Social Sciences
Functionalist Theory of Education
The Functionalist Theory of Education is a perspective that views education as serving the function of socializing individuals into the norms and values of society, as well as preparing them for the workforce. It emphasizes the role of education in maintaining social order and stability by transmitting cultural knowledge and promoting social integration. This theory is associated with sociologists such as Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons.
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10 Key excerpts on "Functionalist Theory of Education"
eBook - PDF- Tonja R. Conerly, San Jacinto College, Kathleen Holmes, Northern Essex Community College, Asha Lal Tamang, North Hennepin Community College(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Openstax(Publisher)
Functionalists believe that education equips people to perform different functional roles in society. Conflict theorists view education as a means of widening the gap in social inequality. Feminist theorists point to evidence that sexism in education continues to prevent women from achieving a full measure of social equality. Symbolic interactionists study the dynamics of the classroom, the interactions between students and teachers, and how those affect everyday life. In this section, you will learn about each of these perspectives. 16.2 • Theoretical Perspectives on Education 475 Functionalism Functionalists view education as one of the more important social institutions in a society. They contend that education contributes two kinds of functions: manifest (or primary) functions, which are the intended and visible functions of education; and latent (or secondary) functions, which are the hidden and unintended functions. Manifest Functions There are several major manifest functions associated with education. The first is socialization. Beginning in preschool and kindergarten, students are taught to practice various societal roles. The French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), who established the academic discipline of sociology, characterized schools as “socialization agencies that teach children how to get along with others and prepare them for adult economic roles” (Durkheim 1898). Indeed, it seems that schools have taken on this responsibility in full. This socialization also involves learning the rules and norms of the society as a whole. In the early days of compulsory education, students learned the dominant culture. Today, since the culture of the United States is increasingly diverse, students may learn a variety of cultural norms, not only that of the dominant culture. School systems in the United States also transmit the core values of the nation through manifest functions like social control.
eBook - PDF- Heather Griffiths, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Openstax(Publisher)
There continues to be social debate surrounding how to implement the ideal of universal access to education. 16.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Education While it is clear that education plays an integral role in individuals’ lives as well as society as a whole, sociologists view that role from many diverse points of view. Functionalists believe that education equips people to perform different functional roles in society. Conflict theorists view education as a means of widening the gap in social inequality. Feminist theorists point to evidence that sexism in education continues to prevent women from achieving a full measure of social equality. Symbolic interactionists study the dynamics of the classroom, the interactions between students and teachers, and how those affect everyday life. In this section, you will learn about each of these perspectives. Functionalism Functionalists view education as one of the more important social institutions in a society. They contend that education contributes two kinds of functions: manifest (or primary) functions, which are the intended and visible functions of education; and latent (or secondary) functions, which are the hidden and unintended functions. Manifest Functions There are several major manifest functions associated with education. The first is socialization. Beginning in preschool and kindergarten, students are taught to practice various societal roles. The French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), who established the academic discipline of sociology, characterized schools as “socialization agencies that teach children how to get along with others and prepare them for adult economic roles” (Durkheim 1898). Indeed, it seems that schools have taken on this responsibility in full. This socialization also involves learning the rules and norms of the society as a whole. In the early days of compulsory education, students learned the dominant culture.
eBook - PDF- Tony Lawson, Tim Heaton, Anne Brown(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Red Globe Press(Publisher)
The most emphatic statements of the functionalist view on educational socialization come from Durkheim (1956) and Parsons (1959). Both these theorists claim that educational systems Functionalist Explanations in Education and Training 213 perform an integrative and regulative function by transmitting socially ‘agreed’ norms and values. The transmission of such norms and values (see Exercises 8.1 and 8.2) is said to occur through both the formal curriculum (for example, timetabled subjects such as English and history) and the hidden curriculum (for example, the punishment and reward systems operating within schools). It is through the internalization of society’s norms and values, it is believed, that individuals learn to become good ‘social citizens’, and societies achieve social cohesion and stability. Acceptance of particular ways of behaving is important for the operation of the economy, because many types of work can be boring. The instillation of a ‘work ethic’ and the development of good work habits, such as punctuality and honesty, are important for the successful operation of an industrial economy. Moreover, an industrial economy needs workers who, at the bare minimum, have the basic skills of numeracy and literacy. However, the socialization role of schooling can be seen as more than just the instilling of basic values, skills and attitudes. Drawing on the work of Fou-cault, Hoskin (1990) argues that modern (as opposed to traditional) forms of government are only made possible through education. In traditional soci-eties, compliance with government is obtained by coercion or force, while in modern societies, social discipline is obtained through the education process, which seeks to regulate the population by offering individuals ‘emancipation’ through education. That is, education holds out the promise of a better, freer life to those who pursue it.
