Compare, Contrast And Evaluate The Sociological Persepectives On The Role Of Education

Functionalists view the role of education as a means of socialising individuals and to integrate society, to keep society running smoothly and remain stable. Emile Durkheim, creator of the Organic Analogy, was a functionalist during the 1870’s. Durkheim believes that society can only survive if its members are committed to common social values and that education provides these to children and young people as well as raising awareness of their commitment to society. Durkheim also believed that schools teach young people that they must co-operate with their peers and be prepare to listen to and learn from their teachers. Individual pupils eventually learn to suspend their own self interests for those of society as a whole, work together and that success in education, just like in society, involves commitment to a value consensus. Similarly, Kingsley Da

It appears, therefore, that Functionalism, Marxism or Liberalism does not apply completely to modern British society. Functionalism believes in meritocracy, which cannot exist while fee-paying schools do not offer equal success within the economy and maintains class inequalities as no social change is allowed. Fletcher suggests that education should be closely linked to the economy, but the economy changes rapidly making specific skills quickly redundant. Equally, the collective consciousness does not seem to operate in Britain as many aspects divide us, such as gender, social class, ethnicity and nationality and the success in the economy of an individual is not always linked to success in school as well as the hidden curriculum being to restrictive as it does not allow society to gain a sense of self. The Marxist view that when the working class develops a class consciousness and realise that they are being exploited they will gather together to create a social revolution and overthrow capitalism and seize back the ruling class wealth and assets, does not apply to modern British society as there are very few people as the underdogs Marx describes are very few as the majority of society is fairly well off. Equally, the Liberalist view of the role of education is not applicable to modern British society as the majority of children are not yet ready for the responsibility to teach themselves, nor is society on a whole ready to accept the liberalists views on education. For these reasons Marxism is most applicable to modern British society as it takes into account the hierarchy within society and the inability to apply meritocracy due to our capitalist society. Therefore Marxism is the theory that has the most in common with modern British society and the theory most likely to apply to our society.

Like the functionalists, Marxists agree that educa

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