GMIT EXAMINATIONS 2013/2014

Continuous Assessment No 1 (CA1) ACADEMIC ESSAY

Programme:

DTE

Year:

Module:

PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATION (PE)

CA Weighting:

(20% out of 100%)

Internal Examiner(s):

Dr. Pauline Logue Collins

External Examiner(s): Dr. Elaine McDonald

Mr. Tom Scott

Submission [Dates to be confirmed]

Submission Date 1 (required draft) 10%:
Submission Date 2 (final version) 10%:

Tuesday 16th Oct, 2013 (15%)

Tuesday 25th Oct 2013 (15%)

Student Information:
Name:

Padraig Moore

Student Number:

G00290727

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION

ABSTRACT
The aim of this essay is to compare the different sociological perspectives in education. To
begin the essay the meaning of sociology is first explained. The different perspectives of
sociology are then examined such as the functionalist perspective, Marxism or the conflict
theory, symbolic interactionism, and the feminist theory. Once these theories are examined,
the functionalist theory and the conflict perspectives are further explored, compared and
contrasted. The essay will then go onto examine the importance of understanding sociology
in education. It will then highlight the importance of both the functionalist perspectives and
the conflict perspectives of sociology in education.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank everyone who helped me in writing this academic essay. I wish
to show my sincerest appreciation to my lecturer Dr Pauline Logue Collins without whose
help, guidance and wealth of knowledge in her field of education this essay would have been
an insurmountable task. I would also like to thank the librarians of GMIT as they never
hesitated to do what they could to offer assistance when I needed it. Primary school principal
of Gerald Griffins Roseanne Moore, also assisted me in introductory stage of the essay and
helped to point me in the right direction and also gave me some useful recommended reading
which I will refer to later in the essay. She also helped by proof reading this essay.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract

ii

Acknowledgements

iii

1.

Introduction

2.

What is Sociology?

3.

Sociological perspectives

3.1

Functionalist perspective

3.2

Marxist perspectives

4.

Sociology of Education

4.1

Functionalist perspectives on education

4.2

Marxist perspectives on education

5.

Conclusion

6.

Table of References

iv

1. INTRODUCTION
Sociology as a whole is the study of how living things interact with one another within a
community. It has been studied since the end of the French Revolution when Auguste Comte
first started to study society from a scientific point of view using observation and empirical
data. It has been studied from many different perspectives which will be later examined. But
why study sociology? What do we gain from having a greater understanding of sociology and
what relevance does it have to education. It is my opinion that an understanding of sociology
is very important to broaden our comprehension of how things work in a society. Most
sociologists then saw educational institutions almost as miniature societies and then started to
examine these to further their understanding. They also saw these educational institutions as a
training ground for individuals real world societies.

2. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?
Sociology is the scientific study of human life, social groups, whole societies and the human
world as such. (Giddens, 2009, p. 6). Sociology tries to give us an insight into much we take
for granted and in doing so understands people as social beings (Bilton, 1996, p. 5). In
attempting to understand social behaviour sociologists rely on an unusual type of creative
thinking. C. wright Mills (1959) described such thinking as the sociological imagination- an
awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society (Schaefer, 2001, p.
7). Some sociologists believe that human societies have passed through certain broad phases
of development (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 5)

3. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
There are many different theories or perspectives related to sociology, some are comparable
and some are completely different from one another. The functionalist perspective was first
brought to the fore in the nineteenth century. Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim, two
Frenchmen were the two founders of functionalism. Functionalism holds that society is a
complex system whose various parts work together to produce stability and solidarity
(Giddens, 2009, p. 23). Auguste Comte coined the term sociology and Emile Durkheim was
the most influential of the early functionalists (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 7).
Comparable to the functionalist theory is the conflict theory. The conflict perspective assumes
that social behaviour is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing
groups. Such conflict need not be violent; it can take the form of labour negotiations, party
politics and competition between religious groups for members or disputes over federal
budget (Schaefer, 2001). German born Karl Marx and Max Weber would have been two of
the founding members of the conflict theory. Harriet Martineau was an English sociologist
who was a supporter of the feminist perspective. She translated a lot of Comtes work into
English. However her own writings emphasised the impact that the economy, law, trade, and
population could have on social problems of contemporary society (Schaefer, 2001, p. 12).
She argued that sociologists should do more than just observe they should also act in ways to
benefit society. As a result Martineau was an active proponent of both womens rights and
the emancipation of slaves. (Giddens, 2009, p. 21) Interactionism differs from functionalism,
conflict and most feminist theories in that it focuses on small scale interaction rather than a
society as a whole (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 12]). George Herbert Mead is widely
regarded as the founder of the interactionist perspective. His sociological analysis often
focused on human interactions within one-to-one situations and small groups (Schaefer,
2001, p. 19).
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3.1 FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

Functionalists including Comte and Durkheim have often used an organic analogy to
compare the operation of society to that of living organisms. They argue that the parts of
society work together, just as the various parts of the human body do, for the benefit of
society as a whole (Giddens, 2009, p. 23). If biologists were to examine parts of the human
body in isolation from each other they would be unable to explain how life was maintained.
To do this they would have to examine the parts of the body in relation to each other and
functionalists adopts a similar perspective (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 8). Functionalists
acknowledge that not all parts of society contribute to its stability all the time. A dysfunction
refers to an element or a process of society that may actually disrupt a social system or lead
to a decrease in stability (Schaefer, 2001, p. 17). However some dysfunctions may not
always be negative for a society, for example crime in a society leads to the need for
correction officers which in return creates employment for other people in societies. For
functionalist analysts the great engine of change and development in societies is
industrialisation. The degree of industrialisation is thought to be the key to our
understanding of the structure and functioning of a given society. (Lynch, 1993, p. 30)

3.2 CONFLICT/MARXIST PERSPECTIVE

Functionalism and Marxism are quite comparable. First they offer a general explanation of
society as a whole, and as a result are sometimes known as macro theories. Second they
regard society as a system; hence they are sometimes referred to as system theories. Third
they tend to see human behaviour as shaped by the system (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p.
11). However conflict theorists reject functionalisms emphasis on consensus. Instead they
highlight the importance of divisions in society. In doing so, they concentrate on issues of
power, inequality and struggle (Giddens, 2009, p. 24). Thus in studying any culture
3

organisation or social group, conflict theorists want to know who benefits, who suffers and
who dominates at the expense of others as a result of this division (Schaefer, 2001, p. 19).
The main differences between functionalist and Marxist perspectives then, is the way they
characterize the social structure. Functionalists stress the extent to which the different
elements of the social structure fit together harmoniously. Marxists stress the lack of fit
between the different parts, particularly social classes, and so emphasize the potential for
social conflict (Bryant, 2000-2013).

4. SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
Sociology is a social science. One important institution in a modern society is the educational
system (Musgrave, 1972, p. 11). Sociology of education is the study of how education as a
social force or structure, impacts upon individual lives. It is the study of how schooling is
organised and the implications of this for determining how individuals can access and
participate in educational processes, leading to participation in wider society and well-being.
(Walsh, 2011, p. 108)
Researchers have studied education from various theoretical perspectives and have
analysed complex data sets with sophisticated analytical techniques. As a result the
sociology of education has become a vital and expanding field within sociology and
has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the social structures and
processes that affect students learning and social development (Hallinan, 2006, p. 1).
The school is a unity of interacting personalities. The personalities of all who meet in the
school are bound together in an organic relation. The life of the whole is in all its parts, yet
the whole could not exist without any of its parts (Waller, 1978, p. 6). In its broadest sense,
education is simply one aspect of socialisation: it involves the acquisition of knowledge and
the learning of skills. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, education often also helps to
shape beliefs and moral values (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 690).

