Sociology A-Level Key Sociologists

Questions and Answers

What are the two main functions of education according to Durkheim?

Ideological State Apparatus

Specialist Skills (correct)

Role Allocation

Social Solidarity (correct)

What is Parsons' view of school in relation to socialization?

Focal socializing agency and a bridge between family life and work life.

According to Davis and Moore, inequality is unnecessary for ensuring the most important roles are filled.

False

What do Blau and Duncan believe the modern economy depends on?

Human capital. Signup and view all the answers

Tumin argues that the job's importance is determined by its rewards.

True Signup and view all the answers

What does the Functionalist view assert about values in society?

Value consensus. Signup and view all the answers

What criticism do Marxists have of the Functionalist view of education?

Education transmits only the ruling class ideas. Signup and view all the answers

Wrong claims that Functionalists view people as fully autonomous individuals.

False Signup and view all the answers

What do Chubb and Moe argue about the state education system?

It fails to prepare children adequately for work. Signup and view all the answers

According to Althusser, what are the two main apparatuses that maintain the rule of the bourgeoisie?

Repressive State Apparatus Signup and view all the answers

What is the main conclusion of Bowles and Gintis's study?

Schools reward traits that lead to submissive workers. Signup and view all the answers

What principle do Bowles and Gintis associate with the hidden curriculum?

Correspondence Principle Signup and view all the answers

What did Willis study in 'Learning To Labour'?

Working class 'lads' from an anti-school subculture. Signup and view all the answers

Postmodernists believe education reinforces inequality as argued by Bowles and Gintis.

False Signup and view all the answers

What did critics of Willis argue about his portrayal of working class students?

It romanticizes their behaviours. Signup and view all the answers

Bernstein distinguishes between speech code and speech code.

restricted; elaborated Signup and view all the answers

What did Douglas find about working class parents' attitudes toward education?

They placed less value on education. Signup and view all the answers

What did Bernstein and Young find about middle class mothers?

They were more likely to buy educational toys, books, and activities. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Functionalist Perspectives on Education

Emile Durkheim emphasizes two main functions of education: social solidarity and specialist skills.
Talcott Parsons views school as a focal socializing agency, serving as a bridge between family life and the workplace, operating on meritocratic principles.
Davis and Moore argue that education functions as a role allocation device, asserting that inequality is essential for assigning the most important roles to the most talented individuals.
Blau and Duncan highlight that a modern economy relies on human capital for its success.

Critiques of Functionalism

Tumin critiques Davis and Moore's theory as a circular argument, questioning how importance is assigned based on rewards and vice versa.
The functionalist perspective advocates a value consensus, suggesting that all members of society share similar values and ideas.
Marxists criticize functionalism for perpetuating the ideas of the ruling class and argue that education mainly transmits the cultural capital of the bourgeoisie.

Interpretivist Critique

Wrong criticizes functionalists for having an over-socialized perspective, suggesting students are treated as passive recipients who never reject school values.

Neoliberal Critique

Chubb and Moe claim the state education system inadequately prepares children for work, asserting that private schools provide higher quality education by being accountable to parents as consumers.

Marxist Perspectives on Education

Althusser discusses repressive state apparatuses (police, army, courts) and ideological state apparatuses (media, religion, education) that maintain bourgeois rule, with education acting as an ideological state apparatus that reproduces class inequality.
Bowles and Gintis found that schools reward personality traits favorable to a submissive workforce, stunting student development for capitalist roles.
They propose the correspondence principle and highlight the existence of a hidden curriculum, arguing against the myth of meritocracy in education.

Studies on Working-Class Culture

Willis studied 12 working-class boys, observing their anti-school subculture and how their resistance led them to menial jobs, reinforcing capitalist labor needs.
Critics of Willis highlight that his romantic portrayal of working-class boys overlooks their anti-social behavior and that the small sample size is unrepresentative; feminists also point out the absence of female perspectives.

Language and Achievement

Bernstein distinguishes between restricted speech code used by working-class individuals and elaborated speech code utilized by middle-class individuals.
Douglas notes that working-class parents often place less value on education, contributing to their children's lower academic achievement.
Bernstein and Young found that middle-class mothers are more likely to invest in educational toys, books, and activities, promoting higher levels of achievement in their children.

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Description

Test your knowledge on key sociologists in sociology education with this flashcard quiz. Focus on figures like Durkheim and Parsons, and understand their contributions to functionalist perspectives on education.