How Does Marxism Explain the Role of Education in Society?

How does Marxism explain the role of precept in society? The sociology of reproduction is the study of how populace institutions and individual experiences run reading and its outcomes. It is approximately concerned with the public educate dodgings of late industrial societies, including the expansion of high, further, adult, and continuing upbringing. rearing has al way of lifes been seen as a essentially optimistic human endeavour characterised by aspirations for progress and betterment.It is understood by some(prenominal) to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving great equality and acquiring wealth and friendly status ( fosterage and Sociology 1992). Education is perceived as a mail service where children washbasin phrase accord to their unique unavoidably and potential. It is alike perceived as one of the scoop up means of achieving greater raceer equality. galore(postnominal) would say that the purpose of education should be to develop e precise individual to their bounteous potential and give them a opportunity to achieve as much in life as their natural abilities stick out (meritocracy).However some look at a specially negative view, literary argument that the education system is designed with the intention of causing the sociable reproduction of inequality and creating a micturate aim for society. One of the main sociological approaches that office theory to explain the role of education is Marxism. The red ink survey is diminutive of the educational system, arguing that it is unfair, and serves to coerce multitude into evaluate their roles in an unequal society. The concept of the out of sight broadcast is strike in the sagacity of the Marxist perspective.The aim of the hidden curriculum is to socialise young ethical deal into evaluate the role assigned to them by the bourgeois sort. It is argued the instructors subconsciously deliver this hidden curriculum making schoolchilds aw atomic number 18 of the respect and faithfulness that should be given towards the established make-up Karl Marx, 1983. As tumefy as this, sharp acquirements such(prenominal) as time memory and organisation atomic number 18 taught. In introducing these skills from a young senesce, society will combine them as norms and non question at that place status in society.The correspondence ruler is a theory used by Marxists to explain how much of what we learn in school is preparation for our future roles as players is in capitalistic society. numerous sociologists who plunk for this principle argue that education is skilful a means of maintaining social split boundaries. Many argue that schools in capitalistic societies argon geared toward well-favored children different types of education based solely on their social standing rather than by their inherent skills. Under this principle schools are supposed to give tear slew order children a different type of education compared to their stop number variance counterparts.Typically, it is said that lower class children are put on an educational track that will prepare them for obscure leash jobs. It is vista that the education of lower class children is different because it prepares them to enter the relieve oneself force directly after petty(a) school. Schooling teaches operative class children to hinge on quietly at their desk, obey the instructors authority, and also acquaints them with beseeming enjoyn with repetitive tasks. Similarly, the education of upper berth class children is thought to be geared toward upper class or white collar professions.With upper class children, instead of guidance on preparing them to enter the excogitateforce, there is added fierceness is on preparing them to move on to intravenous feeding year colleges and universities after secondary school. present they are trained to be professionals and capitalists by teaching them how to think sarcasticly and impar t in them a sense of province and authority red hot M Howell 1982 Louis Althusser was a structural Marxist who, finished the decides of Karl Marx, introduced the concept of an ideologic state apparatus.He argued that economic transaction structure education so as to reproduce these same economic set into teaching. He went on to state that education is part of the system of the reproduction of lug power. Schools work to ensure that those who are to do the work will do so co-operatively, out of the belief that the situation is unspoiled and debateable. From this stain of view, the disaster of so legion(predicate) pupils in schools is not a weakness of the system just now actually what the schooling system is designed to do. Working class children, who opt out, fail, or find schools alien, are indications that schooling is functional successfully. then, education is not designed to develop human potential, but to limit it. The correspondence principle (Bowles and Gintis 1976) scrams this point further stating that education introduces the acceptance of pecking order and motivation by external rewards. For prototype instructor says, pupil does boss says worker does. Hierarchy comes into place in the mold of the teachers roles e. g. head, deputy head, head of year, head of section etc. Many pupils are not interested in the subject fellowship they are taught are school, the that reason that devote for going to school is to hold out exam passes i. e. an external reward.This prepares us for the domain of work where we do not work for the love of the job but for the wage. Thus what happens at school corresponds to what happens at work. there are several examples present in todays society that back up Marxist theories of education. The introduction of the Youth develop Schemes (YTS) in 1983 online is one of these. Known as on-the-job training courses, these YTS represented working class and job specific qualifications for the needs of capit alism. Another example of such schemes are General National Vocational efficacy (GNVQs) which are now know as NVQs.Such courses are said to favour the working classes as the structure is mainly coursework based. Many of the courses involve hands on culture which again, teach the hidden disciplines needed to work for the capitalist society and prepare a skilled work force. The Class dyed system of education is shown by union tables and examination results and the principle of student loans represents the way in which the disadvantaged (working classes) are priced out of the system. In conclusion of the Marxist perspective, it is understandably they take a really critical approach on the education system.The onward motion of ruling class ideologies through institutions such as the education system is seen to supress the working classes keeping them conformed to the norms and set of society. The teaching of these value at a young age means fewer questions are promising to be a sked and the capitalist society butt continue to work as it does, for the realise of the economy. A second sociological perspective that takes a different view on education is that of functionalism. This is, in contrast to Marxism, a non-conflict approach. Functionalists believe that the education system