Sociology · May / June 2016 · Paper 22 · Question 2

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Education and schools are thought to be important agencies of socialisation. Not everybody agrees, however, that education is a good thing and some social groups seem to do much better than others. Some sociologists believe that schools have a big influence on the educational performance of students.

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2(a)[2]
What is meant by the term ‘socialisation’? [2]
The learning of socially acceptable behavior that takes place in both the primary and the secondary phase in order to teach essential norms and values. One mark for partial definition, e.g. being taught to behave. Two marks for clear definition, e.g. the learning of acceptable behaviour by agents such as the peer group, family and the workplace.
2(b)[4]
Describe two aspects of the hidden curriculum, apart from socialisation. [4]
Candidates will describe two different aspects of the hidden curriculum. Possible answers:
Functionalists believe that schools teach children to conform resulting in the smooth running of society
Marxists believe that schools teach children their place in the social hierarchy, reinforcing inequalities and the acceptance of capitalism
Social Control – children learn that if they do not follow the rules then there will be consequences in the form of sanctions. If you do conform, however, then you will be rewarded and praised
Selection – students learn what kind of employment they are best suited to through the process of competition, setting and streaming
Lack of power – schools pass on to students a wide range of expectations, norms and values which children are unlikely to question – that young people have a lack of power when compared to those in positions of authority, for example
Gender roles – differential subject choice, uniform, segregation and teacher expectations all demonstrate to children that males and females have different parts to play in society
Learning to accept boredom – schools train students in how to deal with boredom in order to prepare them for this in their later working life
Recognising the importance of punctuality which is essential in the workplace
Other reasonable response. One mark for each point correctly identified (up to maximum of two). One mark for each point that is developed (up to a maximum of two).
2(c)[6]
Explain how sanctions can be used by schools to make students conform. [6]
Candidates should show an understanding of different types of sanctions used by schools. These are likely to be negative but positive sanctions (praise etc.) should also be credited. How these sanctions lead to student conformity (following the rules, doing what’s expected etc) should also be discussed. Examples are likely to be seen. Possible answers:
Informal sanctions such as glares, warnings and body language let children know whether their behaviour and actions are approved or disapproved of
Formal sanctions such as exclusions and detentions teach children that there are negative consequences to their actions
Fear – students may conform in education because they are afraid of not following the rules, particularly if corporal punishment is legal
Rewards – children like to receive praise and therefore may do as they’re told by teachers in order to receive stickers, positive contact with home, merit rewards etc.
Wanting to fit in – by following the rules and conforming, children do not stand out from the crowd and do not appear ‘different’. This may be another reason for conformity;
Primary socialisation has already ‘trained’ children in the idea that they should do as they are told (respect authority) therefore it is not surprising that this continues into education;
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of how sanctions can be used in schools to make children conform. Responses may be short and un/under developed. Candidates may only consider describing punishments with no link to conformity. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point, but there may be a tendency towards simplistic answers, engaging with sociological ideas without using sociological language, e.g. ‘Students don’t want to get told off so they do what the teacher says.’ Band 2 (4–6) A clear and accurate explanation showing good sociological knowledge and understanding of how sanctions can be used in schools to make children conform. Sociological terms and concepts should be expected. Candidates may discuss e.g. ‘the learning of norms and values, authority, socialisation, exclusion etc.’ At the bottom of the band, the range of points covered may be narrow or lack detail. Higher in the band, answers will cover more than one factor in a well-developed way or cover several factors in less detail.
2(d)[8]
Explain why school factors may be the biggest influence on a child’s educational performance. [8]
Candidates should show understanding of the various reasons why school factors may be the biggest influence on a child’s educational performance. Expect an accurate identification of different school factors within the response. Candidates may talk about trends to do with ethnicity, gender and social class and educational performance (either negatively or positively) or may approach the question in more general terms. Possible reasons:
Private schools have smaller class sizes and better facilities than state schools which may advantage the students there in terms of educational achievement;
Teacher expectations – teachers may hold stereotypes of certain students which may advantage or disadvantage them in schools
Children are at school for several hours most days of the week, meaning that education is an important agent of secondary socialisation and so affects educational performance
Peer pressure in schools is often a key reason for the educational performance of students – may lead to anti-school and/or pro-school subcultures forming
Setting and streaming are often very influential in terms of the achievements of students, categorising some as ‘winners’ and some as ‘losers’
Teacher labelling (positive or negative) may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy for students e.g. racism/sexism or the ‘halo effect’
Subject choices – for males and females particularly – there are still trends of students choosing very different subjects which can lead to different levels of performance
The curriculum – this is thought by many to be middle class and white biased (ethnocentric curriculum) and thus may account for differential performance of students
School resources – how much money a school has, the resources it has available for students, the facilities on-site, ICT provision etc. may all affect educational performance
