Roles and functions of education

Overview

Formal and informal education, types of school, education and the economy, Durkheim on social cohesion, Parsons on meritocracy and universalistic standards, and home schooling.

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Questions from this subtopic

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1. 1

   What is the difference between formal and informal education?

   Model answer

   Formal education is planned learning in schools, colleges and universities, with a set curriculum and qualifications. Informal education is learning that happens in everyday life, from family, friends and the media.

2. 2

   What are the main types of school in the UK?

   Model answer

   Primary schools teach children up to 11, and secondary schools teach pupils from 11 to 16 or 18. State schools are free and funded through taxation. Private schools, also called independent or fee-paying schools, charge fees and are not run by the state.

3. 3

   How does education serve the needs of the economy?

   Model answer

   Education teaches the knowledge and skills a modern economy needs, from literacy and numeracy to technical expertise. Functionalists argue that this produces a skilled, productive workforce.

4. 4

   How do functionalists think education promotes social mobility?

   Model answer

   Social mobility is movement up or down the class structure. Functionalists argue that education lets able pupils from any background gain qualifications and rise on merit.

5. 5

   How does education foster social cohesion?

   Model answer

   Social cohesion is the sense of unity that binds members of a society together. Schools build it by teaching all pupils shared values, a common history and citizenship.

6. 6

   What did Durkheim see as the main function of education?

   Model answer

   Durkheim saw education as the means of passing a society's shared norms and values from one generation to the next. Durkheim developed these ideas in lectures on moral education in early twentieth-century France.

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