Hegemony and Education

Hegemony and Education

Keevin B. Wilcox

Strayer University- Morrow Campus

Dr. Calvin E. Moore Jr.

March 3, 2013

Hegemony and Education

Hegemony is a philosophy that centers on ideologies of dominance and control. The theory of cultural hegemony, developed by Antonio Gramsci, describes the intentions of individuals to influence societal perspectives of behavior and values in order to ascertain dominance and control in society (Femia, 1989). This type of influence is perpetrated through the media, music, and advertising with the intent to affect all aspects of society. This paper will examine how hegemony affects men and women the differently in educational settings along with ethical issues that could arise from hegemony in education. Additionally, the negative effects of hegemony on teacher effectives will be examined with recommendations for justifying those effects. Finally, I will reference my existing philosophy of education based on the criteria presented in this paper throughout this examination of hegemony and education.

The process of education is one that depends on an entire community whereby learners should be guided by well-trained and skilled facilitators in all types of educational settings. Hegemonic ideology affects men and women differently in educational settings. When young men and women embark upon their educational journeys, there is a difference in terms of how they see themselves and how they learn. Their behaviors, attitudes, and inherent values are seen as the result of their immediate environments (Biddulph, 1997).

The academic performance young men are thought to be a result of aspects of the male culture that influences them to embrace attitudes of negative masculinity, leading to future behavioral problems and a general lack of interest in academics (Francis, 1999). Young men oftentimes find themselves dealing with negative peer pressure for academic excellence, which sometimes results in a lack of interest in school, and respect for school authority (Warrington, Younger and Williams 2000). Negative behavior in educational settings by young men is partly due to o their need to confirm their masculinity according to hegemonic ideology (Connell, 1995).

It has been reported that young women experience more success in the classroom due to their perspectives on learning based on the beliefs that their behaviors, attitudes and learning styles are different. However, both young men and women are subject to the influence of hegemony through media and music. For example, advertisements displaying females as sex objects in various ads in conjunction with provocative music. In educational settings, the behaviors that are sometimes displayed due to the influence of these ads affects student performance.. For example, music that promotes violence and disruptive behavior is being been embraced by children of all ages. Additionally, the musicians that create this music are seen in advertisements that promote a variety of products for both genders, host charitable events, and even sponsor academic achievement, yet they continue to promote violence, disruptive and negative behavior in their music.

Educational ideologies are (Askew and Carnell 1998) beliefs, values, and everyday practices are shaped and transmitted in society in schools and the media. Hegemony influences individuals to adjust their thinking and behavior according to what is deemed as being normal. One of the dominant purposes of hegemony is to make conformity to order and inequality seem normal and acceptable. Hegemony also perpetuates inequalities of race, class and gender. Throughout history poverty, racism and sexism has been challenged by the masses. . However, hegemonic ideology diminishes struggles for change through means of ongoing deception (i.e., media and music).

Teachers who justify their actions in their attempts to maintain discipline sometimes support the negative effects of hegemony. For example, in one school, a hegemonic male student