Evaluate the Marxist view that the role of education is to prepare young people to accept their position in an unequal society.
CAMBRIDGE
A level and AS level
2022
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Introduction
Briefly introduce Marxism and their perspective on education. Briefly state your argument - to what extent do you agree with the statement?
Arguments in Support of the Marxist View
Correspondence Theory: Explain how the hidden curriculum prepares a submissive workforce.
Legitimation of Inequality: Discuss how the illusion of equal opportunity masks underlying inequalities.
Segregation and Reproduction of Class Structure: Explain how mechanisms like private schools, marketization, streaming, and cost of higher education perpetuate class divisions.
Curriculum and Ideology: Analyze how the curriculum reinforces class, gender, and ethnic stereotypes and presents biased perspectives on history, economy, and careers.
Supporting Research: Briefly reference relevant studies by Bowles and Gintis, Althusser, Bourdieu, etc.
Arguments Against the Marxist View
Social Solidarity and Shared Values: Explain the functionalist perspective that education promotes social cohesion through shared values.
Meritocracy and Social Mobility: Discuss how education provides opportunities for upward mobility based on merit and hard work.
Challenges to Inequality: Explain how education can challenge patriarchy, racism, and other forms of inequality.
Influence of External Factors: Argue that factors outside of education, such as family background and peer groups, play a significant role in shaping individuals' acceptance of inequality.
Resistance and Agency: Discuss how subcultures and individual resistance within education can challenge inequalities.
Supporting Research: Briefly reference relevant studies by Durkheim, Parsons, Saunders, etc.
Conclusion
Summarize your evaluation. State to what extent you agree with the Marxist view and why. Briefly mention any limitations or alternative perspectives.
Evaluating the Marxist View of Education
Marxist sociologists argue that the role of education in capitalist societies is to maintain and reproduce class inequality. They believe that schools are not neutral institutions, but rather serve to prepare young people to accept their place in an unequal society. This essay will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this perspective, drawing on a range of sociological evidence.
Arguments in Support of the Marxist View
One key argument in favor of the Marxist view is the concept of the hidden curriculum. Sociologists like Bowles and Gintis (1976) argue that the organization and structure of schools mirror the workplace. Through experiences of hierarchy, obedience to authority, and competition for grades, students are socialized into the values and attitudes needed for a compliant workforce. This correspondence theory suggests that education doesn't just transmit knowledge, but also reproduces the inequalities of the capitalist system.
Furthermore, Marxists point to the ways in which education legitimizes inequality. By appearing to offer equal opportunities for all, regardless of background, the education system creates an illusion of meritocracy. However, in reality, access to resources and quality of education vary greatly along class lines. Private schools, for example, provide elite education to a privileged few, while many working-class children attend underfunded and under-resourced schools. This was highlighted by studies like Ranson's (1992) work on the impact of marketisation, which found that schools in disadvantaged areas often struggled to compete for resources and pupils.
The curriculum itself can also be seen as a tool for reinforcing inequality. Bourdieu (1977) argued that the education system favors the cultural capital of the dominant class. This includes knowledge, language, and values that are rewarded in school but are often lacking in working-class homes. Additionally, the curriculum often presents a biased perspective on history and society, one that reinforces existing power structures and downplays the role of class conflict.
Arguments Against the Marxist View
However, critics of the Marxist view argue that it presents an overly deterministic picture of education. Functionalist sociologists, such as Durkheim (1925) and Parsons (1961), argue that education plays a crucial role in promoting social solidarity and transmitting shared values. They believe that schools instill a sense of national identity, prepare individuals for their roles in society, and promote social cohesion based on meritocratic principles.
Furthermore, it can be argued that education has played a significant role in reducing inequality. The expansion of education in the 20th century led to increased social mobility for working-class individuals. Access to higher education, in particular, has provided opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their life chances. Studies like those by Saunders (2010), while acknowledging the persistence of inequality, argue that social class is no longer the main barrier to educational achievement.
Critics also point out that the Marxist view neglects the role of individual agency and resistance. Students are not passive recipients of the hidden curriculum, and many actively resist the norms and values imposed upon them. Willis' (1977) study of working-class "lads" demonstrated how young people can create subcultures that challenge the dominant ideology of the school. Additionally, teachers can and do challenge inequalities within the classroom, promoting critical thinking and social justice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while the Marxist view offers valuable insights into the ways in which education can reproduce and legitimize inequality, it is not without its limitations. While the hidden curriculum, unequal access to resources, and a biased curriculum can contribute to the maintenance of class structures, education can also be a force for social mobility and change. The reality of education is complex, and it is likely that both structural factors and individual agency play a role in shaping educational outcomes and societal inequalities.
Free Mark Scheme Extracts
Evaluate the Marxist view that the role of education is to prepare young people to accept their position in an unequal society.
*Indicative content*
In support
- Schools prepare a submissive workforce through the hidden curriculum – the correspondence theory - Schools legitimise inequality through appearing to provide equal opportunity for all. - Schools encourage segregation of social classes – private schools, marketisation of education, deprived schools, streaming by class, cost of higher education, etc. - Curriculum – high and low status knowledge, class, gender and ethnic stereotypes, perspectives on history, economy, careers, etc.
Against
- Education produces social solidarity based on shared values of achievement and equality of opportunity - Education fairly selects the talented and hard working for highly rewarded positions in society - Education has reduced inequality through providing access to qualifications and social mobility for working class pupils. - Education has challenged patriarchy and racism by encouraging achievement for all. - It is not education, but the media and culture of the home and of peer groups that explain the choices that lead to inequality and its acceptance. - Subcultures can resist the inequalities in school and society and lead to continuing social deviance or political protest. - Teachers and textbooks can challenge inequality.
Research evidence
- Davis and Moore - Bowles and Gintis - Althusser - Bourdieu - Gurney - Ranson - Young - Taboas-Pais and Rey-Cao - Durkheim - Parsons - Saunders - Giroux - Willis - Ward - Rikowski - Archer
Additional concepts
- Ideological state apparatus - Correspondence theory - Marketisation - Patriarchy - Ethnocentrism - Social solidarity - Meritocracy - Subculture
The above content is indicative and other relevant approaches to the question should be rewarded appropriately.