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Formal and Informal Education
Formal and Informal Education
Formal Education
It takes place in a classroom where there is a syllabus and content to be taught
Includes courses, exams, etc. and can be divided by age (primary, secondary, and higher education)
Informal Education:
It takes place outside of classrooms through every day interactions and experiences
Includes social learning (through family/friends) and life skills (social skills)
Education as an Agent of Socialization and Control:
Agency of Socialization:
Education is a secondary agent of socialization
Teachers deliver content as well as social expectations and modeling/enforcing societal values
Social Control:
Controlling students' actions based on sanctions (punishments) and rewards (praise)
Different Sociological Perspectives:
Feminists: they argue that education teaches boys and girls stereotypical information about what the both sexes can and can't achieve - it conveys patriarchal ideology
Marxists: education conveys capitalist ideology
Functionalists: they believe education keeps the society functional, stable, and harmonious
Functions of Education:
Functionalist View of Education:
Key Theorists: Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, Kingsley Davis, Wilbert Moore
Key Ideas:
Stress the importance of individual achievement - at home, the child has an ascribed status (such as a son). So, students are judged by their achievements like exam grades
Pass on the social norms and values throughout generations and continue the socialization process
Education benefits society as a whole.
Creates value consensus.
Prepares individuals for roles in society.
Main Functions Identified
Socialization
Transmits society’s norms and values.
Helps maintain social cohesion.
Durkheim:
Schools = “society in miniature”.
Teach children to cooperate and follow rules.
Creates social solidarity.
Role Allocation
Sorts people into appropriate jobs.
Parsons:
Education = bridge between family and wider society.
Prepares for meritocracy → status based on achievement - people succeed based on their abilities and efforts (the higher your qualifications and skills, the higher your social class should be).
Universal standards (exams) replace family standards.
Skills Provision
Teaches specialist skills for work.
Modern economy needs skilled workforce.
E.g. literacy, numeracy, vocational skills.
Evaluation / Criticisms
Assumes value consensus exists - dominant ideologies passed down in Marxists and patriarchal in feminists
Ignores inequality in access and outcomes.
No strong connection between school and work
Overlooks conflict (e.g. class, gender, ethnicity). People aren't selected for ability but for class, gender, etc.
Bowles and Gintis (Marxists): meritocracy is a myth.
Marxist View of Education
Key Idea:
Education benefits the capitalist system.
Reinforces class inequality.
Controls the working class.
Main Functions:
Ideological Control
Teaches ruling-class values as universal.
Althusser:
Education is an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA).
Transmits capitalist ideology.
Produces obedient workers.
Reproduces Inequality
Working-class students prepared for working-class jobs.
Middle-class students gain advantages.
Education reproduces existing class structure.
Correspondence Theory - Bowles and Gintis (1976):
School mirrors the workplace.
Hierarchy, rules, punctuality.
Hidden curriculum teaches obedience.
Prepares workers to accept exploitation.
Evaluation / Criticisms
Too deterministic (not all working-class students fail).
Ignores student resistance.
Some mobility does exist.
Overlooks gender and ethnicity.
Feminist View of Education
Key Idea:
Education reinforces gender inequalities.
Supports patriarchal values.
Main Points:
Hidden Curriculum
Subtly teaches gender roles.
Boys encouraged in STEM, leadership while girls steered to caring/nurturing subjects.
Gendered Language and Resources
Books and materials reflect male bias.
Lack of female role models in curriculum.
Teacher Expectations
Teachers may treat boys and girls differently.
Boys get more attention.
Girls expected to behave and help.
Key Feminist Contributions
Sue Sharpe (1976, 1994):
Girls’ ambitions changed over time.
1970s: marriage, children
1990s: career, independence.
Evaluation / Criticisms
Significant progress made → girls now outperform boys in many subjects.
Overlooks class and ethnicity differences.
Interactionist View of Education
Key Idea
Focus on small-scale interactions in classrooms.
Looks at teacher-student relationships.
Labelling Theory
Teachers attach labels to students e.g. “bright”, “troublemaker”.
Labels affect self-concept → self-fulfilling prophecy.
Key Research
Becker (1971):
Teachers see ideal pupil as middle-class.
Working-class kids seen as less able.
Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968):
Teacher expectations influence achievement.
“Pygmalion in the Classroom” experiment.
Labeling: teachers classify students, influencing outcomes
Self fulfilling prophecies: students internalize the labels, either living them up or down
Relationship Between Education and Social Mobility
Key Idea:
Social mobility = movement between social classes.
Education seen as main route for upward mobility in modern societies.
How Education Enables Mobility
Provides qualifications → better jobs.
