Marxist View of Education (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Sociology): Revision Note

Marxist views of education

• Unlike functionalists, Marxists take a critical view of the role of education in society

• Functionalists see society and education as based on value consensus, whereas Marxists see it as based on class division and capitalist exploitation because ruling-class values (such as competition) are taught rather than shared values

• Marxists believe that the education system:

  • ensures that working-class students are less likely to achieve good qualifications compared to students from dominant groups

  • reproduces the existing social class structure

  • prepares working-class students for their lower position in a capitalist society, where they learn to accept hierarchy and obey rules

Key thinker: Bowles and Gintis (1976) ideas on education

• American Marxists Bowles and Gintis carried out primary research on 237 New York high school students using education surveys

• They also used secondary sources by drawing upon existing sociological and economic theories

• They found that:

  • schools rewarded students with characteristics such as being hard-working, disciplined, obedient and unquestioning of authority

  • students demonstrating greater independence and creative thinking were more likely to gain lower grades

  • schools were producing an unimaginative and unquestioning workforce susceptible to alienation and exploitation

• They concluded that the key role of the education system was to create and reproduce an obedient workforce that capitalism needs, and this is reflected in how schooling is structured and the hidden curriculum

The correspondence theory

• Bowles and Gintis developed the correspondence theory to describe the way education and the workplace mirror or correspond with one another:

The myth of meritocracy

• Unlike functionalists, Bowles and Gintis do not believe the education system is meritocratic

  • We are led to believe that it treats people fairly and equally, so that people don't question the system

  • Universalistic standards are not applied equally, and individual status is decided by social class, not intelligence or educational achievement

  • The education system disguises the fact that social class is the main factor affecting someone's income, and causes us to believe that those with the highest incomes are deserving of their position

Criticisms of Bowles and Gintis

• Free will and resistance

  • Critics argue that Marxists like Bowles and Gintis assume students passively accept the values taught through the hidden curriculum

  • In reality, many students reject school values and resist authority, showing that education does not always produce obedient, compliant workers

• Outdated research

  • Bowles and Gintis’ findings may only reflect the 1970s industrial workplace, not the modern economy

  • Today’s employers value creativity, independence, and problem-solving, rather than the passive, docile behaviour described in their study

• Creativity and modern teaching

  • Many teaching methods now encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity, preparing students for a fast-changing global economy

  • However, some critics argue that schools still mirror outdated work structures, failing to fully prepare students for modern careers

• Willis’ critique

  • Willis (1977) found that education is not always a successful agent of socialisation, as some students actively resist school authority

  • He argued that this resistance can produce unintended consequences, such as working-class boys ending up in low-paid jobs despite rejecting capitalist values

• Feminist perspective

  • Feminists argue that Bowles and Gintis overlook how schools reproduce patriarchal values as well as capitalist ones

  • This means education not only supports class inequality but also maintains gender inequality through sexist expectations and practices