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–3) Answers in this band will show only a limited awareness of why school factors may be the biggest influence on a child’s educational. Candidates may not be able to identify different school factors, being unclear what this means. Responses may be short and undeveloped. e.g.‘teachers being unfair’ without justification. Sociological terms and concepts are unlikely to be used. At the bottom of the band (1 mark), expect one weak point. Higher in the band (2–3 marks), candidates may offer more than one weak point. Band 2 (4–6) Answers in this band will show basic sociological knowledge and understanding of why school factors may be the biggest influence on a child’s educational performance. Responses may be underdeveloped and lacking in range. Answers may concentrate on only a few school factors such as ‘how good or bad the teachers are’ or ‘teacher labelling and stereotypes’ and so be a little narrow. At the bottom of the band, candidates are unlikely to use sociological terms and concepts accurately. Higher in the band, candidates may be beginning to use sociological terms and concepts with greater accuracy. However, some aspects of the answer may only be partially developed. Band 3 (7–8) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of why school factors may be the biggest influence on a child’s educational performance and will be well developed and explained, e.g. ‘Clear trends in educational performance relating to ethnicity, gender and social class are clear to see which suggests school factors have an important role to play in this. Private schools, for example, are funded by parents meaning that the schools have a lot of money and can afford to provide small class sizes for their students. This can lead to better educational performance as students have more one-to-one attention. The middle class nature of the school curriculum also favours some students with cultural capital over those without and hence may explain the better performance in schools of those from the higher social classes’. Sociological terms and concepts will be used accurately, overall. Answers will be well focused on the question and there will be a range of reasons presented. At the top of the band explanations will be clear throughout.
2(e)[15]
To what extent are the functions of education positive? [15]
Candidates should show an awareness of the various functions of education and whether these are positive for individuals and/or society. It is likely that students will engage with the Functionalist/Marxist (consensus/conflict) debate, although they need not use these terms explicitly. Possible answers: For
Functionalist points and approaches are likely to be seen here in terms of the role that education plays in ensuring the smooth running of society and well balanced individuals
The economic role – schools teach students the skills and knowledge needed to develop into productive workers and contribute positively to society
The socialisation role – schools teach students expected norms and values resulting in social integration (belonging)
The selective role – schools help to sort out which people should be doing which jobs, ensuring the best for society and the individual. This is done through such processes as examinations, setting and streaming
The social control role – schools teach students to obey the rules allowing them to fit smoothly into society knowing that to succeed they need to conform
Other reasonable response. Against
Marxist points and approaches are likely to be seen here in terms of the key functions of education being negative for individuals and society
The economic role – the existence of private schools, high performing schools, sets and different choices of subjects means that all students are not being taught the same in schools. This means that not everyone has the same opportunities to learn skills and knowledge preparing them for very different jobs
The socialisation role – schools remove individuality from students and use the secondary socialisation process to control and ‘brainwash’ them
The selective role – students do not get equal opportunities in schools, opportunities depend upon gender, social class, ethnicity and income. Regardless of their abilities and talents some students are likely to do better than others in education
The social control role – the sanctions system used in schools encourages children to accept what others in authority tell them without question. This enables the powerful people to continue making decisions that benefit them
The hidden curriculum – gender roles are reinforced in education and are often stereotypical resulting in different opportunities and life chances for males and females. This may be as a result of teacher labels and subject choices
Other reasonable response. Band 0 No creditworthy response. Band 1 (1–4) Answers in this band may be vague and largely based on common sense showing limited knowledge of whether the functions of education are positive for the individual and/or society. Use of sociological terms or concepts is very unlikely. Responses may be short, undeveloped and one-sided. e.g. ‘education helps students learn’. Lower in the band (1–2 marks), expect one or two weak points. Higher in the band (3–4 marks) candidates may offer more than two points or provide a weak definition of key terms, e.g. functions of education are the things that schools offer students to prepare them for later life’, in the question. Band 2 (5–8) In this band candidates will show some basic knowledge of whether the functions of education are positive for the individual and/or society. Alternatively, they may offer an answer which is list-like in nature but there will be no real attempt to assess the issues raised by the question. Answers may list positive factors of education and compare them with negative factors of education. There may be limited use of sociological terms or concepts. Responses may be underdeveloped and lack range. Answers may be simplistic and two- sided responses are unlikely. Lower in the band, the response will be rather narrow in the points covered and there will be little development. Higher in the band, more points will be covered and there will be limited development of some points, for example ‘education teaches students lots of skills that they can then use to get a job’. Alternatively, a list-like answer with little development covering both sides of the argument may score up to 8 marks. A one-sided answer cannot score higher than 8 marks. Band 3 (9–12) Answers in this band will show good sociological knowledge and understanding of whether the functions of education are positive for the individual and/orsociety. Sociological terms and concepts will be used with greater accuracy and/or frequency. For the most part, answers will be well developed, focused on the question and there will be a range of points presented. There will be a two-sided response but this may be unbalanced. At the bottom of the band, candidates may provide a narrower range of well-developed points. At the top of the band, expect a wider range of points and clear focus on the question. Candidates may outline that e.g. ‘there are different opinions within sociology as to whether functions of education such as selection and social control are negative or positive for students. Marxists see education as a means for the elite to keep their powerful positions in society whereas Functionalists believe education is available equally to all’. Band 4 (13–15) Answers in this band will show excellent knowledge and understanding of whether the functions of education are positive for the individual and/or society. There will be a strong grasp of the argument as well as accurate and frequent use of sociological terms and concepts. Answers will be well developed, clearly focused on the question and discuss a wide range of points. Candidates may outline and discuss different functions of education both positively and negatively e.g. ‘hidden curriculum, socialisation, economic, gender roles’ etc. Responses will be two-sided and balanced. At the bottom of the band (13 marks), the answer may lack a specific conclusion. Higher in the band, there will be a clear attempt to offer an assessment of the ‘To what extent…?’ part of the question through a focused conclusion. Candidates should show consideration of points for and against the idea of whether the functions of education are positive for the individual and/or society, citing some of the examples given. Section C: Crime, deviance and social control

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