Functionalist and conflict theories are two leading theories on the idea of education and its incorporation into society, as well as the influence of education on employment prospects. Given that the future of contemporary society depends on the successful education of the next generation, this is one of many topics guaranteed to spark intense debate (Sadovnik 2011). Emile Durkheim, a leading functionalist, believed that education played a key role in creating the morals and solidarity needed for social cooperation (Sadovnik 2011), which aligns with the functionalist idea of an underlying consensus within society. Marxist theorists, Bowles and Gintis, by contrast, hold the view that ‘the structure of schooling is based on a ‘correspondence …show more content…
872). Many conflict theorists see structured education as authoritarian, regarding the student-teacher hierarchy as degrading, characterising ‘student non-compliance with school rules as a form of resistance’ (Sadovnik 2011, p. 7), which comes from their idea that there is no underlying consensus within society, but rather an unspoken disagreement. Both theories see the education system as a way of maintaining the social order; however functionalists support this process whilst conflict theorists denounce it. The theories focus on not only the role of education, but are concerned with equality, inequality and gender issues within the education system.
The role of education can be explained using the two contrasting theories. Functionalism focuses on what compulsory education offers greater society; schools sort young people by their abilities, talents and capabilities, and students with these qualities will inarguably achieve more throughout their education than those without them, regardless of their socio-economic background (Holmes 2015). Haralambos also writes of two functionalist ideas: Primary
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According to Parsons, a leading functionalist, ‘schools, like the wider society, operate on a meritocratic basis where children achieve their status according to merit, or worth, rather than the basis of their sex, race, or class’ (Parson & Bales 1956, cited in Giddens & Sutton 2013, p. 871) and this follows the basic functional idea that society should have inequality, but based around a person’s individual worth to the society, and not by their socio-economic background or any other factor outside of their control. Conflict theorists reject this as they say an individual’s worth is consistently heavily influences by their lineage. Functionalists justify the resulting inequality of their meritocratic system as people receive what they deserve; a different kind of equality. Sadovnik (2011) continues to write that schooling provides the opportunity for the development and preservation of modern and democratic societies, particularly in regards to equal opportunities for everyone. Pierre Bordieu contradicts this, arguing that schools are only there for the advancement of middle and upper class families, leaving many working class children alienated from any education (Holmes 2015), and Sadovnik (2011) adds that many conflict theorists suggest functionalists are confusing reality with ideology in terms of education deliverance, with
Juveniles are being taught that in order to have a nice car, branded cloths and the house of their dreams, by getting into an expensive mortgage, they have to be an employee of a huge corporation. In addition, they have to undergo to a prestigious school, study hard, have excellent grades in order to become popular and respectable in the world. However, many people would not become those super leaders, but these majority of people have a great role in the capitalism society of the US. As Gatto says, “We buy televisions, and then we buy the things we see on the television. We buy computers, and then we buy the things we see on the computer. We buy $150 sneakers whether we need them or not, and when they fall apart too soon we buy another pair” (38). Such results are in part of a wrong education that teenagers have received trough many decades. In addition, Gatto highlights that modern educational system has been working in a six basic functions methods that makes the system strong and unbreakable: The adjustable function, indulge students to respect authorities. The integrating function, which builds the personality of the students as similar to each other as possible. The diagnostic and directive function, which allows a school to set permanent scholar grades in order to determinate his or her future role in society. The differentiating function, which gives to the student a good education and after his or her role is diagnosed, they prevent any educational progress. The selective function, function that the system has used to prevent academic growth for the non-selected students. The propaedeutic function, which works in the selection of specific groups of intellectual adults to keep perpetuating the system all over again making it a continuous sequence. (Gatto 34). Gatto’s facts revealed the survival of the educational system for decades,
We live in a society where we are surrounded by people telling us that school/education and being educated is the only way to succeed. However, the school system is not up to the standards we want it to uphold. There are three issues we discuss the most which are the government, the student, and the teacher. In John Taylor Gatto 's essay “Against School”, we see the inside perspective of the educational system from the view of a teacher. In “I Just Wanna Be Average”, an essay written by Mike Rose, we hear a student 's experience of being in a vocational class in the lower level class in the educational system when he was supposed to be in the higher class.
Schools are the basic foundation of knowledge, which is imparted to children. They give a chance for children to gain knowledge in various fields such as humanity, literature, history, mathematics and science. By obtaining knowledge, they are in a better position to know the world around them. A school is a society where faith and other values are developed. Schools also play an important role in a democratic social set up. Students of today are the citizens of tomorrow. Schools are the backbone of a society, where children interact with other children and develop certain social skills. Education in schools opens doors to various opportunities that would not be possible if it had not been for the knowledge one gained at school. However, in the articles, “Idiot Nation” by Michael Moore and “Against School” by John Taylor Gatto, the authors express their concerns about the degrading quality of education. There are many problems the education system is facing today, and several of them are having negative effects on the quality of the education that the students are receiving which are highlighted aptly by the effective use of rhetorical strategies by Moore and Gatto.
..., and religious societies. One of the primary purposes of schools is to prepare students for the working world, and it makes no sense to prepare them with a faulty model. If the world at large is desegregated, the schools should not be segregated, either” (Watson 4).
Like the functionalists, Marxists agree that education is functional in that it maintains the dominance of certain powerful groups in society. Unlike the functionalists, however, Marxists do not believe that it works for the benefit of all. Instead Marxists argue that the education system sustains one small group’s ideas about appropriate forms of schooling and assumptions about what knowledge is. The system also maintains different levels of access to knowledge for different groups and thereby prohibits the widespread dissemination of knowledge to everyone. Bowles and...
