Deck 43: Sociological Perspectives on Education

Question 1

Bestowing status on students by awarding them a diploma after they have successfully completed all graduation requirements can be considered a

A)manifest function of education.
B)latent function of education.
C)dysfunction of education.
D)goal of the interactionist approach to education.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which sociological perspective emphasizes the integrative power of education in human society?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What did Diane Ravitch question in her book,The Death and Life of the Great American School?

A)using young teachers who are inexperienced in the classroom
B)using electronic coursework to deliver material to students
C)reducing the art of teaching into cramming for standardized tests
D)increasing the average size of classrooms for children in elementary schools

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the past,the integrative function of education in the United States was most obvious in its emphasis on

A)teaching diversity in the classroom.
B)promotion of a common language.
C)teaching strict discipline.
D)teaching students that they share a common history.

Question 5

Numerous sociological studies have revealed that additional years of formal schooling are associated with which of the following?

A)openness to new ideas
B)more conservative social viewpoints
C)lower average incomes
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 6

In the last decade,the Chinese government revised their nation's history curriculum to

A)teach that the Chinese Communist Party,not the United States,played a central role in defeating Japan during World War II.
B)remove any mention of the 30 million Chinese who died under Mao Zedong's program.
C)remove any mention of China's increasing role in the modern capitalist economy.
D)teach that the Chinese Communist Party played a central role in defeating Japan during World War II while removing any mention of the 30 million Chinese who died under Mao Zedong's program.

Question 7

In 2009 among the following nations,which had the highest percentage of persons who had graduated with a higher education degree?

A)Poland
B)Great Britain
C)Japan
D)Germany

Question 8

Which sociological perspective portrays contemporary education as basically benign-for example,it argues that schools rationally sort and select students for future high-status positions,thereby meeting society's need for talented and expert personnel?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)labeling theory

Question 9

Teaching students to be on time,to respect authority,and to follow directions can be considered a

A)manifest function of education.
B)latent function of education.
C)dysfunction of education.
D)goal of the interactionist approach to education.

Question 10

Which sociologist pointed out that better-educated people tend to have greater access to factual information?

A)Max Weber
B)Arlie Hochschild
C)Robin Williams
D)Robert Merton

Question 11

Which of the following is stressed by formal education?

A)the liberal use of broad generalizations
B)the importance of qualifying statements
C)the acceptance of established truths
D)the acceptance of established practices

Question 12

In schools in the United States,bilingual education has been defended on the grounds that it

A)is a means to encourage cultural diversity.
B)assists in the cultural integration of immigrant groups.
C)assists in the political integration of immigrant groups.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 13

A particular college requires students to live on campus during their first two years to help foster a sense of community among diverse groups.This

A)is illegal in most states.
B)serves a latent function of education.
C)serves a manifest function of education.
D)is an attempt to re-socialize improper behavior.

Question 14

Critics of bilingualism in schools in the United States argue that

A)these bilingual programs cost too much.
B)earlier groups of immigrants learned English without these programs.
C)bilingualism undermines the social and political integration that education has traditionally promoted.
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 15

In 2009 among the following nations,which had the lowest percentage of persons who had graduated with a higher education degree?

A)Ireland
B)Great Britain
C)Turkey
D)Mexico

Question 16

Which sociological perspective emphasizes how the common identity and social integration fostered by education contributes to overall societal stability and consensus?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 17

Teachers and guidance counselors may encourage male students to pursue careers in the sciences,but they steer equally talented female students into careers as early childhood teachers.Such socialization into traditional gender roles is considered a form of

A)social integration.
B)political integration.
C)social control.
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 18

Teaching students about the physical and political geography of their state,their country,and the world is a(n)

A)manifest function of education.
B)latent function of education.
C)dysfunction of education.
D)example of the correspondence principle.

Question 19

Teaching students to read and write,to calculate numbers,and to master the facts of their society's history are all examples of

A)latent functions of education.
B)manifest functions of education.
C)manifest dysfunctions of education.
D)latent dysfunctions of education.

Question 20

Which of the following illustrates a current trend in higher education?

A)White participation in higher education fell from 44 percent to 28 percent between 1978 and 2008.
B)More women than men are participating in higher education.
C)Equal gains are being made by Latino and African American groups in educational attainment.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 21

Which researcher's work yielded the concept referred to as the teacher-expectancy effect?

