Traditional structural-functionalists tend to view education as a vitalmeans to help the working class move up in terms of social stratification.Nevertheless, the results of recent research have shown that class reproductionis a social phenomenon, the principal factors of which are ruling classideologies and values embodied in the school curriculum. Schools are, then,among the key institutes contributing to cultural reproduction. Although sucha theory has been validated in western countries, some researchers argue thatdifferent social contexts may bring about different accomplishments. In lightof these claims, this study is designed to explore the phenomenon of culturalreproduction in Taiwan by examining the relationship between students' familybackgrounds and their academic achievements. |