eBook - PDF- Emelyn Cereno Wagan(Author)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- Society Publishing(Publisher)
Figure 2.1. Education and its varying perspectives. Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/half-portrait-of-in- spired-attractive-young-student-woman-colorful-business-education- gm1316222562–404014340. Figure 2.2. Functionalist perspective on education. Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/study-groups-are-the-perfect- place-to-find-new-perspectives-gm637873986–114019853. Different Perspectives of Education 27 According to functionalists, the positive aims of education include fostering social cohesion, conveying fundamental values and labor skills, and allocating obligations based on merit. Functionalists emphasize the educational system’s beneficial functions. Education has five crucial responsibilities: • Generating greater social togetherness; • Teaching job-related skills; • Instilling us with key values; • Meritocracy and assignment of roles; and • Developing a social solidarity culture. We have social solidarity when we believe that we’re a part of something greater. It was mentioned that knowledge helps us feel like we are a part of something larger. This is done through the study of themes like history and English, which give us a shared sense of identity. Children in American schools also swear fealty to the flag. It was stated that “school is a society in miniature,” preparing us for life in a broader community. For example, in both school and work, we must collaborate with others who are not friends or family members, which prepares us for interacting with people at work later in life. 2.1.2. Developing Particular Work Skills It was also said that a sophisticated industrial economy requires a broad and thorough division of labor. Individuals learn the numerous skills required for this to happen in school. For example, we may all begin by studying the same courses, but as we advance through our GCSEs, we begin to specialize.
eBook - PDF- Kimberly A. Goyette(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- University of California Press(Publisher)
29 Sociologists who study education spend a lot of their time thinking about two questions. First, how does education, as a social institution, work? Second, they wonder who it works for, that is, are their some groups that benefit more than others? In this chapter, I present some perspectives that address these two questions. While there are two general “camps” into which many education researchers fall, called “functionalism” and “con-flict,” I will also explore how symbolic interactionists and other theorists view some of the practices of education. Many of the theories about how education works can be categorized by two different paradigms of how sociologists view education. Paradigms are different from theories in that paradigms are a connected set of assumptions about how a system works. These assumptions themselves are not often directly tested, but theories can be derived from them, using specific measurements of the concepts implied by paradigms. These theo-ries can be tested. Both of these paradigms present a consistent set of assumptions about the role of education in socializing and stratifying younger members of society. Sociologists, like Talcott Parsons, for exam-ple, consider education to be functional. This is an optimistic look at edu-cation that believes that education is generally progressive: that it imparts 3 What Does Education Do? paradigms and theories about how education works 30 c h a p t e r t h r e e useful knowledge, rationally and effi ciently sorts people into the positions that they are best suited for, and reduces initial inequalities between members of society. In the 1970s, another view of education emerged—a more pessimistic view. This view, called the conflict paradigm, is expressed by sociologists like Randall Collins and Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis. Essentially, they argue that the ways that education socializes peo-ple and sorts them into different roles (or stratifies) reproduce existing inequalities.
eBook - PDF- Mel Churton, Anne Brown(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Red Globe Press(Publisher)
He goes on to analyse in detail how the family performs these functions and why they are so important to society as a whole. To summarize his argument, the social-ization function ensures that social values are inculcated and become part of individuals’ consciousness, thus contributing to value consensus in society. The stabilization function relates to the emotional security provided within the family, which serves to counteract the pressures of life that cause individuals to become stressed and sometimes unstable. He also recognizes the purpose that the education system serves in society. School acts as a bridge between the family and society as a whole, preparing children for their adult roles. It does so by teaching the basic values of soci-ety, which are essential if society is to operate effectively. American schools instil two major values: the value of achievement and the value of equality of opportunity. Finally, the education system ‘functions to allocate these human resources within the role-structure of adult society’ (quoted in Haralambos Traditional Theory 41 and Holborn, 2004). Thus schools, by testing and evaluating students, match their talents, skills and capacities to the jobs for which they are best suited. The school is therefore seen as the major mechanism for role allocation. Exercise 2.11 Parsons suggests that education performs a vital selection function, fitting peo- An E ple to their appropriate place in society. Tests presumably form a part of this. Discuss in groups and write a report on the following: 1. The advantages of school tests/public examinations as a means of assessing potential/selecting people for their place in society. 2. The disadvantages of school tests/public examinations as a means of assess-ing potential/selecting people for their place in society.
eBook - PDF- Roland Meighan, Clive Harber(Authors)
- 2007(Publication Date)
- Continuum(Publisher)
The nature of the relationship between education and other social organizations. 2. Important insights into the way in which people can be expected to behave within educational settings. 3. The contribution education makes to the maintenance and the development of the social fabric. 4. A method by which dysfunctions in education, and the social malaise which would attend such dysfunctions, could be identified and redressed. The question was, however, 'Functions for what purpose?' Durkheim had suggested that different functions could be reduced to the main need for social organizations to transmit the collective conscience. In the rapidly developing and changing post-war society, however, it was difficult to reconcile such a model with the realities of emergent values, new technological achievements and changing patterns of social groupings; traditional values seemed to be inadequate tools to cope with shifting situations. The major focus, therefore, was upon economic needs and the close relationship between education and the economy, which arose from what Parsons described as education's dual function of socializing and selecting people for adult roles. Thus, in the introduction to their influential reader concerning the sociology of education, Floud and Halsey (1961) asserted that: In modern society, the major link of education to the social structure is through the economy and this is a linkage of both stimulus and response. Contemporary educational organizations stimulate economic change through research and, in turn, they respond to economic change in carrying out the functions of selection and training of manpower. The implications for schools and universities, as organizations, are unending. But what kind of activity did this kind of attitude generate at the empirical level? Essentially, the major interest was with identifying and mapping inefficiencies in the education system to sort, train and allocate individuals.
