Structural Functionalism in the Hidden Curriculum
In Parsons’s analyses of social theory, the concept of functionalism is thoroughly discussed. One concept that I found particularly interesting was that of manifest, latent and dysfunctional functions. In this theory, manifest function is described as the intended function of a system. Latent function is an unintended function and dysfunction, as its name implies, is a consequence that interferes with society. While it may be common knowledge that every action has an intended function, the latent and dysfunctional aspects are often subtle and difficult to spot. Nonetheless, they are important to analyze as the dysfunction may at times do more harm than can be justified with the manifest function.
One example that may be used to better illustrate this concept is the idea of public schooling. In this example, the manifest function is free education of the masses. By offering free primary and secondary education, the United States allows its citizens an opportunity that not all countries guarantee and, at least on paper, all children are promised the right to basic education. The latent functions include job creation, free daycare and socialization of students. These latent functions prove immensely beneficial as well, as an entire sector of the economy is benefitted through the hiring of principals, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, etc. Parents are able to work all day without the stress of caring for their children and the children themselves are kept in a relatively safe place for at least eight hours a day, five days a week.
The dysfunction, which might arguably overpower both the manifest and latent functions, can be seen in a phenomenon called the hidden curriculum. This controversial concept describes the process by which different schools around the country teach students differently depending on the socio-economic makeup of the neighborhood and, in doing so, ensures that groups occupying the lowest rungs of society cannot easily or effectively climb the socio-economic ladder. As explained by Jean Anyon in “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” schools often prepare students for future occupations and lifestyles based largely on the social class of the student population. Schools in poor, working-class neighborhoods are typically subject to teaching styles that are mechanical and routine-based, often involving “rote behavior and very little decision making or choice” (Anyon 73). In schools located in elite, upper-class neighborhoods, however, students are encouraged to “reason through a problem, to produce intellectual products that are both logically sound and of top academic quality” (Anyon 83).
This hidden curriculum impacts all aspects of public schooling and effectively maintains the status quo by keeping children of separate socio-economic backgrounds on a narrow path to achieve what their parents achieved. Children who hail from impoverished neighborhoods are denied opportunities to learn creatively and develop the reasoning skills needed of professionals. Those who grow up in middle class neighborhood are prepared for occupations in middle-class careers. On the extreme ends, children in the most impoverished urban communities are sent through a school-to-prison pipeline. They spend their schooldays surrounded by armed guards and metal detectors and are at an increased risk for school-based arrests. At the other extreme, students in what Anyon calls “executive elite” schools (populated by students in the top 1% of the economy), are given ownership of the school. They decide on what they’d like to do and when and are taught using activities that demand analytical thought and creative decision-making. In addition to socializing students this way, they are taught what they can achieve and what will never be within reach.
All in all, the dysfunction of public schooling as seen through the hidden curriculum proves an especially sizable challenge for education reformers. While the manifest function is ideal and the latent functions beneficial, the dysfunctional aspects are powerful enough to overwhelm whatever good was once intended.
Works Cited
Anyon, Jean. “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work.” Journal of Education, 162.1 (1980). Print
In Parsons’s analyses of social theory, the concept of functionalism is thoroughly discussed. One concept that I found particularly interesting was that of manifest, latent and dysfunctional functions. In this theory, manifest function is described as the intended function of a system. Latent function is an unintended function and dysfunction, as its name implies, is a consequence that interferes with society. While it may be common knowledge that every action has an intended function, the latent and dysfunctional aspects are often subtle and difficult to spot. Nonetheless, they are important to analyze as the dysfunction may at times do more harm than can be justified with the manifest function.
One example that may be used to better illustrate this concept is the idea of public schooling. In this example, the manifest function is free education of the masses. By offering free primary and secondary education, the United States allows its citizens an opportunity that not all countries guarantee and, at least on paper, all children are promised the right to basic education. The latent functions include job creation, free daycare and socialization of students. These latent functions prove immensely beneficial as well, as an entire sector of the economy is benefitted through the hiring of principals, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, etc. Parents are able to work all day without the stress of caring for their children and the children themselves are kept in a relatively safe place for at least eight hours a day, five days a week.
The dysfunction, which might arguably overpower both the manifest and latent functions, can be seen in a phenomenon called the hidden curriculum. This controversial concept describes the process by which different schools around the country teach students differently depending on the socio-economic makeup of the neighborhood and, in doing so, ensures that groups occupying the lowest rungs of society cannot easily or effectively climb the socio-economic ladder. As explained by Jean Anyon in “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” schools often prepare students for future occupations and lifestyles based largely on the social class of the student population. Schools in poor, working-class neighborhoods are typically subject to teaching styles that are mechanical and routine-based, often involving “rote behavior and very little decision making or choice” (Anyon 73). In schools located in elite, upper-class neighborhoods, however, students are encouraged to “reason through a problem, to produce intellectual products that are both logically sound and of top academic quality” (Anyon 83).
This hidden curriculum impacts all aspects of public schooling and effectively maintains the status quo by keeping children of separate socio-economic backgrounds on a narrow path to achieve what their parents achieved. Children who hail from impoverished neighborhoods are denied opportunities to learn creatively and develop the reasoning skills needed of professionals. Those who grow up in middle class neighborhood are prepared for occupations in middle-class careers. On the extreme ends, children in the most impoverished urban communities are sent through a school-to-prison pipeline. They spend their schooldays surrounded by armed guards and metal detectors and are at an increased risk for school-based arrests. At the other extreme, students in what Anyon calls “executive elite” schools (populated by students in the top 1% of the economy), are given ownership of the school. They decide on what they’d like to do and when and are taught using activities that demand analytical thought and creative decision-making. In addition to socializing students this way, they are taught what they can achieve and what will never be within reach.
All in all, the dysfunction of public schooling as seen through the hidden curriculum proves an especially sizable challenge for education reformers. While the manifest function is ideal and the latent functions beneficial, the dysfunctional aspects are powerful enough to overwhelm whatever good was once intended.
Works Cited
Anyon, Jean. “Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work.” Journal of Education, 162.1 (1980). Print