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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A paper which looks at education as a social institution in Australia, and considers whether or not the system encourages equality of opportunity or perpetrates existing inequalities, especially with regard to less affluent and immigrant groups. Bibliography lists 3 Sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLaustraed.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
or simply perpetrating existing social inequalities, it is perhaps useful to briefly consider the function of education as a social institution before looking at a specific example such as Australia.
Social institutions are an essential element in the construction and maintenance of social culture, in that not only do they preserve and transmit ideological
values, they also form the framework within which the cultural identity of the group is allowed to develop. The structure of the family unit, the moral codes derived from religious
belief systems, as well as the transmission of information and values which takes place through the education system, all contribute to the complex network which define the parameters of the
group. However, the nature and function of social institutions are not always as one might assume them to be, the education system being a
salient example. A culture can only maintain its identity if the accumulated store of knowledge is transmitted from one generation to the next, so that not only are cultural norms
preserved, but also the existing knowledge base can act as the foundation for new discoveries and developments. In Western societies, there has been a move away from the model in
which knowledge is passed on to the next generation through the family, or through small communities, and towards one in which education is formalised and set apart, to a great
extent, from everyday life. The role of the family in a childs education is minor compared to the influence of the school system, and
what is taught tends to reflect what policy-makers think should be taught, rather than what is actually needed. In addition, the school curriculum is invariably derived from the ideals and
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