eBook - PDFSociology
Made Simple
- Jane L. Thompson(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Made Simple(Publisher)
It has also been about exposing more and more youngsters for longer and longer to the experience of formal schooling. This develop-ment has been true of all industrialised societies for whom a highly organised education system is a necessity. The more complex the socio-economic arrangements of society become, the more stress is laid upon the supportive and reflective roles of the education system. The laymen's view of schoohng as 'a means of leaming subjects like maths, geography, French, e t c ' is only a part of the picture, and possibly not the most important part. Sociologists are more concerned with the functions which the education system serves for society as a Education 89 whole, and to identify the contending interests which operate through the education system. Perhaps it is easiest to look at this process in terms of four distinct functions—though of course, each is clearly related to all of the others. The four are the economic, the social, the political and that concerned with social control. Education and the Economic System A major responsibility of education is to provide the necessary workers for the prevailing system of production and level of technology which society requires. In a superficial way this may mean teaching the kind of subjects in schools which pupils will need to know in their future jobs, such as typing or technical drawing. But if you think about it, the content of most subjects taught in schools is very unrelated to the world of work. The relationship between the school curriculum and the needs of industry is more subtle than this. Rather, the school system acts as a kind of 'sorting-out agency' or 'clearing house' for employment, largely through the workings of its examination system. The old divisions into public, grammar, technical and secondary modem schools performed this function much more visibly, with each type of school preparing workers for a different level of future em-ployment.
eBook - PDF- Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, Indermohan Virk, Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, Indermohan Virk(Authors)
- 2022(Publication Date)
- Wiley-Blackwell(Publisher)
Part IX Functionalism Introduction to Part IX 41 “The Position of Sociological Theory” 42 “Manifest and Latent Functions” 43 “Social Structure and Anomie” Classical Sociological Theory , Fourth Edition. Edited by Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, and Indermohan Virk. Editorial material and organization © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published 2022 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Functionalism (sometimes called “structural functionalism”) refers to a body of theory first developed in the 1930s and 1940s that treats society as a set of interdependent systems. The theory rests on an organic analogy that likens a social system to a physical body, in which each subsystem is necessary to maintain the proper functioning of the entire organism. From a functionalist point of view, the key to understanding a social subsystem is thus to trace its function in the working of the whole. According to such arguments, there are a number of functional “requisites” necessary to meet the basic needs of any society (see Aberle et al. 1950). Specific subsystems develop to meet those social needs. Functional theorists generally assumed that these subsystems would tend toward a stable equilibrium, with social change proceeding in a gradual evolutionary manner. For example, the social need for a common form of communication leads to a stable, slowly evolving system of language. The need to control disruptive behavior leads to a relatively stable legal and political system. Perhaps most importantly, every society has some system for assigning people to different social positions and socializing them into the relevant roles, resulting in a relatively stable stratification system. To say that a system is “functional” is thus to say that it serves the needs of the society as a whole, not that it serves the interests of every individual.
eBook - ePubDemocracy and Education Reconsidered
Dewey After One Hundred Years
- Jim Garrison, Stefan Neubert, Kersten Reich(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
2 EDUCATION AS A SOCIAL FUNCTION In every culture, both unintentional informal and deliberate formal education seek to socialize the young to become “robust trustees of its own resources and ideals” (MW 9: 14). Socialization is a necessary component of every culture. From the perspective of democracy and education, it is important to distinguish between education experienced as relatively narrow, unreflective adaptation to preexisting social conditions, expectations, practices, routines, institutions, on the one hand, and education experienced as encouraging and empowering for full, active, competent, critical, creative, and self-determined membership and participation in social processes on the other. It is especially important for educational theory and practice to consider the tensions and complex relations that exist between these two forms of socialization and their dependence on different historical, social, and cultural contexts. Considered broadly, education as a social function is “concerned with the general features of the way in which a social group brings up its immature members into its own social form” (MW 9: 15). 1 Dewey does not approve of educational systems that indoctrinate the thoughts, habits, and feelings of the young to passively, obediently, and uncritically conform to the existing customs of a given culture. Every culture from the most self-reflectively democratic to the most mindlessly dogmatic strives to culturally reproduce its beliefs and values. However, the process is far more complex for the democrat than the dogmatist because unlike the latter the former believes that cultural reproduction involves continuous and necessary efforts to reflect and critically transform inherited customs, habits, beliefs, and values. Therefore, Dewey argues that one of the most important functions of philosophy and education lies in performing a “kind of intellectual disrobing” (LW 1: 40)
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