Assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches to the understanding of the role of education in society.

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Katie Fryer 12M

Assess the usefulness of functionalist approaches to the understanding of the role of education in society.

Education is one aspect of socialization, it often helps to shape beliefs and moral values. Functionalist analysis in general tends to focus on the positive contributions this is also true for the functionalist view of education, which tends to focus on the positive contributions made by education to the maintenance of the social system. How useful are the functionalist approaches to the understanding of the role in society though?

Emile Durkheim was the first functionalist and used biological analogy. An example of biological analogy in practice would be education being linked to the family and kinship, power and politics, culture and community and also economy.

According to Durkheim the major role of education was the transmission of societies norms and values. He said that the family and peer groups cannot promote the social solidarity of individuals, only the modern education system because the family is based on principles. The modern education system however teaches the basic rules of co-operation that is necessary for our society.

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The family is made up of relationships and peer groups are based on personal choice. Being a member of society however is not made up upon these principles. People have to learn to co-operate with those who are neither a relation to them nor their friends, however the school provides an environment where these skills can be learned.

Within a school the child must interact with other members of the school in terms of a fixed set of rules. This then prepares them for being a part of a society.

Functionalists believe that education is a crucial ...

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