The New Right agree with functionalists in the fact that they believe some people are more talented than others and they favour the meritocratic education system, as they believe it helps prepare children for getting a job. The key difference between New Right and functionalist views of education is that New Right believe that the current education is not benefiting pupils or society as a whole, stating that marketisation is something to be introduced in order to improve standards.
Chubb and Moe hold the belief that state education was not teaching any of the skills required to meet the needs of a competitive capitalist economy. Those from a working class or ethnic background were at most of a disadvantage, and those who attended private schools were at more of an advantage, due to the time tutors were able to spend teaching their pupils in working class or ethnic backgrounds in contrast to the amount of time tutors are able spend on pupils from private schools.
The method used by Chubb and Moe was a questionnaire. A strength of a questionnaire is that there is a large response rate. A limitation of a questionnaire is that using a set list of questions restricts the response given. Chubb and Moe found that children from low income families do 5% better in private schools, proving their theory correct. Marketisation was the system that Chubb and Moe wanted to introduce to improve standards in schools. This is because of the competitiveness that comes with academies encourages the children to work harder.
The first of two purposes the New Right believe the state of education serves is the national curriculum, which supplies national identity. The second purpose is that the state imposes a framework, such as Ofsted inspection reports and league tables of schools' exam results. This framework allows parents to decide which school is best for their children, which is a positive thing in the eyes of the New Right.
The New Right believe that education should affirm the British identity in order to integrate pupils into a single traditions and cultural values. Due to this, the New Right also oppose multi-cultural education that reflects the cultures of the different minority groups in Britain.
The the first limitation of the New Right view of education is that it focuses on vocational education, which is preparing students for the exploitation faced in a capitalist society. A second limitation is that by focusing on low educational standards in state schools, it is not addressing the real cause which is inequality and inadequate state funding. Also, students are over tested, which contradicts the views of the New Right.
Ideological State Apparatus: Institutions, like education, that serve to transmit the values of the state to maintain order in society and to reproduce capitalists ideals.
Repressive State Apparatus: A form of power that operates by means of violence. The Repressive State Apparatus consists of the army, the police, the judiciary and the prison system.
Legitimising Inequality: Making inequality seem the norm or common in society.
Hidden Curriculum: The values taught to pupils outside the ordinary school curriculum, such as punctuality, attendance, respect for hierarchy and competitiveness.
Correspondence Principle: Schools are structured to mirror the workplace, preparing students for their future exploitation. For example, rewards are external, and power is concentrated above the students in a hierarchy, much like in the workplace.
Extrinsic Rewards/Satisfaction: A tangible benefit for a particular job, or in education, which is external to the job itself.
Hierarchy: A system in which members of an organisation or society are ranked according to relative status or authority.
Alienation: Working in order to earn money, instead of working to gain pleasure or satisfaction.
Myth of Meritocracy: The theory that contradicts the theory that people's success in life depends primarily on their talents, abilities and effort.
Fordism: A large number of low-skilled workers willing to put up with alienating, repetitive work on mass production assembly lines.
Post Fordism: A skilled, adaptable workforce able to use advanced technology and transfer their skills rapidly from one specialised task to another.
Subculture: A cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture.
Counter-Culture: A way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm.
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