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The Role of Education in Modern Society Functionalism is based on the notion of social consensus. They see society as consisting of distinguishable parts. All these parts have a clear role, which is to fulfil functions, which keeps the society whole and orderly. As applied to education, functionalists view the education system as fulfilling the important function of socialisation. E.g. the curriculum taught at school should reflect the common culture to ensure that pupils, who are all members of society, will act out their particular roles in society’s interests. According to the functionalist, education also transmits society’s norms and values, which promotes value consensus. Not only do functionalists see the various parts of society fulfilling functions they also see them working together. In the case of educational system, it’s often seen working together with the economical system as schools develop the skills required for the world of work. Naturally, functionalist have been criticised for their optimistic nature. Functionalists have been criticised for tending to assume the educational system is a meritocracy where pupils have an equal chance. However, evidence indicates that that isn’t true. E.g. working class and ethnic minority still underachieve. Also the educational system confirms pupils in their social positions rather than provide opportunities for achievement. E.g. middle class people get middle class jobs. One functionalist that is transmitting this view is Durkheim. Durkheim saw the main function of education as transmitting society’s norms and values. It’s vital for all societies to create social solidarity... ... middle of paper ... ...l compete these positions and only the talented will win through. Davis and Moore have been criticised for assuming that those who graduate from school will end up with the top jobs. Income is only weakly linked to educational attainment-you don’t always get what jobs you want. Also evidence suggests that social class prevents the education system from efficiently grading individuals in terms of ability. To conclude this essay, the functionalists have identified education as a crucial part of the socialisation process as it transmits and re-inforces society’s norms and values, prepares children for adult roles and selects young people in terms of their abilities for crucial roles. However, their views have been criticised for various reasons mainly for being to optimistic in how the educational system operates.
Functionalism views society as the stability and assimilation of a range of forces that function within it. While society is a separate entity with a life of its own, there are individual elements contributing to that stability. Functionalism as a sociological theory emphasizes assimilation rather than the dissociation of society. Therefore, the society is seen as a whole that is compromised of parts which give one another their identity and their function. The part, whether that is education, such as a school, or sports, such as a football team, operates in relation to the other parts, and cannot be entirely understood in isolation from the other parts. All the parts are interrelated, and when there is a disturbance in any one of the parts, is when you can see the interdependence. But what is important about this theory is that “there will always be some reorganization and tendency to restore equilibrium” (Wallace and Wolf 17). Functionalist do not believe it’s crucial that the people involved in the society to be aware of this interconnectedness anymore than the brain and heart consciously realize that they work together as an organism.
Socialization occurs within this perspective, individuals learn the rules of a group, as this theory highlights all members of society has a role to play. Social class is not an issue with this theory although value and ethic’s consensus is essential for effective functioning within society.
The functionalist paradigm focuses on the integration of society, and how society how its own groups which has their own functions to help improve the peoples lives. Functionalist paradigm fits in the category of macro-sociology, because it focuses on the patterns that shape an entire society. Functionalists believe that society is maintained through the thought of trust and consensus on moral values for ideal behavior. Working together will result in a stable social environment that will create equality. Conflicts or dysfunctions will be view as a disease in the social system. Social conflict paradigm believes that society is divided into many groups that have their own goals, and that certain parts of the world have the luck of benefiting economic dominan...
...ave the education they need to thrive in society. Modern education is an essential part of society and without it society would fall to shambles.
When approaching a subject with the functionalist perspective, manifest and latent functions as well as dysfunctions are looked at and studied. A manifest function of an institution is one that is stated and expected. A latent function is one that is unexpected or can show a hidden purpose of an institution, and a dysfunction is a component of a society that can cause instability (Rothman, 1998). These functions and dysfunctions are use in analyzing a society.
One of the major sociological perspectives is Functionalism. Functionalism is centered around the work of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, and Robert Merton. Functionalism is described as a system of connected parts that are designed to achieve
Functionalism is the oldest and most commonly used theoretical approach used to understand social issues. Functionalism is a macrosociological perspective that presents the idea that society consists of different components working together to help a society function as one. Sociolog...
Not one single person on earth can explain why they are where they are in life in a single sentence. I used to think that I would just take a year off of school after I graduated from college. Maybe I would explore or just work a lot and save up some money so I could have a little more freedom in life. Whatever it was, I was not quite sure yet, I just really did not want to be in school for a while. Well, my plans changed when everyone I knew was telling me not to do that because I would most likely not go back. I also saw friends that were older than I was take that break, and then regret it when all of their friends were graduating without them. I changed my mind pretty quickly after hearing about and witnessing their mistakes and decided to go to college right out of high school after all. But after attending Shasta College for just a few weeks, I realized that I actually liked going to school. I found a whole new love for learning. I actually enjoyed soaking up information and learning from my professors. Looking back on my life, I'm so glad that my little idea of not going to college for a while was out weighed by all of the reasons that did cause me to go. My primary group which consists of my family and my boyfriend, the way I view myself, and the values that I hold close to me all greatly affected my decision to attend Shasta College.
Every now and then I think about my education from kindergarten through senior year of high school and I wonder where I would be and who I would be without it. I have realized that those thirteen years of my life were essential to my development as an individual, for they have shaped me into the person I am today.
While traditional societies relied on ascribed characteristics to determine an individual’s role in society, modern societies use the education system as a means to sort individuals on the basis of achievement, using measures such as grades, test scores, and work ethic to guide high-achieving students into jobs that recognize and utilize their skills, and low-achieving students into jobs that are less skill-demanding. For example, a high-school student with high-grades, high test scores, and a strong work ethic will be readily accepted into colleges and universities and afforded with opportunities to pursue more intellectually demanding occupations, but a high-school student with low-grades, low test-scores, and a low-to-moderate work ethic will not be accepted into college, and rather, must enter the workforce with only a high school degree, limiting his career options to categories that require low-to-average cognitive skills. Thus, the education system ensures that only the most qualified individuals end up in challenging occupations, directly serving the needs of industrial society. Specifically, functionalists argue that education as a system of role differentiation is beneficial in two ways. Firstly, it is able to address
The Contribution of Functionalist Sociology to an Understanding of the Role of Education in Society
Robert Hardingham, PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: building healthy communities for our most vulnerable generation, Australian Journal of Middle Schooling, vol l, no 1, May 2001.
The Functionalist Explanation of the Role of Education in Modern Society I will discuss the functionalist's theories in comparison to those of the Marxist and Interactionists. Functionalists believe that all in society serves a purpose and it's a positive function. They also believe that education is a way of achieving in society; it develops people so that it gives them the opportunities in society (workplace). Durkheim believed that in order for children to feel as though they belong in society and for society to work, the education system will enable people to belong to society for example the teaching of certain subjects (transmission of cultural capital) i.e. history, will allow children to make a link or see similarities between themselves and the past society. Functionalist
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.
place to stress out. As I walk through the halls all students seem to have that