AQA · A-Level · Sociology
Course version: 7192 · Version from Sept 2015
The role and functions of the education system, including its relationship…
Full specification wording
Education: the role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure
Sociologists analyse the education system through competing theoretical lenses to understand its role and functions.
Checked against the AQA 7192 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
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Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Sociologists analyse the education system through competing theoretical lenses to understand its role and functions. Functionalists, like Durkheim and Parsons, argue education builds social solidarity and allocates roles based on merit, preparing students for the economy by teaching specialist skills. In contrast, Marxists such as Bowles and Gintis argue education reproduces class structure. They suggest the 'correspondence principle' operates through the hidden curriculum, mirroring the workplace to produce a compliant workforce for capitalist economies. The New Right advocates for marketisation to improve economic efficiency. Evaluating these perspectives reveals how schools serve society, the economy, and different social classes.
What earns the marks
- Identify the functionalist view that education provides secondary socialisation and role allocation.
- Recognise the Marxist concept of the correspondence principle and how the hidden curriculum prepares working-class students for exploited labour.
- Explain the New Right perspective that education should operate like a market to meet the needs of the economy.
- Evaluate the extent to which the education system promotes meritocracy versus reproducing existing class inequalities.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing the functionalist and New Right views on education.
Put it right: While both value meritocracy, the New Right specifically advocates for marketisation and competition, whereas functionalists focus on social cohesion and role allocation.
Assuming all Marxists share the exact same view on education.
Put it right: Distinguish between traditional Marxists (like Bowles and Gintis) who focus on the correspondence principle, and neo-Marxists (like Willis) who acknowledge working-class resistance to schooling.
Using 'hidden curriculum' only in a Marxist context.
Put it right: Recognise that the hidden curriculum can also be analysed by feminists (transmitting patriarchal values) and functionalists (teaching core societal values).
Exam tips
- When evaluating the role of education, explicitly contrast functionalist claims of meritocracy with Marxist evidence of class reproduction.
- Use specific sociological concepts like 'social solidarity', 'correspondence principle', and 'role allocation' to demonstrate theoretical understanding.
- Link the functions of education directly to the economy by discussing how schools prepare students for the workplace.
Try the lesson
The start of the Education: the role and functions of the education system, including its relationship to the economy and to class structure lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
According to functionalist sociologist Talcott Parsons, which concept describes an education system where status is achieved through individual effort and ability rather than ascribed by birth?
Listen
Sociologists analyse the education system through competing theoretical lenses to understand its role and functions. Functionalists, like Durkheim and Parsons, argue education builds social solidarity and allocates roles based on merit, preparing students for the economy by teaching specialist skills. In contrast, Marxists such as Bowles and Gintis argue education reproduces class structure. They suggest the 'correspondence principle' operates through the hidden curriculum, mirroring the workplace to produce a compliant workforce for capitalist economies. The New Right advocates for marketisation to improve economic efficiency. Evaluating these perspectives reveals how schools serve society, the economy, and different social classes. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identify the functionalist view that education provides secondary socialisation and role allocation. Recognise the Marxist concept of the correspondence principle and how the hidden curriculum prepares working-class students for exploited labour. Explain the New Right perspective that education should operate like a market to meet the needs of the economy. Evaluate the extent to which the education system promotes meritocracy versus reproducing existing class inequalities. A common slip: Confusing the functionalist and New Right views on education. Instead, while both value meritocracy, the New Right specifically advocates for marketisation and competition, whereas functionalists focus on social cohesion and role allocation. Exam tip: When evaluating the role of education, explicitly contrast functionalist claims of meritocracy with Marxist evidence of class reproduction.
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Key words
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Theoretical perspectives on education
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Meritocracy and social inequality
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Education and economic needs
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See every definition
- Theoretical perspectives on education
- Competing theoretical lenses through which sociologists analyse the education system to understand its role and functions.
- Meritocracy and social inequality
- Functionalists argue education allocates roles based on merit, while Marxists argue education reproduces class structure.
- Education and economic needs
- Functionalists argue education prepares students for the economy by teaching specialist skills, while the New Right advocates marketisation to improve economic efficiency.
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