The key influences on functionalists thinking in the 20th century were the sociologists DURKHEIM and PARSONS. They were both concerned with explaining the social order the characteristics modern industrial societies. Both saw such order as underpinned by:

Valued consensus - Members of the same society generally agree on fundamental values and norms of behaviour.
An Integrated Division of Labour - people accept their place in complex organisation of occupational roles

Both DURKHEIM and PARSONS stressed the central role of the education system as a secondary agent of socialisation, functioning to ensure that both the system and the occupational division of labour were reproduced through the generations. The result of the system is that different generations subscribe to similar shared beliefs, values and traditions.

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Sociology AS WEJC exam board

The Function of Education