Bowles and Gintis proposed a correspondence theory where the structure of schools mirrors the structure of the economic system. They believed schools teach a hidden curriculum of obedience and conformity through techniques like discipline, hierarchy, and grades that prepare students to accept their future economic roles. Critics argue this view overstates schools' role in reproducing inequality and fails to recognize teachers' influence or changes in work organization. Functionalists saw the hidden curriculum as transmitting shared social values to promote cooperation.

2. Hidden
Curriculum
and
Correspondence
Theory

3. By SamuelBowles
and
HerbertGintis

4. HIDDEN CURRICULUM, Samuel
Bowles and Herbert Gintis
• American Marxist economist and sociologist
Bowles and Gintis believed that through
education there is a ‘Hidden Curriculum’
• Bowles and Gintis suggest that the school
system promotes conformist students who
submit to authority by attaching
achievement and value on those students
who display a submissive consciousness.
• “Submission to authority” is a phrase
identified by Bowles and Gintis

5. • Hidden curriculum consist of those
things that pupils learn through
experience of attending school not
educational objectives
• Hidden curriculum shapes the future
work force by :
- Creating obeying, passive and docile
workers
- Prepares school children for working
life

6. educationalsystemisa
giganticmythmaking
machinewhichservesto
createinequality
education produces inequality by justifying
those in privileged positions and efficiently
disguised the fact the
economic success runs in the family
Bowles& Gintis

7. • Hidden Curriculum – a set of extrasabout the world and aperson’s
place in it, which is taught by the school, although it’s not part of the
official learning.
• ‘What is important about what pupilslearn in school isnot primarily
the 'overt' curriculum of subjects like French and Biology, but values
and beliefs such as conformity, knowing one's place, waiting one's
turn, competitiveness, individual worth and deference to authority'.
The hidden curriculum teaches pupils 'the way life is' and that
education is something that isdone to them rather than something
that they do. The prevailing values of society are 'picked-up' by pupils.'
(Whitty and Young, 1976).
• These extras are norms, values, beliefs and ideology

8. • An expectation of social
behaviour regarded as normalNorms
• A social ideal that we regard as
being of a qualityValues
• Something held in mind
regarded as being true for nowBelief
Ideology

9. Example ofhiddencurriculum
Features Message
Privileges andresponsibilitiesgiven to
older students
Respectforelders
Schoolrulesandrewards Individuals havetoconformtolaws, rulesand
regulationswhethertheyagreeor not.
Gender differentiation( roles, rules,attentionand
expectation)
Males andfemalesareexpectedtoconformaccording
totheir gender stereotypes.
Respectingthe authorityofteachers,
regardlessofwhattheysayordo.
Respectforthosein authority
Punctuality Goodtime keeping atwork
Concentratingonschool work Workershavetoaccept
repetitivetask

10. Hidden Curriculum
Marxist Point of View

11. Marxist Point of View
• Perpetuating inequalities
• Preparing the individual to become a
docile, obedient and complying worker
• Teaches the pupil to become a passive
and massive consumer
• Teaches that only conformity will bring
rewards
• Shaping the future workforce

12. Critism on Bowles & Gintis work
• Neo-Marxists said the authors have exaggerated and
failed to provide adequate evidenceto support their case
• Brown(1997)arguedthatchanges in the nature of work
organisation itself has changed and withreduced
bureaucraticcontrol andincrease importanceof team
workingmake a system of education that breeds
competition in exams useless.

13. • Paul Willis(1977) alsoshowed that the idea that
school shapes personalityis baseless since many
pupils can disregardthe rules andpay little regards
to school authorities.

14. • hidden curriculum is concerned
with the production, maintenance
and legitimation of social
inequality
• The hidden curriculum operates
through a 'correspondence'
between the structure of
schooling and the economic
system.

15. Hidden curriculum
From functionalistpoints of view

16. • contributions
• Functionalist argues that the
survival of society is dependent
upon the holding of collective
values which label as consensus
theory and their social
transmission.

17. Whatare those collectivevalues are ?

18. • EmileDurkheimargued thatthe strict enforcementof school
rules and subsequentpunishmentfor any violation would
highlightthedamage thatcould be done to society through
the lack of collective co-operation.
• By respecting those rules in school, the child would learn to
respect the rules of adult in social life

19. Conclusionfrom perspectivesof functionalist
• In industrialised society, education provides the
opportunity to learn skills that will place the individual in an
advantageous position for future.
• the interdependence of specialised skills in modern
industry further emphasises the necessity for co-operation
and social solidarity.
• Durkheim argued that without this social life and
cooperation would be impossible because everyone would
only seek to fulfil their own desires.
• Schools help to create a sense of social solidarity by
transmitting society’s culture from generation to

20. The hidden curriculum teaches pupils 'the
way life is' and that education is something
that is done to them rather than something
that they do

22. • Claimthat the public schoolis socialinstitution(ISA)
• Proposed a correspondence theory of the relationship
between the nature of work and the education system
in Capitalistsocietes (Schoolingin Capitalist America,
1976)
By Samuel Bowles& Herbert Gintis

23. Examples
• The schooldisciplinesstudentsto the demands of
work.
• Socialrelationshipwithin the schoolreplicatethe
relationshipfound at work.
• Divisionof schoolwork into subjects accepting
divisionof labour.

24. • Correspondenceis maintained at various levels of
the education system.
o Lower, middle, higher levels of work.
• Meritocracy
o dogood, youget reward

25. Criticisms
• Brown and Lauder (1991)
– There are changes in the importance of
bureaucratic control in work organisations
– An increased importance of team working
• Michael Apple (1982, 1986)
– Teachers are being proletarianised
• Ramsey (1983)
– Great deal of variation among working class
schools.

26. • Hannan and Boyle (1987)
– Teachers attitude influence the beliefs of a
working class school
– Not all working class school prepare their
students for failing
• David Reynolds (1984)
– British school curriculum does not promote
the development of an ideal employee under
capitalism.
• Paul Willis (1977)
– B & G made assumptions that the hidden
curriculum is influencing the pupils without
proof.