What does the education system do for society?
The functions of education, including socialisation, skills for work, role allocation and social control, drawing on Durkheim, Parsons and Davis and Moore.
A focused answer to the Eduqas GCSE Sociology education topic, covering the functionalist account of the functions of education (socialisation, skills, role allocation and social control) using Durkheim, Parsons and Davis and Moore.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to explain the functions that education performs for society, using the functionalist thinkers Durkheim, Parsons and Davis and Moore, and to be able to evaluate them against the conflict perspectives. The functions of education are a common focus for both short explain questions and the longer discuss questions on Component 1.
Durkheim: solidarity and skills
Durkheim's account is the foundation of the functionalist view: education is treated as a positive institution that meets society's needs. The solidarity function links directly to socialisation, since school passes on the shared values that hold society together.
Parsons: the bridge and meritocracy
The bridge metaphor captures the idea that school prepares children for the impersonal world of work, where they will be judged by the same standards as everyone else. Meritocracy is a key term: functionalists argue education is fair because it rewards merit, a claim that Marxists strongly dispute.
Davis and Moore: role allocation
Davis and Moore focused on role allocation (also called the sifting and sorting function). They argued that education sorts people into the jobs best suited to their abilities, by testing and grading them through exams and qualifications. The most able are filtered into the most important and highly rewarded jobs, which they argued is both necessary and fair because it ensures the right people fill the right roles. Like Parsons, they assume the system is meritocratic.
Education as social control
Beyond these, functionalists note that education is an agency of secondary socialisation and social control: it teaches the norms and values of society and trains pupils to follow rules and respect authority, preparing them to be orderly citizens and workers. A strong answer can list several functions (socialisation, skills, role allocation and social control) and then evaluate whether they really benefit everyone, as Marxists and feminists deny.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20184 marksExplain one function the education system performs for society.Show worked answer →
A four-mark explain item: name one function and develop it.
One function is socialisation. Schools pass on the shared norms and values of society, such as respect for authority, punctuality and cooperation, alongside academic knowledge.
Develop the point: Durkheim argued that education teaches the shared culture and creates social solidarity, binding individuals into a single society, which functionalists see as essential for social order. Markers reward a clearly named function plus a developed explanation of how it benefits society.
Eduqas 202112 marksDiscuss the view that the main function of education is to benefit society as a whole.Show worked answer →
A twelve-mark discuss item assessing AO1, AO2 and AO3. Use functionalism for the view, conflict perspectives against it, then judge.
For the view: functionalists argue education benefits everyone. Durkheim said it teaches shared values and social solidarity and the skills society needs. Parsons called school a bridge between family and society that teaches universalistic values. Davis and Moore said education sorts people into the right jobs by ability (role allocation).
Against the view: Marxists argue education benefits capitalism and the ruling class, reproducing class inequality and producing obedient workers (Bowles and Gintis). Feminists point to gender inequalities. So education may serve the powerful, not all.
Judgement: education performs useful functions, but whether it benefits society as a whole or mainly the powerful is the key debate, so the functionalist view is incomplete. Markers reward both sides, named thinkers and a supported conclusion.
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE Sociology (C200) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2017)