University of Manchester: SOCY20052 Education and Society Essay

This essay delves into the sociology of education, specifically focusing on the functionalist perspective and its implications. It explores the core tenets of the functionalist approach, emphasizing education's role in socialization, cultural transmission, and the provision of skills and knowledge. The essay examines the significance of government control over curriculum development, presenting arguments for and against such control, and considering the impact on parental rights, teacher agency, and political socialization. The essay discusses the roles of parents, teachers, and students within the educational system. It highlights the importance of education for individual development and societal progress. The essay concludes by advocating for accessible education for all, emphasizing the interconnectedness of education, critical thinking, and the ability to navigate the complexities of the modern world. The document is a student submission on Desklib, a platform that provides study resources.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Sociology of education
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Introduction
The field of education has always occupied a significant place within the human
society. Education refers to that social phenomenon whereby the experts or the
teachers of a particular field helps to transmit knowledge about that field to the
younger generation or the students (Blackledge and Hunt 2019). This process of
transmission of knowledge is considered to be important because of the importance of
the use of such information in resolving the personal life problems of the concerned
individuals. The social importance that education has within the lives of the people,
has made it necessary for the various sociologists to analyze this sphere of life. In this
regard, many sociological perspectives have emerged which have tried to understand
education and the role it plays within the lives of the people (Dale 2017). Sociologists
should study education because of the influence it has on the life chances of the
people who fall within its purview. The purpose of this paper is to understand the
functionalist approach to the sphere of education. In this context, the importance of
education through the functionalist lens has been discussed. Furthermore, education as
a ‘social gift’ or a ‘natural gift’ has also been looked in to. The role played by the
parents, teachers, staff administrators and the students themselves within the field of
education has also been looked in to. The paper concludes by emphasizing on the
need for everyone in the community to be educated.
Functionalist perspective of education
The functionalist perspective on education is considered to be along the lines of a
consensus perspective. It means that it tries to understand the needs of a community
based on how to maintain it for the achievement of the common good for all (Schmidt
and Günther 2016). In this context, it can be seen that the functionalist approach lays
more emphasis on the various positive benefits that an educational institute can

2SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
provide such as that of socialization which includes the learning skills taught by the
schools and their attitudes towards the progress of the students. The field of education
supports the community by providing important values and traditional norms to the
students which would help them in their path of achievement and success (Kwok
2017). Besides the inculcation of such cultural and social norms, the functionalist
approach also harps on the impartation of the skills and technical knowledge to the
students. Providing them an equal opportunity to earn a better standard of living is the
primary purpose of the field of education.
Parson is of the idea that education is based on the aspect of meritocracy.
Education is essentially considered to a bridge between two important institutions of
family and the society (Dee and Leišytė 2016). Thus, it helps to socialize the students
with respect to those values and norms which are considered to be acceptable by the
society. Parsons opines that education helps to instill those ideas of equality and value
of competition which would help to develop the element of individualism within the
students. Similarly, Blau and Duncan are also of the same view. They are of the idea
that the contemporary economic structure is dependent on the utilization of human
capital for its own prosperity (Bell et al. 2017). This is best provided by a meritocratic
education system.
The views of Durkheim on the field of education should also be noted. He
opinionated that education is mainly considered to be the field of secondary
socialization as opposed to the primary field of socialization which is accorded to the
family (Cian and Amann 2018). Thus, he believes that the family members are
responsible of passing on the individualist customary values and norms to the students
while the educational institutions are known for inculcating the more universally
accepted values and norms.

3SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Thus, it can be summed up that the functionalist approach to education harps
more on the socialization notion of knowledge (Bartlett and Burton 2016). It believes
that the individuals of the community should be transformed in to important units of
the community who can make significant contributions to the growth of the
community.
Significance of the control of central government over the development of
curriculum in schools
The sphere of education has largely come under the purview of the government
with the growth of the nation states (Shirai 2016). The governing bodies of a region
play a significant preponderant role within the lives of the people. They decide on the
laws and orders to be followed in a community. It is important to note, in this respect,
that such governing bodies mainly derive their authority and legitimacy to rule from
amongst the people of that community itself (Benn, 2018).
In this context, the governing bodies have also sought to establish its control over
the educational institutions as well. Since they are seen to be the vehicles of
socialization, the government of any country has a vested interest in the manner that a
curriculum is designed (Benn, 2018). This is due to the reason that the knowledge
which is imparted to the student decides their show of patriotism and nationalism.
Thus, every government would want its citizens to be aware of only those facts which
cast it in a favorable light in front of its own population.
The government of Britain, for instance, is known to establish such control over
the designing of curriculum of its national education (Benn, 2018). Several arguments
have been provided for and against such imposition of governmental control so as to
understand the issue in a holistic manner.
Arguments in favour of such control over the national curriculum

4SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
One of the arguments which is put forward by the scholars who defend the
instillation of government control over the national education of Britain is that it aids
to develop a particular political ideology (Gorard and Siddiqui 2018). Education is
largely seen as the field of socialization. In other words, many cultural values and
norms are taught to the students in such institutions. This has a significant impact on
the way the life and personality of a student is developed as they have inculcated such
ideas within them. In this regard, the government favored the development of an
elitist structure of education where the merit system is designed in such a manner that
the children of only the elite section of the population would be able to afford
education. This would ensure that the people with wealth are the ones with
intelligence and therefore, capable enough to make the decisions needed for the
welfare of the community.
Arguments against such control over the national curriculum
However, such a control of the government over the various educational
institutions and that of the national curriculum, has been criticized by many. The
establishment of the grammar schools are meant to serve the cause of only the elite
population of England. According to statistics, about fourteen percent of the
population of Britain can afford to go to grammar school while an astonishing seventy
percent of the population cannot afford such expenses. Furthermore, it can be seen
that twelve percent of the students attending such grammar school were privately
tutored during the last few years in the educational sphere (The Independent, 2018).
This shows that the attempt made by the government to design the national
curriculum of Britain is flawed. It excludes many students from the purview of
education since the entrance exams primarily are structured in such a manner which
favors the elites of the society (Andrews, Hutchinson and Johnes 2016).

5SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
In order to understand the debate on the control of national education, there is a
need to look at the various aspects which influence such a control.
Parental rights
The control of the government over the structuring of a national curriculum
essentially leads to a degeneration in the control of the parents over education.
Education is seen as a sphere of socialization. However, the primary sphere of
socialization is that of the family (Burgess, Crawford and Macmillan 2017). The
family members are involved in the creation of the personality of their children, which
is improved upon by the educational institutions. The attempt of the government to
exclude certain sections of population from receiving such training is an abridgment
of the rights of the parents to give their children a decent standard of living.
Teacher agency
The teachers of a community are usually looked upon as those individuals who
guide the students and enable them to be transformed in to ideal citizens of the society
(Gorard and Siddiqui 2016). In the event that the government is solely responsible for
the construction of the national curriculum, the agency of the teachers is deprived of
its primary functioning. They, instead, become the agents of the government and are
required to pass on only those information and knowledge which is approved by the
governing bodies.
Potential for political socialization
Education is largely seen to be a field of socialization. The teachers are involved
in the passing of knowledge and information to the students which, according to them,
would help them to tackle their issues that they face in their personal lives.
Furthermore, such educational institutions also helps the teachers to inculcate those
cultural values and norms within the student community which are considered to be

6SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
acceptable by the population at large. As a result of this, the implicit role that the field
of education plays in the community is that of the vehicle of socialization. This is
found to be favorable by the teaching community and the parents as well since it helps
the students to be transformed in to ideal citizens of the community with the right
moral standards.
Political control
However, one of the reasons which is provided in support of the establishment of
a government centric education system is that to helps to establish political control in
the society. The government designs such a curriculum which inspires nationalist
ideals and support for the present government (The Independent, 2018). As a
consequence of this, the growth of any tendency favoring the opposing part gets
mitigated by a large extent, This is a necessity for the government since it helps them
to remain in power. For instance, the Labor Party of Britain is eager to formulate a
national curriculum which would help the party members in the future to retain their
political control over the country.
Nationalist agendas
This political aspect of education flows in to the inculcation of the nationalist
agendas of the political parties (The Independent, 2018). The designing of the national
curriculum by the members of the government ensures the creation of a wide section
of population who are fond of their rule.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be seen that education inspires the development and
cultivation of critical thinking within the individuals. The younger generation have
little or negligible knowledge about the real world. They are in need of information
and wisdom which would aid them to make sense of the practical world. The

7SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
knowledge which is inculcated by them within the formal walls of the educational
institutions would guide them to analyze the practical situation which is troubling
them in their personal life. The functionalist approach to education emphasizes on this
aspect of knowledge. It states that education as a commodity should be available to
everyone. Furthermore, the paper has also made reference to the important role played
by the parents, the teachers, the students and the staff administrators towards the
aspect of education. The main function is that of the teachers. The have the primary
obligation of passing on the knowledge and requisite information to the students.
However, in this context, it needs to be noted that both the teachers and the parents
are responsible of generating the spirit of inquisitiveness among the children. It is
only when a student is curious that they would be interested in knowing more. Thus,
the field of education is multifaceted in nature. There are many shareholders in this
sphere of activity and each have their own unique function to perform.

8SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
References:
Andrews, J., Hutchinson, J. and Johnes, R., 2016. Grammar schools and social
mobility.
Bartlett, S. and Burton, D., 2016. Introduction to education studies. Sage.
Bell, D., Wooff, D., McLain, M. and Morrison-Love, D., 2017. Analysing design and
technology as an educational construct: an investigation into its curriculum position
and pedagogical identity. The Curriculum Journal, 28(4), pp.539-558.
Benn, M. (2018). English schools are broken. Only radical action will fix them |
Melissa Benn. [online] the Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/09/schools-broken-radical-
action-education [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].
Benn, M. (2018). The only way to end the class divide: the case for abolishing private
schools. [online] the Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/24/the-only-way-to-end-the-class-
divide-the-case-for-abolishing-private-schools [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].
Blackledge, D. and Hunt, B., 2019. Sociological interpretations of education.
Routledge.
Burgess, S., Crawford, C. and Macmillan, L., 2017. Assessing the role of grammar
schools in promoting social mobility. Department of Quantitative Social Science
Working Paper, pp.17-09.
Cian, H. and Amann, H., 2018. A review of Education and Social Media using
conflict and functionalist theories. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 13(3),
pp.837-843.
Dale, R., 2017. Education and the capitalist State:: contributions and contradictions.

9SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
In Cultural and economic reproduction in education (pp. 127-161). Routledge.
Dee, J.R. and Leišytė, L., 2016. Organizational learning in higher education
institutions: Theories, frameworks, and a potential research agenda. In Higher
education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 275-348). Springer, Cham.
Gorard, S. and Siddiqui, N., 2016. Grammar schools in England: a new approach to
analysing their intakes and outcomes.
Gorard, S. and Siddiqui, N., 2018. Grammar schools in England: a new analysis of
social segregation and academic outcomes. British Journal of Sociology of
Education, 39(7), pp.909-924.
Kwok, K.H., 2017. Social Change and Educational Change: Toward an Interactive
Approach. In When Education Meets Politics in Taiwan (pp. 5-19). Brill Sense.
Schmidt, U. and Günther, T., 2016. Public sector accounting research in the higher
education sector: a systematic literature review. Management Review
Quarterly, 66(4), pp.235-265.
Shirai, Y., 2016. The acquisition of linguistic categories in second language
acquisition: A functionalist approach. Cognitive-functional approaches to the study of
Japanese as a second language, pp.13-32.
The Independent. (2018). 'As a working-class student who tried and failed to navigate
the grammar school system, let me tell you something'. [online] Available at:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/grammar-school-private-elitist-students-
education-opportunities-a8472676.html [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].
Weale, S. (2019). Attainment gap widens for disadvantaged GCSE pupils, study finds.
[online] the Guardian. Available at:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/30/attainment-gap-widens-
disadvantaged-gcse-pupils-study [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].