The Functionalists explanations of the role of education

        Functionalists believe that before industrialisation there were ascribed positions in society, this means that what and who you were at birth were who and what you stayed, (for example, if you were born the working class son of a butcher, you would always be working class and would grow up to be a butcher), as in class, social status etc. and that there was particularism where personal relationships and marriages were important in social actions. They believe that since industrialisation positions are now more complicated and that anyone can do anything now if they are good enough to do it. They consider our society to be meritocratic-where positions are based on achievements.

                Functionalists consider education to be a bridge between the home and the wider society. In school, children are judged by the universalistic standards of society rather than the particularistic values of the home

        Durkheim was one of the first functionalists and he believed in social order, which means that society has shared norms, values and expectations and everybody performs their roles in society.

        Amongst other things, Functionalists believe in:

• Cultural Transmission: education has a socialisation function which maintains and promotes society’s norms and values between generations. Particularly in advanced and complex societies, schools ensure continued harmony and equilibrium by transmitting the society’s culture and core values from one generation to the next.
• Social Control: this is based on the need for each society to regulate the actions of its members. Schools produce rules and regulations so that students can learn what is expected of them within, also outside and beyond, schools. Such a social control also passes on acceptance of the society’s legal and political practices.
• Social Selection: this places the academically more able students into more complex occupations, such as law and medicine. The education system sifts and sorts students in relation to their abilities so that individuals and society may take advantage of the talents available.
• Economic Training: this refers to meeting the economic needs of a society to ensure its survival and well-being. The education system needs to provide skills training, ranging from those involved in caring services to those involved in high technology, and to match the wide-ranging and often changing needs of society.