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Click on each question to check your answer.
Test Your Knowledge
1. Name three benefits of having an education.
- Improves chances of finding a job
- Increases future earnings
- Decreases labour disruptions
- Personal gains
- Societal gains
2. How are parents “paying” for public primary and secondary education? And how does this disadvantage some more than others?
From the beginning, wealthier families can afford the required school supplies, homework assistance from tutors, and the privilege of participating in extracurricular activities, which puts them at an advantage over low-income families who may not be able to afford these things.
3. How does human capital support education?
Human capital supports education by enabling the sharing of skills and knowledge from one person to another.
4. How do demographic elements impact the likelihood of enrolling in university?
Answers may vary depending on the demographic elements discussed. For example, living further from a university tends to decrease the likelihood of attendance, because distance translates into costs and there is a shortage of employment opportunities for university graduates in rural areas.
5. Why are boys and men lagging behind their female counterparts at the earliest levels of education?
The feminization of education may alienate boys, there is a shortage of male primary school teachers to serve as role models, and some boys may be overmedicated.
6. Why are Indigenous Peoples in Canada less likely than their non-Indigenous counterparts to participate in postsecondary education?
Indigenous Peoples in Canada are less likely to participate in postsecondary education because of the dark legacy of residential schools, their higher likelihood of coming from low-income families, and the lack of employment opportunities on reserves.
7. Fill in the blank: Parents from ________ families are less likely to be members of a parent-teacher association, attend parent-teacher meetings, attend school events, participate in fundraisers, and volunteer for a parent committee.
Lower socio-economic status
8. Fill in the blank: The most common reason older students do not return to school is because of ________.
Family responsibilities
9. Fill in the blank: Immigrants face cultural, ________, and financial barriers to education.
Linguistic
10. Fill in the blank: ________ students often have lower grades, lower progress to postsecondary education, higher rates of skipping class because of safety concerns, higher rates of risky behaviour, and higher risk of depression.
LGBTQ+
11. Match the theoretical perspective with its main points:
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1) d; 2) b; 3) a; 4) c
Questions for Critical Thought
1. Have you experienced any barriers associated with accessing formal education? Do they relate to the barriers mentioned in this chapter?
This question is subjective and based on your own experiences. You should make connections with the barriers mentioned in the chapter, such as high tuition rates, family limitations, and other limitations experienced by disadvantaged people.
2. Do you think the gendered shifts in education will change workplace inequality in the future? Explain why or why not.
This question is broad, and you should articulate your own response to the question based on the specific profession(s) you choose to discuss. As a general guideline, you should take into account the limitations currently in place for disadvantaged individuals such as women and minorities in education and understand how a shift that aims to reduce these inequalities in education would also have an impact on reducing them in the workplace. See chapter for a more explicit discussion of the gendered elements of education that have an influence on the workplace.
3. Can you think of any other disadvantages associated with higher educational attainment?
As mentioned in the chapter, “although formal education usually helps disadvantaged people do better, it does not eliminate all disadvantages, whether based on gender or otherwise.” Education also has financial disadvantages, such as student debt. Additionally, education can be seen as a disadvantage for individuals who view it as a direct path to employment. Education does not always mean employment, and individuals who get an education may not always see the professional returns on their investment that they hoped for.
4. Do you think increasing government funding for education is enough to knock down the barriers associated with education?
While increased government funding is a significant step towards knocking down the barriers associated with education, it is not fully sufficient. Government funding would have to eliminate all fees associated with education to make it accessible for everyone and level the playing field. Furthermore, disadvantaged individuals may require further support for their specific needs, which cannot be eliminated by government funding but also require advancements in institutional and infrastructural support. Thus, government funding is a start, but it is not enough on its own to knock down the barriers associated with education.
5. What are the manifest and latent (hidden or unintended) functions of education?
Manifest functions: As stated in the chapter, “from the functionalist perspective, social problems related to education occur when schools fail to perform their manifest functions—the visible and intended goals, consequences, or effects of social structures and institutions. For schools, this includes socialization, transmission of knowledge, and change and innovation. In a multicultural society like Canada, it also includes cultural assimilation: the learning of new ways of thinking and behaving in a culturally diverse context.”
Latent functions: As stated in the chapter, “functionalists also point out the latent functions of the education system: those unintended consequences that result from the norms of a particular social institution. For example, when children are in school, they are not being physically active outside. A latent function of the education system is a disconnection from natural, wilderness spaces.”