Education | AQA GCSE Sociology (8192)
Education
- 83 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
Education is examined in Paper 1, The sociology of families and education.
It covers roles and functions of education, education, capitalism and the correspondence principle, class and gender differences in achievement, ethnicity, parental choice and school markets and processes within schools.
Sample questions from Education
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Roles and functions of education
How did Durkheim think school binds children to society?
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Durkheim argued that teaching history gives children a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. School is a society in miniature, where children cooperate with people outside their own family. -
Roles and functions of education
How do feminists view the role of education?
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Feminists argue that schools once prepared girls for domestic roles and boys for paid careers. Liberal feminists welcome equal opportunities policies, while radical feminists argue schools remain patriarchal. -
Education, capitalism and the correspondence principle
How does the organisation of learning correspond to the organisation of work?
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School knowledge is split into separate subjects, just as work is broken into small, narrow tasks. Pupils have little say over what they learn, as workers have little control over their jobs. -
Education, capitalism and the correspondence principle
How would functionalists respond to the correspondence principle?
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Functionalists agree that school prepares pupils for work but see this as fair and good for everyone. Parsons saw exams as a meritocratic way of matching talent to jobs. -
Class and gender differences in achievement
What are the criticisms of Halsey's study?
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Halsey's sample excluded girls, so its findings may not apply to women. The men were educated before comprehensive schools, so the findings are now dated. -
Class and gender differences in achievement
What did Sue Sharpe find about girls' changing priorities?
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Sue Sharpe, a feminist researcher, found that working-class girls in the 1970s put love, marriage and children first. Sharpe's repeat study in the 1990s found that careers and independence had become their priorities. -
Ethnicity, parental choice and school markets
How do cultural, material and labelling explanations account for ethnic differences in achievement?
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Cultural explanations point to language and family values, while material explanations point to higher poverty in some groups. Interactionists stress teacher labelling, and Marxists link ethnic inequality to class. -
Ethnicity, parental choice and school markets
What were the tripartite system and the eleven plus?
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The tripartite system, set up after the Education Act 1944, divided pupils between grammar, secondary technical and secondary modern schools. The eleven plus exam decided which school a child attended. The exam relied partly on tests of intelligence quotient, or IQ, a score claimed to measure intelligence.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Roles and functions of education | Formal and informal education, types of school, education and the economy, Durkheim on social cohesion, Parsons on meritocracy and universalistic standards, and home schooling. | 20 |
| Education, capitalism and the correspondence principle | Bowles and Gintis's correspondence principle, the hidden curriculum, meritocracy as a myth, Althusser, vocationalism, and functionalist, feminist and interactionist criticisms. | 14 |
| Class and gender differences in achievement | Halsey, Heath and Ridge on class and staying on, material and cultural deprivation, cultural capital, Sue Sharpe on girls' priorities, the crisis of masculinity and the gendered curriculum. | 16 |
| Ethnicity, parental choice and school markets | Ethnic differences in achievement and exclusion, institutional racism, Cecile Wright, marketisation and the Education Reform Act 1988, Ball, Bowe and Gewirtz, and types of state school. | 17 |
| Processes within schools | Streaming, setting and mixed-ability teaching, labelling and the self-fulfilling prophecy, Becker's ideal pupil, Rosenthal and Jacobson, Ball's Beachside, and Willis's counter-school culture. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA GCSE Sociology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 578 questions with their answers.