Functional Literacy and the Working Class, technically belong to the social lower classes, and the individuals are just mandated to learn the minimal skills for dayli life survival. In Functional Literacy and Working Classs, the participants are being taught in a rigid way without any type af allowance to try other options or be creative. They are designed to function by followint the directions and play an especific role that has been choosen for them. And we can confifm this argument through the author's words in the article when she said "Work is often evaluated not according to whether it is right or wrong but according to whether the children followed the right steps" (Anyon, 1980, p.3). Continueing to compare Knoblauch defitions with Anyon's types of classes we have the Cultural Literacy and the Middle Class. The Cultural Literacy promotes the awareness of cultural heritage, "citizens must learn to speak and write decorously, as well as functionally, and must also read great books," (Knoblauch, 1990, p.4) and the oportunity to a thinking level above the Functional Literacy. The Middles Class students get thier knowledge from the books, and the are there to support them. They are allowed to think or to
Children around the world are being educated every day but some betters then others. What point in life does one have the incentive to be educated? For many they have the desire to be educated when they are young and in school. Others don’t desire to learn until they are no longer children. The entire purpose of the education system is to obtain knowledge and learn at higher levels. Then why do people not want to learn when they are in school in today’s society? This lack of interest of motivation or emotional support from the teachers, family and School system could be keeping kids from wanting to learn. In his essay “School vs. Education,” Russell Baker seems to believe that our system of education needs great improvement in the way we go about educating are students in today’s society. Schools and parents need more support educating students in each different stage of education throughout their life.
There are three main theories of sociology; functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. This paper will focus on two of those theories, functionalism and conflict theory. The objective is to delineate the assumptions of two out of the three theoretical perspectives and apply these assumptions to an analysis of social stratification. How this will be accomplished will be by comparing and contrasting their assumptions and by analyzing the two theories affect on social stratification. Then I will state my opinion on which of the two better fits my personal sociological views. Functionalism is many people's way to view the world sociologically. It states clearly that the objectivity of the researcher is necessary and can be accomplished. There are three main points, which make up a functionalist theory on sociological expression. The first point is that culture is made up of interacting, interdependent parts. Each of these parts has a function in maintaining the society as a system on the whole. The second point states that shared values and expectations(or beliefs) among the members of the society help hold the society together. The third point states that these systems have a need for stability and a need to try to keep all the parts working together congruously in a sort of system. Social change in this system is uncommon, and when it does happen, it is a very gradual change. Conflict theory is centered on the tension, or struggle that goes on in everyday life. There are many different parts, which make up the conflict theorist's view on the sociological perspective. The first main part is that society promotes general differences in wealth, power, and prestige. Wealth...
But, it is also the misconceived ideology: “Education is increasingly the good of individual rather than for the good of society” (203) that prevails in our society, “Therefore, the student pays” (204). I refute this idea and believe the opposite. If a person educates him or herself, and then he/she is a value added to society. For example, if somebody studies to become a doctor, then he/she will serve the community, making sure that everyone is hale and hearty; so, if the services of the doctor are shared in the community, then why not the cost of making one? We can infer that, education not only benefits the individual, but also benefits the
Functionalists and conflict theorists have contradictory views on inequalities. Functionalists have a positive outlook on inequalities, whereas the conflict theory believes that any type of inequality leads to a disruption in society.
A ridiculous amount of children in the world complain about needing to go to school, but imagine the countless number of kids having to work just so they could get the education that many people take for granted. Every student should be able to have the preparation to succeed as they face the obstacles of the world. These situations are analyzed in the articles “What Will Decrease Educational Inequality” by Adam Gamoran, and “Inequality in the American Education System” by William H. Schmidt. Articles such as these discuss the fact that due to many unfair factors that need to be eradicated, the student's ability to succeed in life hinders, stopping them from reaching their maximum potential. Unfortunately, as long as social injustice still
In 1971, a philosopher by the name of Ivan Illich published a book called “Deschooling Society” – a critique of education in modern societies which called for the imminent disestablishment of schools. His radical ideas highlighted the institutionalisation of schools and he advocated self-motivated learning that could only occur outside of formal school boundaries. Many dismissed his thoughts as impractical or too radical for his time and while schools did not in fact disappear, Illich put forward ideas that still hold some relevance to this day (Hart, 2000). This essay will discuss what Illich sees as the aims of education, how he thinks these can be achieved and what the outcome would be if these ideas were applied to the present-day education system.
The functionalist perspective argues for education as a means of development from simple, traditional social structures to more complex, modern ones. Drawing heavily from biological theories, functionalism equates society with a living organism composed of various internal systems, asserting that an understanding of these systems, in our case social practices and institutions, requires an examination of the means by which they serve the ‘body’, society (Feinberg and Solitis, ). In assessing the relationship between education and development, it is imperative to note that functionalists associate the advent of formal, compulsory education with the requirements of modern society, with modernity seen as synonymous with industrialization. That
Education is a vital part of society. It serves the beneficial purpose of educating our children and getting them ready to be productive adults in today's society. But, the social institution of education is not without its problems. Continual efforts to modify and improve the system need to be made, if we are to reap the highest benefits that education has to offer to our children and our society as a whole.
One of the most clearly seen and common aim of schooling is to develop individuals ‘who have skills an...