The role of education- Functionalism and the New Right Essay Example

skilled employees, their aspirations may have in fact been modified due to this scheme.

Outline the New Right view on education.

The New Right takes a conservative political perspective. One of their central principles is that the state cannot meet people’s needs and that people are best left to meet their own needs though free market. This therefore links with their view of favouring the marketisation of education. They believe that education can only perform its role effectively if it is organised on market principles. Chubb and Moe (1990) are American, New Right theorists who argued that American state education has failed and they make the case for opening it up to market forces of supply and demand.

They reached this conclusion after a comparison of the academic performance of students from low income families from both public and private schools, and have attributed the better performance of private school students to structural differences between the two types of school. Their evidence shows that pupils from low income families consistently do about 5% better in private schools. The fundamental issue here was that Chubb and Moe wanted to introduce a market into state education where schools would receive guaranteed funding not taking into account how good or bad their academic status was.

They decided to propose a system whereby families would be given a voucher to spend on educational aspects on a school of their choice. This would make sure that schools pay more attention to the families wishes regarding their child’s education as this voucher would account for the prime source of the school’s income. This therefore concludes that education is being seen almost like a private business

for the New Right theorists, as schools have to compete in the same way to attract ‘customers’ (parents), by improving their ‘services’ (educational standards).

Although the New Right perspective enforces the importance of market force in education, it does not completely ignore the important roles for the state. To start with, they believe the state imposes a framework on schools within which they have to compete for which helps parents to make a more informed choice of where to send their children. An example would be the publishing of league table which details the assessment statistics for each school. Secondly, the New Right also believes that having a single National Curriculum (standerdised content), it guarantees that schools will socialise its pupils into a single cultural heritage.

We can also draw a link between the opinions of the New Right and functionalism. Both the theories broadly favour an education system to run on meritocratic principles. These are form of a social system in which power goes to those with superior intellects. The two also believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values. School is where secondary socialisation takes place. An installation of a sense of national identity is also said to be key within education and that it should affirm it. The aim of this is to integrate pupils into a single set of traditions and cultural values.

Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of functionalism to our understanding of the role of education.

Functionalism is the basis of consensus where the view is based on society being a system of independent sectors held together by a shared culture. Functionalist sociologist, Durkheim, identified the two

main functions of education. He stated that it created both social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Without social solidarity, Durkheim argued that social life and cooperation would be impossible as each person would pursue their own selfish desires.

This is one of the positive aspects towards the role of education as he said that school acted as ‘society in miniature’, introducing us to the more impersonal adult world. An example of this corresponds to both the school and work environment. Within both situations, cooperation is required with people who are neither family nor friends; e.g. teachers and students within school/ employees and bosses at work. Interaction has to be based on a set of impersonal rules that apply to everyone. This therefore is saying that education provides the main building blocks of secondary socialisation whereby children are exposed to the values of the community and universal values as well as beginning to formulate relationships with non-family members.

Teaching specialist skills is another function of education that Durkheim ruled out. His well-known dissertation was the ‘division of labour’ which means that jobs are split. Modern industrial economies have a complex division of labour where the production process of even a single item involves a variety of job roles which therefore involves specialisation. This requirement promotes social solidarity but for it to be successful, each person must have the knowledge and skills to perform their role.

Emile Durkheim argues that education teaches individuals these, in order for them to play their part in the social division of labour. An example of the teaching of specialist knowledge and skills relates to vocational education where learners acquire them mainly on the job

or training. This aids the performance of the individuals in their role in the division of labour as well as meeting society’s economic needs.

This is an encouraging factor related to the education system however vocational education can also be said to bring along some criticisms. Marxist, Carol Buswell (1987), stated that the Youth Training Systems (a type of vocational education) funnelled girls into the traditional low paid ‘women jobs’ such as retail work. This meant that even if some girls had the ability and intelligence to do other jobs involving the need for more high skilled employees, their aspirations may have in fact been modified due to this scheme.

Talcott Parsons was also a functionalist and his view on education focused on meritocracy which means that everyone is given an equal opportunity and individuals achieve rewards through their own ability and efforts. He saw schools as the ‘focal socialising agency’, which draws a similar idea to Durkheim’s. He also said that this acts as a bridge between the family and wider society.

This bridge is essential as the family and wider society operate on various principles that are different from each other and in order for children to prosper within e.g. a job; they need to learn the new way of living. Within the family, the children are judged by particularistic standards and by ascribed status. For example, in a family where there is an older brother and a younger sister, both individuals may be treated in different ways and also may be given different rights and duties on account of just two things; age and gender.

This can all relate to the wider society, e.g. school, where

instead, the same rules apply to everyone. Each student is judged against the same standards. Therefore, he says that a person’s status is largely achieved instead of ascribed. This therefore favors education as it is saying meritocracy is based within both school and society and that this is fair as people should get their jobs allocated purely based on self-ability.

A counter argument for this point can relate to Marxism. Within Marxism, it states that achievement is greatly influenced by class background rather than ability. Marxism believes in ‘the myth of meritocracy’ which means that it is not based on the truth. They see the school as mirroring the world of work in a hierarchy structure. For example, the working class children will end up with the working class jobs. This therefore can be said to be based on ascribed status based on social class. This concludes to be a negative role of education as employment is not being based on the individuals’ intellectual ability but instead his/ her class. It prepares the youth for work purely for a capitalist society.

Above we can see many factors that discuss both positives and negative views on the role of education involving the division of labour where Durkheim states that it promotes solidarity and is a source of human freedom whereas Marxism held that it destroys solidarity and constrains individual freedom. Also the views involve Talcott Parsons’ in which he focused on education being organised in meritocratic principles. Although from a Marxist viewpoint, the ‘myth of meritocracy’ is ruled out and instead its perspective is that social background will ultimately determine future prospects as ascribed status is the key

function dismissing social ability.

Overall, in my opinion, I believe in the functionalist viewpoint where education is a pivotal role in society and is the prime building block to secondary socialisation which prepares children in a civilised manner, for the world of work. This is a major positive viewpoint. I think this because it provides the skills and habits necessary for acting and participating within society and inducting all individual members into its moral norms, attitudes, values, motives and social roles so society can rest in valued consensus.