Question

carried out unstructured group interviews to uncover a counter-school culture of the 'lads'. These allowed the lads to talk freely in their own words about the ways in which they viewed teachers, school and work. Some however argue this is unreliable as they cannot be repeated in exactly the same way with other groups, and also interpretation may be biased so the results may be of little value. **** study was used to understand how schooling serves capitalism. He studied 12 working class 'lads' as they made the transition from school to work. The lads are anti-school, calling hard workers 'ear-oles' and find school boring and meaningless. They smoke, drink, flout school rules and values. *** notices the similarities between this and shopfloor culture of male manual workers. Manual work is seen as superior by them. By resisting to schools this culture actually still aids capitalism as manual workers are needed by capitalism to keep it going!

Answer 1

Schooling contributes to the capitalist system by perpetuating a hidden curriculum that socializes students into their future roles in the workforce. The unstructured group interviews with 'lads' demonstrate a counter-school culture that, despite opposing academic achievement, unwittingly supports the need for manual labor in capitalism. Theories by sociologists like Pierre Bourdieu explore how cultural capital sustains cycles of social class within the educational system.

Step-by-step explanation:

Understanding the Role of Schooling in Capitalism

The question touches on the concept of how schooling can serve the interests of capitalism, as highlighted in studies of unstructured group interviews with 'lads' exhibiting a counter-school culture. These 'lads' expressed a distaste for the school environment and aligned more closely with the manual labor culture, suggesting a resistance to academic achievement. However, ironically, this resistance plays into the hands of capitalism, which requires manual workers, thereby reinforcing the system they seem to oppose.

Social theorists such as Pierre Bourdieu have also looked into this topic extensively, examining how cultural capital influences educational outcomes and perpetuates social class reproduction. Conflict theorists argue that schools indoctrinate working-class students into accepting their roles in society, with disparities in resources due to socioeconomic status, further influencing this through testing and other means.

The hidden curriculum in schools is part of the mechanism by which schools prepare children for their adult roles in society. Through rituals and expectations, children learn about bureaucracy, teamwork, and social norms that will be relevant to them in a typical workplace environment. This is a form of socialization that aligns closely with societal expectations and capitalist values.