Teaches skills valued in the economy.
Meritocratic exams → rewards ability, not background.
Access to higher education can transform life chances.
Sociological Views
Functionalist
Education = bridge to meritocratic society.
Parsons: prepares students for achieved status.
Rewards ability and effort.
Parsons: education promotes value consensus → achievement values.
Davis and Moore: Role allocation → best people fill important jobs.
Justifies inequality as fair if based on merit.
2. Marxist
Education claims to promote mobility, but reproduces class inequality.
Bowles and Gintis: meritocracy is a myth.
Working-class students tracked into lower-paid jobs.
3. Feminist
Education can reinforce gender roles.
Girls’ gains → but still face glass ceiling in work.
4. Weberian
Life chances shaped by class, status, power not ethnicity or gender.
Education helps but cannot remove structural barriers.
Meritocracy
Definition
System where success is based on ability and effort, not birth.
Everyone has equal opportunities to succeed.
Education as Meritocratic
Standardized exams test ability fairly such as IGCSEs.
Equal curriculum.
Best jobs go to most able students.
Rewards talent, not social background.
Criticisms
Marxist
Myth of meritocracy.
Class advantage hidden → middle-class culture matches school expectations.
Working class disadvantaged.
Feminist
Gendered expectations persist.
Girls outperform in school but earn less as adults.
Interactionist
Labelling can undermine meritocracy.
Teachers’ expectations shape outcomes.
Stages of Education:
Primary Education
First stage of formal schooling
Typically ages 5–11.
Focus on basic skills like literacy, numeracy, and social skills.
Foundation for further learning.
Secondary Education
Usually ages 11–16/18.
Broader curriculum: languages, science, humanities, arts, technology.
Leads to qualifications: GCSEs, IGCSEs, other national equivalents.
Can be compulsory until 16 or 18 (varies by country).
Tertiary Education
Post-secondary learning.
Includes universities (degrees), colleges (diplomas, vocational training), professional courses.
Prepares for specialized careers.
Post-Compulsory Education
Education after the compulsory school-leaving age (often 16 or 18).
Not legally required but widely pursued.
Examples:
Sixth form / college (A-levels, vocational qualifications).
Apprenticeships.
Universities (degrees).
Professional training (nursing, engineering, trades).
Importance:
Enhances skills and qualifications.
Increases employment opportunities.
Supports social mobility.
Types of Schools
State Schools
Funded by government (taxes).
Free to attend.
Follow national curriculum.
Open to all children.
Sociological view:
Promotes equality of opportunity.
Critics → quality varies by area.
Comprehensive Schools
Introduced in UK from 1965.
Non-selective → accept all abilities.
Aim to reduce class division.
Replace tripartite system (grammar/secondary modern).
Sociological views:
Functionalist: greater equality of opportunity.
Critics (New Right): mixed-ability teaching = lower standards.
Grammar Schools
Selective → entrance exam (11+).
Traditionally for academically able.
Critics say favor middle-class families.
Supporters claim maintain standards.
Private / Independent Schools
Fee-paying
Not state-funded.
Often high resources (small classes, facilities).
Include public schools (e.g. Eton, Harrow in UK).
Sociological Views:
Marxist → reproduces class advantage.
Elite networks → social capital.
Limited access → increases inequality.
Specialist Schools
Focus on specific subjects such as science, technology, arts, sports.
Can select some students on aptitude.
Aim to raise standards in specialisms.
Academies (UK context)
State-funded but independent of local authority.
More control over curriculum, finances.
Often sponsored (business, charity).
Sociological Views:
New Right view: increases choice, competition, standards.
Critics: can increase inequalities between schools.
Faith Schools
Linked to religious organizations.
Teach national curriculum plus religious education.
Can prioritize admissions for faith background.
Debate:
Choice and cultural values.
Concerns about segregation.
Free Schools (UK)
State-funded.
Set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities.
More flexibility over curriculum.
Seen as increasing parental choice.
Selective Education
Admission based on selection criteria (e.g. exams).
Not all students can attend → selection process.
Examples
Grammar schools
Some private schools
Specialist schools: may select based on aptitude (e.g. arts, sports).
Cultural Capital (Pierre Bourdieu)
Cultural knowledge, skills, values passed through families.
Helps middle/upper-class children succeed in school.
Not just money → knowing how to succeed
Parental help with homework.
Examples:
Familiarity with academic language.
Exposure to books, museums, arts.
Confidence in dealing with teachers.
Impact on Education
Schools reward middle-class culture.
Teachers’ expectations shaped by students’ cultural capital.
Leads to reproduction of social class → inequality persists.
NOTES DONE BY FARIDA SABET
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