The Effects of Education as an Institution John W. Meyer Chapter 8

Legitimation Theory Education is a system of institutionalized rites transforming social roles through powerful initiation ceremonies Transforms society by creating new classes of personnel with new types of authoritative knowledge

Macro-sociological theory Network of rules creating public classifications of persons and knowledge More powerful than socializing function

Socialization Model Proposition 1: Socialization (supported) Proposition 2: Socialization and Adult Competence (questionable) Proposition 3: Individual Competence and Social progress (little empirical evidence) **Missing element  Educational systems are society-wide and state controlled

Allocation Model Ed as a selector, sorter and allocator Proposition 4: Educational Allocation; status  duration/type of education Proposition 5: Chartering: external role  status achieved upon entry Proposition 6: Lagged Socialization: adopt appropriate roles **missing element: focus on individual being processed w/ the social structure constant

Social effects of Education Set of initiation ceremonies that transform futures and pasts; enhance their value in social situations A fixed capital asset more durable than work, income, family, property Non-students; lower prospects, desocialized, committed to passive roles, allocates to failure

Legitimation Theory Proposition 7: Expansion of education  increases functions under social control Proposition 8: Increases the specialized positions in society; defines and justifies their occupancy by certain people (*hired check credentials not competency) Proposition 9: creates a collective reality Proposition 10: Nation-building and citizenship Proposition 11: intensified causal relationship between allocation and socialization

Legitimation Effects Expands the notion of homogeneity and ignorance Reconstructs, reorganizes, expands socially defined categories; personnel and knowledge Highly institutionalized status in society Crucial ritual system of initiation and classification **effects society widely

Conclusion Schooling reconstructs reality for everyone Schooling confers status; highest level of legitimacy in society Secular religion in society  legitimating account of competence of citizens, authority of elites, buffers society from uncertainty Through ordering our lives around it and our participation we serve to perpetuate it and maintain its authority