Functionalist Views of Education

What do functionalists think education is for?

Functionalists see education as one of the most important institutions in society. For them, schools are not just places where students learn maths, English, science or sociology. Schools help society hold together.

The basic functionalist argument is that education performs important functions for both individuals and wider society. It teaches shared values, prepares young people for work, helps sort people into suitable roles and gives everyone the chance to succeed through effort and ability.

In simple terms, functionalists usually see education as a positive institution. They argue that schools help create social order, cooperation and opportunity.

This is very different from Marxist views, which focus more on inequality and capitalism. Functionalists are more likely to ask: how does education help society work?

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The big functionalist idea: society needs agreement

Functionalism is based on the idea that society works best when people share common values. These shared values are sometimes called value consensus.

For society to run smoothly, people need to agree on basic things such as:

• following rules
• respecting authority
• working hard
• cooperating with others
• accepting rewards for achievement
• preparing for adult roles

Functionalists argue that education helps teach these values. School is therefore a major agency of secondary socialisation. This means it continues the process of socialisation after the family.

Students learn not just from lessons, but from routines: lining up, wearing uniform, following timetables, completing homework, sitting exams and accepting feedback.

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Durkheim: education creates social solidarity

Émile Durkheim is one of the most important functionalist thinkers. He argued that education helps create social solidarity.

Social solidarity means a sense of belonging and shared identity. Durkheim believed that society needs people to feel connected to something bigger than themselves. Schools help create this by teaching shared values, collective history, moral rules and a sense of citizenship.

For example, schools may create social solidarity through:

• assemblies
• national history
• shared school rules
• citizenship education
• rituals such as awards, ceremonies or remembrance events
• teaching respect for others

Durkheim argued that schools act as “society in miniature”. Students learn that they are part of a wider community, not just members of their own family.

This matters because modern societies are large and complex. People do not personally know everyone they depend on. Education helps create the shared moral framework needed for cooperation.

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Durkheim: education teaches specialist skills

Durkheim also argued that education prepares young people for the division of labour.

The division of labour means that modern societies contain many different specialised jobs. Doctors, teachers, engineers, carers, lawyers, builders, programmers and shop workers all need different knowledge and skills.

Functionalists argue that education helps prepare people for these specialist roles. As society becomes more complex, schools and colleges become more important because young people need more training before entering work.

This links clearly to modern debates about vocational education, apprenticeships, T Levels, university degrees and employability skills.

From Durkheim’s view, education is essential because society needs skilled people to fill different roles.

Further commentary of Durkheim can be found in this Tutor2U Sociology topic video I recorded:

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Parsons: school is a bridge between family and society

Talcott Parsons developed another major functionalist view. He argued that school acts as a bridge between the family and wider society.

In the family, children are often judged by particularistic standards. This means they are treated as special individuals. Parents may treat children differently depending on age, personality, needs or emotional attachment.

In school, however, pupils are judged by universalistic standards. This means the same rules apply to everyone. Everyone sits the same exam, follows the same timetable and is judged by the same marking criteria.

For Parsons, this prepares young people for adult society. In the workplace, people are usually judged by performance, qualifications, punctuality and ability to follow rules rather than by family love or emotional attachment.

So, school teaches students how to move from the private world of the family to the public world of wider society.

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Parsons: education and meritocracy

Parsons also argued that education is based on meritocracy.

Meritocracy means that rewards are based on talent, effort and achievement. In a meritocratic education system, students who work hard and perform well gain qualifications, status and access to better jobs.

Functionalists argue that this is fair because people are rewarded for what they achieve rather than the family they are born into.

Exams are important here. Functionalists see exams as a fair way of measuring ability and effort. They allow schools to identify who is best suited for different future roles.

However, this is also one of the most criticised parts of functionalist theory. Marxists, feminists and interactionists argue that education is not fully meritocratic because class, gender, ethnicity, labelling, poverty and cultural capital can all affect achievement.

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Davis and Moore: role allocation

Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore argued that education helps with role allocation.

Role allocation means sorting people into the roles they are best suited for. Functionalists argue that society needs the most talented and hardworking people to fill the most important positions.

For example, becoming a doctor requires years of training because the role is highly skilled and carries major responsibility. Functionalists argue that education helps identify who has the ability and commitment needed for such roles.

From this perspective, inequality can be seen as necessary. Some jobs are more important or require more skill, so they offer higher rewards. Education helps decide who should access those roles.

Again, this is controversial. Critics argue that high rewards do not always reflect social importance. For example, nurses, carers and teachers perform essential work but may earn less than people in finance, entertainment or business.

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Human capital theory

Human capital theory is closely linked to functionalism.

Human capital means the skills, knowledge, qualifications and abilities that people develop through education and training. The more human capital a person has, the more productive they may be in the workplace.

From this view, education benefits:

Individuals, because qualifications can improve job opportunities, income and social mobility.

Employers, because educated workers may be more skilled, reliable and productive.

Society, because a skilled workforce can support economic growth, innovation and national competitiveness.

This is why governments often link education policy to the economy. Policies promoting skills, STEM subjects, apprenticeships, vocational courses and university expansion are often based on the idea that education increases human capital.

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Other notable functionalist ideas

Secondary socialisation

Education teaches norms and values beyond the family. Students learn cooperation, discipline, punctuality, achievement and respect for rules.

Value consensus

Schools help create agreement about what society sees as important, such as hard work, achievement, responsibility and citizenship.

Social integration

Education brings young people from different backgrounds together and helps them feel part of a shared society.

Selection

Schools identify different levels of ability, skill and motivation through tests, exams and assessment.

Achievement

Functionalists argue that modern education is achievement-based. Students gain rewards through effort and performance rather than inherited status.

Preparation for work

Education teaches both direct skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and indirect workplace skills, such as teamwork, timekeeping and respect for authority.

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Evaluation of functionalist views

Functionalism is useful because it shows that education does perform important social functions. Schools do teach skills, qualifications matter for many jobs, and education can help create shared values.

However, functionalism can be criticised for being too positive.

Marxists argue that education does not create equal opportunity. Instead, it reproduces class inequality and prepares working-class students for exploitation.

Feminists argue that education may reproduce gender inequality through subject choices, teacher expectations, sexual harassment and gendered career routes.

Interactionists argue that functionalists ignore everyday school processes such as labelling, streaming and self-fulfilling prophecy.

There is also a major question about meritocracy. If some students have more money, private tutoring, cultural capital, parental support and access to better schools, can we really say education is fair?

A strong A-level answer should therefore explain the functionalist view clearly but also question whether education really works in the fair and positive way functionalists suggest.

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Exam focus: how to use functionalism in AQA Sociology

Functionalism is especially useful for questions on:

• the role and functions of education
• meritocracy
• socialisation
• education and work
• education and the economy
• role allocation
• social solidarity
• the relationship between education and society

Useful names to include are:

• Durkheim — social solidarity and specialist skills
• Parsons — school as a bridge, universalistic standards and meritocracy
• Davis and Moore — role allocation
• Human capital theorists — education increases skills, productivity and economic growth

A top answer should not just list these thinkers. It should explain what each one argues, apply the idea to education, and evaluate whether the argument is convincing.

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Key terms checklist

By the end of this topic, students should be able to explain:

• Functionalism
• Value consensus
• Secondary socialisation
• Social solidarity
• Specialist skills
• Division of labour
• Particularistic standards
• Universalistic standards
• Meritocracy
• Role allocation
• Human capital
• Social mobility
• Selection
• Preparation for work