Final answer:
Functionalism is the School of Thought that sees culture, including education, as functioning to meet individual needs, emphasizing individualism in the U.S. and contrasting with group-focused values in countries like Japan and China.
Step-by-step explanation:
The School of Thought that believes culture functions to meet the needs of individuals is known as Functionalism. Functionalists contend that culture, including education, not only helps to integrate and maintain a society but also serves to meet the basic and integrative needs of its members. For example, the education system in the United States places value on individualism, fostering self-esteem and rewarding individual achievements. This contrasts with systems in countries like Japan and China, where the emphasis is on social esteem and the collective good.
Functionalists view society as a system in which all parts, including cultural norms and values, work together to fulfill the needs of society. They analyze how culture aids in meeting both the societal needs and the personal needs of individuals. For instance, schools in the U.S. increasingly take on roles traditionally filled by families, such as teaching about human sexuality and basic life skills like budgeting and job applications, demonstrating how culture evolves to address the changing needs of society.