The links between social class and educational achievement Essay

The links among genial class and reproductional actionthither have been many theories about social class and take aimingal achievement and this sample will concentrate on the conflict theory and the functionalist theory.This stress will examine the links between class and achievement. It will show and critically study the different sociological theories on education relating to class, and founder these theories to educational experiences, structure and practices. The different perspectives will be used to analyse disparity in relation to different social classes in the UK. This essay will also provide evidence of contrast in British education and identify and evaluate key indemnity developments in education provision in relation to social classFunctionalist theory focuses on the ways the education system as a whole meets the needfully of order of magnitude. It emphasises the interdependence of the social system and stresses the process and behaviours that maintain it . Durkheim (cited in Haralambos et al 2000777) saw the major function of education as the transmission of societys norms and values. Functionalist theory believes that schools should serve intellectual, political and social purposes (Sadovnik et al 2001). Functionalists believe that schools foster the value of equality of opportunity by placing pupils in the same situation in the classroom (Haralambos et al 779). They maintain that education sorts students based on their ability, as argued by Parsonsstudents conduct is assessed against the yardstick of the schoolrules their achievement is measured by their performance inexaminationsthe same standards argon applied to allstudents regardless(prenominal) of ascribed characteristics such as sex, race, family... ...will have longsighted term positive results (Haralambos et al 2004 p621). Sure start was criticised that its impact on children and their parents was unsatisfactory. However it is too early to assess its impact on child rens formal education (ibid). These policies have been created because there is a LINK between class and achievement for example working class pupils do less well in school.SummaryThis essay has discussed and critically analysed the different social theories of education relating to class, it has applied these theories to educational experiences, structures and practices. It has addressed different social theories of inequality in relation to social classes. This essay has also provided evidence of inequality in British education and finally identified and evaluated key policy developments in education provision in relation to social class.