Examine the Marxist view that education is to reproduce and justify the existing class structure

To back up the point about some Marxists not believing in meritocracy there is Bowles and Gintis. They give the impression that your social class determined how you would end up in life, for example if you were middle class or upper class then the teachers would devote more time towards you by enhancing your chances of obtaining a successful job. The working class however would be frowned upon and  would often be avoided by the teachers which would leave a negative effect of school on the pupils resulting in less motivation and drive towards school and is likely to result in pupils spending less time at school and therefore not gaining as good a qualifications as the middle and upper class resulting in them ending up in working class jobs. From an article I read there was a study carried out in which researchers believed that low grade students were aggressive, independent and creative whereas the higher grade students persevered, and were dependable, consistant and punctual. Bowles and Gintis then produced a theory known as the “correspondence theory” in which they believe that everything that happens at school  will be the same as it is for work.

. It also prepares students for their later roles in the work place. They believe that children are only motivated by external rewards, for example at school you receive qualifications and at work you receive wages. Pupils gain little enjoyment from studying the actual subjects but learn to put up with it so they can gain the external rewards. This prepares them for work because work in a capitalist society is boring so workers are motivated by an external reward: their wages. Also, schools are structured so that fragmentation of subjects is the norm as pupils move from one subject to another through the day. This also prepares students for work as it is usually structured the same way, as individuals have specific tasks and are denied knowledge of how the overall productive process works. This ensures that the workforce are easier to control.

Paul Willis is a neo Marxist. This means he agrees with some things the Marxists say but has a different view on others. He agrees that the education system reproduces the class system, however when he conducted a study on 12 lads from a Midlands school over a period of twelve months (from last year of school to their first months of paid employment) he found that the lads adopted working class culture which is masculine, rebellious and physical and they praised manual over mental labour. This resulted in the lads rejecting the middle class values of their school, thus they enjoyed bunking off and making teachers lives difficult. The lads also felt superior to both teachers and conformist students (students who did what they were told) and they often used sexist and racist language. The lads more importantly, attached little or no value to the academic work of the school and had no interest in gaining qualifications. This led to them ending up in working class jobs. Willis argues his students were not like those of Bowles and Gintis as it was evident they were not docile and obedient. Instead, they openly rejected the belief that hard work and striving for individual success can bring worthwhile rewards. Willis also points out however that this rejection of the school values is actually the pupils downfall as it was ultimately reproductive ie. They ended up in manual jobs as a result of having no qualifications. The lads rejection of school makes them the victims of a system where their labour will be exploited in the workplace.

Criticisms of the Marxist view are that they are too deterministic. They also ignore the influence of the formal curriculum, and that Marxists place too much blame on the teachers and the education system due to influence from bourgeiosies. Perhaps many Marxist views would be relevant to a different time period as the education system has changed over the years and many Marxist views would have been incoherent to this period of education.