The Functionalist View of Education

Talcott Parsons viewed the school as a bridge between the family and wider society, facilitating the transition from the private sphere to the public sphere.

Within the family, children are judged by particularistic standards (rules that apply only to them) and hold an ascribed status (fixed at birth).

In school and wider society, individuals are judged by universalistic standards (the same rules apply to everyone) and achieve their status through their own efforts and abilities, known as achieved status.

Meritocracy: This is the principle that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, and rewards (such as high-status jobs) are based solely on individual talent and hard work rather than social background.

Davis and Moore argued that education performs the function of role allocation, which involves 'sifting and sorting' individuals into the positions that best suit their abilities.

They suggest that social inequality is functionally necessary because it ensures that the most important and difficult roles in society are filled by the most talented and qualified people.

By offering higher rewards (pay, status) for these roles, society encourages individuals to compete for them, and the education system acts as the mechanism to identify who is most capable.

When discussing Functionalism, always link the function to the needs of society (e.g., 'Education provides specialist skills because the economy needs a trained workforce').

Use the names of key theorists (Durkheim, Parsons, Davis and Moore) to anchor your arguments and demonstrate depth of knowledge.

Common Mistake: Do not confuse 'equality of opportunity' with 'equality of outcome.' Functionalists believe everyone should have the same chance to succeed (opportunity), but they accept that outcomes will be unequal based on talent.

Always check if the question asks for a critique; if so, mention that Functionalism is often criticized for ignoring the influence of social class, gender, or ethnicity on educational achievement.

The 'Over-Socialized' View: A common pitfall is assuming that students passively accept all the values taught in school. Critics argue that students often resist or reject school values, which functionalists tend to overlook.

The Myth of Meritocracy: Many students mistakenly believe functionalists claim society is perfectly meritocratic. In reality, functionalists argue that society should be meritocratic for efficiency, but critics point out that factors like wealth often override talent.

Circular Reasoning: Some argue that functionalism is tautological—it claims a social institution exists because it has a function, and it has a function because it exists.