Education — roles & functions
AQA GCSE Sociology revision on Education — roles & functions. Aligned to the AQA GCSE Sociology 8192 specification. This bank has 50 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 50)
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Question 1
Functionalists see education as...
- A) Pointless
- B) Performing essential functions: socialisation, skills, social cohesion, sorting people for jobs
- C) Bad for society
- D) Only about wealth
Show answer
Answer: Performing essential functions: socialisation, skills, social cohesion, sorting people for jobs
DURKHEIM: education transmits society's culture + creates social cohesion. PARSONS: school is a 'focal socialising agency' bridging family + wider society. Schools sort people into the roles they're best at (meritocracy). DAVIS + MOORE: education sorts the most talented into the most important jobs - functional for society.
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Question 2
The hidden curriculum is...
- A) Subjects you can't take
- B) Unwritten lessons of school: obedience, hierarchy, punctuality, conformity
- C) Secret meetings
- D) Locked subjects
Show answer
Answer: Unwritten lessons of school: obedience, hierarchy, punctuality, conformity
What schools teach BEYOND the official curriculum: obedience to authority, time-keeping (bells, deadlines), competition (grades), conformity (uniforms), hierarchy (teacher-pupil), gender roles. Marxists (Bowles + Gintis) argue this prepares working-class kids for boring routine work. Feminists: hidden curriculum reinforces gender stereotypes.
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Question 3
Material deprivation as a cause of educational underachievement means...
- A) Lack of motivation
- B) Lack of physical/economic resources: poor housing, lack of books, can't afford trips, poor diet
- C) Bad teachers
- D) Too much TV
Show answer
Answer: Lack of physical/economic resources: poor housing, lack of books, can't afford trips, poor diet
Working-class children may face: overcrowded housing (no quiet study space), no internet, no money for books/trips, poor diet (impacts concentration), parents working long hours (less help). Halsey study: material factors major cause of class gap in education. CULTURAL DEPRIVATION (different theory): working-class home doesn't value education enough - controversial, criticised.
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