Examine the Marxist view that the function of the education system is to pass on ideology and reproduce existing class structure

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Examine the Marxist view that the function of the education system is to pass on ideology and reproduce existing class structure (20 marks)

Intro: Marxists theorists take a macro approach on society; they look into the bigger picture and in broad terms the affects of the education system on society. They are also a conflict theory based on social class, they believe that society is capitalist and in favor of and benefit the bourgeoisie and the working class are exploited and disadvantaged. 

Para1: Marxists believe that education serves the needs of capitalism and the ruling class. This is because education functions to transmit norms and values that create social stability in society. They believe these norms and values reflect the dominant ideologies that benefit the ruling elite and so success in education is based on class not intelligence. A way education does this is through the hidden curriculum suggested by Althusser. The hidden curriculum is those things indirectly taught and learned in education outside the overt programme of subjects and courses; in particular values, beliefs and attitudes, for example punctuality, Marxists believe it is the norms and values of obedient workers that are taught in the hidden curriculum. This is evident in the correspondence principle explained by Bowles and Gintis which is the correlation between education and the workplace. For example pupils must conform and obey authority figures in school such as teachers and this is also apparent in the workplace where workers work under management such as their boss or supervisor.

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Para2: The class difference in education is evident in a study by Bernstein showing that the working classes are disadvantaged in education because of speech codes. Bernstein suggested that working class students suffer from a language deficit and results in their failure in education system. Bernstein stated that middle class children had elaborated speech codes in which they have the ability to switch to from the restricted code where they would speak in more detail and use complex sentence structures whereas working class children have only restricted speech codes and their speech is disjointed and unpunctuated and not elaborated. Since ...

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