A)Talcott Parsons
B)Howard Becker
C)Robert Rosenthal
D)Max Weber

Question 22

The hidden curriculum refers to

A)the standards of behavior that are deemed proper by society and are taught subtly in schools.
B)the practice of placing students in specific curriculum groups on the basis of test scores and other criteria.
C)the teaching of art,music,industrial arts,acting,and other nonessential courses in high schools.
D)the lesson plans that instructors prepare and that students and parents never see.

Question 23

Which sociologist(s)argued that capitalism requires a skilled,disciplined labor force,and that the educational system of the United States is structured with that objective in mind?

A)Émile Durkheim
B)Talcott Parsons
C)Max Weber
D)Samuel Bowles and Harold Gintis

Question 24

In effect,schools serve as a transitional agent of social control,bridging the gap between parents and employers in the life cycle of most individuals.

Question 25

The teacher-expectancy effect reflects the views of which sociological perspective?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 26

An increase in the lowest level of education required to enter a field is referred to as

A)the hidden curriculum.
B)escalation.
C)credentialism.
D)the worker-expectancy effect.

Question 27

The correspondence principle refers to the tendency of

A)students to develop values and attitudes that are similar to those of their elementary school teachers.
B)schools to place physically handicapped children in classes with peers who are at a similar academic level,regardless of physical condition.
C)schools to promote the values expected of individuals in each social class and to prepare students for the types of jobs typically held by members of their class.
D)parents to place their children in private schools that teach social values that are similar to their own.

Question 28

Which famous sociologist concluded,as far back as 1916,that the "universal clamor for the creation of educational certificates in all fields makes for the formation of a privileged stratum in businesses and in offices"?

A)Émile Durkheim
B)Georg Simmel
C)Vilfredo Pareto
D)Max Weber

Question 29

Students in Japan are offered guidance sessions to improve the classroom experience and instill values useful in the Japanese business world.These sessions are an example of the

A)hidden curriculum.
B)correspondence principle.
C)teacher-expectancy effect.
D)Protestant ethic.

Question 30

Which college was the first institute of higher learning to admit female students?

A)Cornell
B)Penn State
C)Oberlin
D)UCLA

Question 31

In the United States,schoolchildren are taught not to speak until the teacher calls on them and to regulate their activities according to clocks or bells.This learning experience illustrates

A)credentialism.
B)the correspondence principle.
C)the hidden curriculum.
D)the teacher-expectancy effect.

Question 32

Critics of the hidden curriculum are concerned that

A)it may lead to a type of interpretive behavior.
B)discipline takes precedence over the learning process.
C)it places too much emphasis on creative thought.
D)it may lead to a type of interpretive behavior,and also,discipline takes precedence over the learning process.

Question 33

Which sociological perspective is most critical of the differential way in which education bestows status?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true regarding gender and education?

A)In the late 1960s,twice as many women as men received degrees.
B)Today,women outnumber men at college commencements.
C)Few women are enrolled in graduate education.
D)Few women enroll in medical,dental,or law school.

Question 35

Which sociological perspective views education as an instrument of elite domination?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Question 36

Federal Title IX policies required schools to

A)offer sex-segregated classes.
B)offer preference to females over males for financial aid.
C)give girls more opportunities to play sports.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 37

In a study of tracking in a California school system,17 percent of students in a tracked system qualified for college credit.What percentage qualified in an open system where any student could enroll in an advanced placement (AP)course?

A)about 10%
B)about 20%
C)about 30%
D)about 50%

Question 38

What is tracking?

A)the standards of behavior that are deemed proper by society and are taught subtly in schools
B)the process of following a student's academic progress from first through twelfth grades
C)the practice of integrating handicapped children into "regular" classrooms
D)the practice of placing students in specific curriculum groups on the basis of test scores and other criteria

Question 39

How many years passed between the establishment of the first men's college and the first women winning admission to an institute of higher learning?

A)50 years
B)100 years
C)150 years
D)200 years

Question 40

Which sociologist studied both poor and affluent Chicago schools and noted administrators expected less of children from poorer neighborhoods?

A)Talcott Parsons
B)Howard Becker
C)Robert Rosenthal
D)Max Weber

Question 41

Conflict theorists argue that educational systems serve a function by creating social stability through the transmission of cultural values.

Question 42

Conflicts arise for teachers when they must serve as employee of the school,disciplinarian,and instructor all at the same time.

Question 43

The correspondence principle refers to schools that perpetuate social-class integration within a community setting.

Question 44

Discuss the interactionist perspective on education.Define the teacher-expectancy effect and give examples to illustrate your answer.

Question 45

In what ways has research shown that education can serve as an agent of change? How does this latent function of education differ from other latent functions as described by the functionalist perspective?