4.1 FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATION

It was Durkheims belief that individuals must learn to co-operate with those who are neither
kin nor their friends (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 692). School is a perfect example of
this. When going to school it may be the students first time ever having to interact with
people outside of their family and outside of their friends as the school is like a miniature
society. This is a great way of training children to interact with members of society. Talcott
Parsons another functional theorist in the mid-twentieth-century believed that a childs status
in the family is ascribed that is fixed from birth. By contrast, a childs status in school is
largely achieved, and in schools children are assessed according to universal standards such
as exams (Giddens, 2009, p. 835). Parsons believed the function of education was to let the
child grow from the standards set by the family and achieve what they wanted in modern
society. There is a lot to be learnt from the functional theorists in regards to education, it
provides individuals with knowledge and skills to participate in societies as well as some of
the morals and values in wider society. However functionalists seem to think that education
will serve several functions for societies as a whole therefore assuming that all societies are
the same and have similar interests. Is this entirely accurate? In my own opinion I think each
society is different and so will have different interests.

4.2 MARXIST PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION

Conflict perspectives on education, in contrast, are based upon the view that groups within
existing societies have fundamentally different interests (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 698).
If this is so, it would mean some individuals would benefit from contemporary societies more
than others. However sociologist Christopher Hurn compared the functionalist and conflict
views on schooling. Hurn believed that

The functionalist perspective portrays contemporary education as basically benign.

For example it argues that schools rationally sort and select students for future high
status positions, thereby meeting societys need for talented and expert personnel. By
contrast the conflict perspective views education as an instrument of elite domination.
Schools convince subordinate groups of their inferiority, reinforce existing social
class inequality, and discourage alternative and more democratic visions of society
(Schaefer, 2001, p. 402).
Conflict theorists also believe there is a hidden curriculum in education. It was two American
sociologists, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis who brought this theory to the fore in the
1970s. For capitalism to succeed it needs a hard-working, docile, highly obedient and highly
motivated workforce, which is too divided and fragmented to challenge the authority of
management (Haralambos, Holborn, 2008, p. 698). They believed that this was obtained
through education in a hidden curriculum. But what is a hidden curriculum? Its not what is
being taught or examined in the school but more so the way things are taught and the way the
school is organised. Its more what the individual learns from the experience of attending
school rather than the stated learning outcomes.

5. CONCLUSION
The understanding of sociology is critically important both from an individuals point of view
as well as an educational point of view. Even though there are many different aspects or
perspectives of sociology many of these have some very similar views and beliefs. Even
though functionalism and Marxism are completely different in theory, there are still some
similarities between the two. As weve seen they both use macro theories and they both refer
to societies as a system and they also see human behaviour as being shaped by the society.
However they look at society in a completely different way, functionalists see all the parts of
society as needed for the society to function properly, whereas Marxists highlight the
importance of division in society.

6. TABLE OF REFERENCES

Bibliography
Bilton, B. K. (1996). Introductory Sociology. London: MacMillan Press LTD.
Bryant, L. (2000-2013, ). History Learning Site. Retrieved November 20th, 2013, from
www.historylearningsite.co.uk:
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/sociological_theories.htm
Giddens. (2009). Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Hallinan, M. T. (2006). Handbook of the Sociology of Education. New york : Springer Science and
Business Media.
Haralambos, Holborn. (2008). Sociology Themes and Perspectives. London: HaperCollins LTD.
Lynch, S. D. (1993). Schools and Society in Ireland. Dublin: ColourBooks LTD.
Musgrave, P. (1972). The Sociology of Education. London: Butler & Tanner LTD.
Schaefer, R. T. (2001). Sociology . New York: McGraw-Hill.
Waller, W. (1978). The Sociology of Teaching. New York London Sydney: John Wiley & Sons .
Walsh, B. (2011). Education Studies in Ireland. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan LTD.