has ternion main functions.Firstly it socialises young people into key cultural values such as equality of opportunity, competition and spectral clean-livingity. Education is said by functionalists (especially Durkheim) to emphasise moral responsibilities in society that people should form towards each other Education and Sociology 1922. If these norms were not passed down through generations then there would be a tendency for individualism (where people believe that they are much grave than social assemblys). An example of how education goes to the highest degree promoting these values is through the subjects that are taught.Citizenship and religious education were introd uced as compulsory subjects in schools to see that young people did things with thought for the society. The second function is to do with the skills that education teaches children, from literacy and numeracy to more job-specific skills. Occupational jobs are becoming more specialised and this in yield will lead to more eld in education. The final function of education, according to functionalists is the allocating of roles of young people in society. Examinations and qualifications are said to allocate people for their most(prenominal) suit job.The equality of opportunity took place and so higher talented people are given the most functionally important jobs for the society. Emile Durkheim is one of the main important and well known functionalists. He state that society can survive simply if there exists among all its members a adapted degree of homogeneity education perpetuates and reinforces this homogeneity by fixing in the child, from the very pay offning, the essenti al homogeneousities that collective life demands Education and Sociology 1922. homogeneousness is defined as the quality or state of being of the same or similar nature having a kindred structure throughout online.Durkheim saw sociology as a science and quashd on the study of social facts rather than what motivates the actions of individuals. He argued that education has many functions to reinforce social solidarity in subjects such as report (learning close individuals who film done good things for the many makes an individual feel insignificant) and through the pledge of allegiance in the States (making individuals feel part of a group and therefore less likely to originate rules) to maintain social role (school is a society in miniature. It has a similar hierarchy, rules, and expectations to the outside world. It trains young people to take roles) and to maintain division of labour (school sorts students into skill groups, encouraging students to take up barter in field s best suited to their abilities) Education and Sociology 1922. Although many of these points are similar to that of Marxism, the functionalists catch at the positives of such class divisions. dickens more perspectives that challenge the views of Marxism are Interactionism and Feminism. Interactionists take a micro approach looking at at what happens in the classroom environment, specifically pupil and teacher interaction.They also concentrate on the way teacher expectations and perceptions of pupils can affect the life chances and educational chances of pupils. Whereas Marxists and Functionalists tend to focus on the structural sides to society, interactionists canvas the relationships between the education system and the individual. This sociological group place a pissed emphasis on labelling theology. Hargreaves, Hester and Mellor (Deviance in Classrooms 1975) study how pupils became typified and classified. They conducted their study in two schools by interviewing teacher s and observing in class.They found that teachers have a limited knowledge somewhat their pupils when they first arrive at school, so they speculate, using the information that they already have, such as the pupils appearance, how outlying(prenominal) they conform to discipline, and their fervor for work. This is elaborated over time until the teacher reaches a stage when they feel they know the pupil. It is therefore a gradual unconscious process that changes over time. Through this process the teacher can have an important influence on the progress of their pupils.It can affect the attention and encouragement a pupil can see. The self-fulfilling prophecy follows on from the stereotyping and ulterior labelling of pupils. This theory argues that predictions made by teachers about the future success or failure of their pupils will tend to come true. The teachers interaction with their pupils will be influenced by the labels that they have attached. If a pupil has been labelled by their teacher as a potentially bright student they may receive extra encouragement to attain the higher marks.Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) tested the validity of self-fulfilling prophecy. They discovered that teachers expectations could significantly affect their pupils performance The feminist perspectives by and large focus on how education promotes patriarchy and a male dominated society. in that location are many different branches indoors feminism such as liberal, stem turn and Marxist feminists however they all overlap the view that the education system is very male orientated and that women are socialized to conform to this dominance thus supressing them.Some of the more radical approaches go as far to say that patriarchy will single end when women are freed from the physical and horny violence inflicted by men in the classroom and the playground online In conclusion, the Marxist approach takes a very critical view of the education system arguing that is merely reinforces inequalities in society. They go on to state that in teaching a hidden curriculum, the system is only in place to create a dominant and trained work force to work for and fit the needs of the capitalist society.From a young age children begin to be shaped to fit these social needs and are made to believe that their place in society is already decided for them through norms and values. In conformist to what they believe is normal, societies avoid anomie and cease social collapse as well as keeping the social classes from hike above their stations or intercommunicate questions. In contrast to such a negative outlook on the education system, functionalists look at how the teaching of norms and values creates social solidarity where shared beliefs bring in concert all classes.Interactionists take yet other view exploring the concept of pupil to teacher interaction and how labelling can shape behaviour. Finally, feminists take the view that the education system flora in favour of males in giving them a higher status in the economical market thus justifying the inhibition of women. References -Bottomore, Tom Goode, Patrick 1983 Readings in Marxist Sociology Clarendon advertise (London) -Durkheim, Emile 1895 The Rules of Sociological Method 8th edition, trans.Sarah A. Solovay and john M. Mueller, ed. George E. G. Catlin (1938, 1964 edition) -Durkheim, Emile 1956 Education and Sociology Macmillan Publishing Co. , inc. & Collier Macmillan Publishers (London) -Howell, Frank M. McBroom, Lynn W. 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