talking about functionalism

1. Sociological Approaches to
Education
Functionalist - Durkheim

2. Functionalism looks at society as if it were a
human body
• Every part of the body has a
function which helps keep it
alive and healthy
• Every part of society helps to
keep society going
• All the parts of the body link
together into one big system
• All of the parts of society work
together and are dependent on
each other – they are
interdependent.
• Education is an important part
of how society functions

3. Functionalist Approach
• Emile Durkheim, one of the
founding fathers of Sociology
and a key Functionalist thinker
believed that;
• All institutions of society exist
because they have useful
functions, contributing to the
general good.
• Education had an important
role in the socialisation of
children into key cultural
values such as social solidarity

4. Value Consensus
• According to Durkheim, one of
the main purposes of
education should be to
socialise children into the
norms and values agreed by
society – the value consensus.
• Instead of following their own
impulses, children must learn
self-restraint, fit in with the
behaviour patterns of others
and accept the discipline
imposed by the school.
• “To act morally is to act in
terms of the collective interest”

5. Education and Inequality
• Durkheim acknowledged that
inequalities in society exist but
viewed this as inevitable.
• Some students would be more
academically successful than
others and this would lead to
different careers and levels of
wealth but all had their roles
to play.
• It was better for many people
to accept their limits and lowly
roles and contribute to the
greater good of society.

6. Social Solidarity
• Durkheim stressed that the
chief role of education should
be to encourage in children a
sense of social solidarity, a
feeling of identification with
the group and responsibility
toward others.
• This was particularly important
in modern, industrialised
societies where rapid changes
were thrusting people from
different backgrounds together
and religion was becoming less
influential in binding society.

7. Evaluation
• Are Durkheim’s views relevant today? Look
at the work of David Hargreaves.
• What about the inevitability of social
inequality? Should schools accept or
challenge inequality?
• Durkheim’s work is described as taking a
structuralist approach. Why?