The Sociology of Education: Marxist Vs Functionalist

Sociology

30 Jun

‍ ‍I wrote this essay for my access to university course, as the rise of homeschooling in the UK rises, I thought it was an interesting topic to bring up….

The Sociology of Education: Marxist Vs Functionalist

Within this essay, I will discuss two theoretical views with a focus on the educational system in the UK, which conflict with each other: these are the ‘Marxist’ and the ‘Functionalist’.

Marxism

Marxism is an ideology created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels during the 19th century. They believed that the working class would always have difficulty with attaining human assentation in society (Marxism.com, 2022). Furthermore, Marx firmly thought that humanity would destroy itself in a capitalistic society (Private ownership). In fundamental terms, the elites are in power, controlling the means of production: ‘workers’ exploiting them, by controlling the schooling. Moreover, this private profit economic system is unbalanced and will eventually collapse (B. Wheeler, 2017).

Other important values include the surplus of items with consumable materialism, the higher class keeping valuable information from the lower; to ensure obedience, the oppression of women and minorities other than ordinary, such as the LGBT+ community and other races.
Marxism creates an equality system highlighting human rights, allowing access to education, health care and equal gender roles, so that each individual’s needs are met within society as a whole (Flow psychology, 2014).
Strengths include drawing attention to the issues within the schooling system, and advocating for development with its strong values, pointing out the inequalities that are evident with the introduction of the elementary educational reform during 1870, while bringing together a stronger society with its equal opportunities, beginning with good education.
Mikhail Bakunin summed up the Marxist views clearly in 1869. Describing the lack of education within the UK and the need for free and universal education for all, eliminating class and allowing for a healthy functioning society (Mikhail Bakunin, 1869). Only a year later, the Education Reform Act (1870) was released, changing the education system. A decade later, August Babel expressed the lack of high-quality education for women, who are just as intellectually capable as their counterparts, thus the educational system needed to be adapted further to create an equal society (August Babel, 1879).
Many laws and policies imposed within the UK have been governed to protect society as a whole and keep the balance, for example, the ‘Factory Act’, which improved conditions for children who worked. The ‘Elementary Educational Act’ (1870) created free education as an aid to eradicate child labour. Further advances to education legislation include the ‘Education Reform Act’ (1944) and later on the ‘Education Reform Act’ (1988) (Home Office, 2022). These acts each increased equality for the people of Britain, extending free education to all.
The ‘elites’ believe that poverty is necessary because people would not be motivated to work otherwise and would therefore be lazy, and society would fail to function. With the view that there is no lack of resources, just poor management that caused poverty and lack of moral values, they deserve to be unfortunate.
Moreover, Britain is based on some of the labour laws upon a Marxist doctrine and equal rights. In 1832, the ‘Poor Law Commission’ published a report over the 2 years to develop a countermeasure to poverty with a welfare system and improve society, in which it did so dramatically. Much to the dismay of the elitist (Townsend, P, 1979, Poverty in the United Kingdom).

Critics such as Peter Mortimore, a British educationalist, stated that the downfall of the educational system is due to it being marketised by both the Labour and Conservative governments, taking control of what is taught in schools, with teachers unable to teach subjects of value and underfunding from governments in charge, leading to a lack of teachers (M. Brown, 2018).

Functionalism

Was created in the early 20th century, it is the belief that mental life and behaviour are adaptive to the challenges and opportunities of the environment in an active way. It is a diametric approach to structuralist theory. The ideology focuses on the cause and consequences of human behaviours in relation to cognitive needs to understand the world around us psychologically (APA, 2022). This psychological thought system centres on the active mental process of the mind and understanding individuals’ adaptation skills through behavioural influences, including perception, feelings, memory, and consciousness (Difference between, 2022).

Founded by a group of American psychologists and philosophers in the late 19th century, comprised philosophers John Dewey, Archibald L. Moore, and George. H. Mead, and included psychologists James. R. Angell and William James. Their belief emerged from opposed thoughts of Edward. B. Titchener’s Structuralism, focusing on the humanities’ practical ability to trial and error, the experimental cognitive process of the mind. Within their attempt on applying principles to educational functionalism, they also discovered ‘The transactional theory of Perception, the central thesis of which is that learning is the key to perceiving” (J. L Nolan, 2022).
The movement evolved from philosophical thinking to psychological influencing, further research and theories such as behaviourism, including changing the educational system, how they taught to consider the individual’s development (K. Cherry, 2021).
The Functionalist view within the educational system places prominence on all the positive characteristics, for example, equal opportunities, setting values and socialising, teaching children’s skills for careers, including the economy, when they apply themselves in a healthy competition for society as a whole (C N. Trueman, 2015).

Critics of functionalism from sociologists express the lack of acknowledgement of the adverse consequences within social order, because teaching individuals to adapt to their environment, which can benefit them, rather than staying stagnant, where issues can arise. Vocal critics such as Antonio Gramsci, an Italian theorist, believe it promotes the status quo and the elites who maintain it (A. Crossman, 2020). Thus, we can see in society the stark effects of poor education and the link with poverty, unemployment and low class through the years in the UK.

Different theoretical views on Functionalism vary for each person. For example, E. Durkheim believes that the educational system is focused on social unity through teamwork, community and culture. This is formed through the teaching of values, standards and rules, and thus teaching important skills to children in preparation for adulthood and the world. Whereas Parsons’ views centred around meritocracy, with the link between home life and society during teaching individualism through values equally, thus those who put in the effort reap the rewards of talent, and improve social status. This is reinforced by Duncan and Blau (C. N. Trueman, 2015).

Putting too much trust into the government and the education structure is detrimental due to their personal gain within the system, because it fails to report on the inequalities that are formed within education, (Acting Colleges), including a lack of free speech for students, a rigorous routine that does not suit all, and strict depersonalization as an example.

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In conclusion, the current UK system of education draws on both schools of thought: education being reformed over time to be free for all, with the chance to specialise in subjects that benefit the workplace. As successive government has been in power, both Labour and Tory, have pushed their own interference in the local education policies in an effort to give everyone an equal opportunity to progress through the social ranks.