay, status) motivate people to work hard and develop their talents
Those who perform the best earn the highest qualifications and access to the most highly rewarded jobs
Role allocation ensures a more efficient economy
Evaluation of the functionalist view of education
Strengths
Focuses on consensus and stability
The functionalist approach underlines how education maintains order and stability in society
This is reflected in modern policies and curriculum changes aimed at addressing contemporary social challenges to maintain stability, such as:
Online safety and social media literacy to prevent harm from cyberbullying, misinformation, and online grooming
Anti-misogyny and anti-discrimination campaigns to promote equality and respect
Citizenship education and British values to foster tolerance, democracy, and respect for the rule of law
Wellbeing and mental health lessons supporting resilience and positive mental health, which helps prevent social breakdown
Criticisms
Overstates meritocracy
Critics argue that education is not truly meritocratic
Social class differences in education show that achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than ability (e.g., private tutoring, school catchment areas)
Feminists (opens in a new tab) argue that the educational system perpetuates patriarchy, as gender stereotypes still exist
Ignores negative aspects
Functionalists often ignore how school may reproduce inequality, label students, or cause stress
Bowles and Gintis (opens in a new tab) (Marxists) argue that education reinforces capitalist values, rather than meritocracy
The education system can be seen as a form of social control that serves the needs of a capitalist society
Lack of skill relevance
Some research suggests that schools do not always provide relevant skills for the modern workforce
Wolf Report (2011) questioned the value of many vocational qualifications
Students were leaving school unprepared for the workplace, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds
Ignores student resistance
Dennis Wong (1961) argued that functionalists present an over-socialised view of students, treating them as passive conformists who never reject school values
Willis' research on counter-school subcultures supports this
Worked Example
Here is an example of a short-answer question on education:
Outline three functions that the education system performs for society.
[6 marks]
Model Answer:
Identify the first function:
One function is social solidarity [1 mark]
Outline how the education system performs this function:
School helps to create a shared sense of identity and culture through the teaching of subjects, such as history and RE [1 mark]
Identify the second function:
Another function is secondary socialisation [1 mark]
Outline how the education system performs this function:
Schools are focal socialising agencies teaching universalistic principles of behaviour to children [1 mark]
Identify the third function:
The final function is teaching specialist work skills [1 mark]
Outline how the education system performs this function:
Society has a complex division of labour so schools teach specific knowledge and skills needed for the economy [1 mark]
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In the Education section of Paper 1, there will be 4- and 6-mark questions that require concise answers. These small tariff questions do not require lengthy answers.
To avoid writing too much, examiners recommend that you identify the ways/problems/reasons first and then develop them briefly through examples or explanations, as shown in the worked example above.
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