1. The Role and Purpose of Education
The Functionalist approach

2. By the end of the lesson you will be able to: -
AO1: Knowledge and understanding
Understand the role of education according to: -
The Functionalist Perspective
AO2 and AO3: skills of application
analysis and evaluation.
Critically Assess and Explain the arguments about the Functions of Education

3. Getting your thinking
Functionalists argue that education has three main functions. Using the following headings try to explain what these Functions might be: -
Socialisation
Skills provision
Role allocation
Note down your ideas on page 1 of your “The Role and Purpose of Education booklets”

4. Functionalist approach
Functionalist argue that education has three broad functions: -

5. Socialising young people into key cultural values

6. Teaching skills required by a developing economy

7. Allocating people to the most appropriate job

8. Functionalist approach
Functionalist emphasise the positive aspects of schools.
Durkheim and Parsons argue that education is an essential agency of socialisation whose main function is to transmit common values to the next generation.
They see this as an important process which helps to maintain social order.

9. Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim argued that social solidarity is essential for the survival of society. This social solidarity is based on ‘essential similarities’ between members of a society.
He suggested that one of the main functions of education was to develop these similarities.

10. How might education help to develop similarities between members of a society?

11. Pledging allegiance to the USA

12. Activity: Social Solidarity
How can items A and B on page 3 of your ‘Role of education’ booklet be used to illustrate the view that education helps to unite members of society?
Note down your ideas on page 4 of your booklets.

13. Talcott Parsons
Parson suggested that schools act as a bridge between the family and wider society.
He argued that the role of education is to promote universal values such as achievement , individualism, competition and equality of opportunity.

14. Activity
Using information from page 5 of your ‘Role of Education’ booklets draw a mind map or table which shows how education can help to bridge the gap between the family and wider society.
Make sure that you include the following points: -
Individual achievement
Equality of opportunity
Role allocation
Teaching skills required by a developing economy

15. Education as role allocation
Functionalists see society as being meritocratic: Talented and hardworking people will gain better paid, higher status jobs.
In schools, grades and qualifications are used to determine suitability for jobs and further education.

16. Education as role allocation.
According to Davis and Moore (1945) the purpose of Education is ‘role allocation’. If society is to function properly, then people need to be allocated to the right job.
Davis and Moore viewed inequality in society as essential. The most important jobs in society should be filled by the most talented people.
The most imp0rtant jobs in society tend to be more demanding and highly skilled. Therefore, according to Functionalists, its only right that higher status jobs receive higher rewards.
So, education acts as ‘proving ground’ for ability.

17. Write one sentence to describe each point
Socialisation
Skills provision
Role allocation

18. Class discussion: Is the UK educational system meritocratic?

19. The myth of meritocracy
Marxists and other critical thinkers have rejected the view that the UK education system is meritocratic for the following reasons…

20. The myth of meritocracy
Whilst private education continues to exist society can never be meritocratic, because public schools symbolise class inequality.

21. Class discussion: Is the UK educational system meritocratic?
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22. The myth of meritocracy
Some critics argue that the focus on parental choice and league tables has created an incentive for schools to be more selective in their intake in terms of attracting students who are likely to perform well in exams, but exclude those who perform poorly.

23. The myth of meritocracy
Critics also point out that some groups do better than others in terms of educational success

24. Functionalism and Education: evaluation
The education system does not teach skills adequately as Durkheim has claimed.
There is lots of evidence that equality of opportunity does not exist; that achievement is greatly influenced by class.
Marxists argue that is not shared values that are taught but just the ideology of the bourgeoisie.
Dennis Wrong from an interactionist perspective believes they have an oversocialised view of people in society. Students can reject school values.
Neo-liberals/New Right believe that the education system does not equip students for real life work.

25. Homework What is meant by equality of opportunity
What is meant by role allocation
What is meant by social solidarity
What is meant by value consensus
What is meant by meritocratic
What is meant by universalistic standards
Suggest three functions that education perform (6 marks)