Correspondence principle (sociology)

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The correspondence principle or correspondence thesis is a sociological theory that posits a close relationship between social standing and the educational system. Writers in this vein (notably Gary Watson and Diep Tran) are in particular interested in the relationship between a person’s social standing and the type of education that is received at school.

In its most basic form the principle states that the social relations of the school can be directly related to those in the work-place, meaning that educational institutions prepare students for their future work roles.^[1] Apart from the formal curriculum that is offered by the school, the advocates of the correspondence principle argue that the structure of the school and also the personal experience given to each student (the hidden curriculum) is important to their future socialization. They also emphasize that there is a strong relationship between the child’s education and the interaction they have with their parents at home. There is a significant inter generational replication of consciousness and socialized inequality via the linkages among the authority relations experienced by fathers at work, transferred to child-rearing styles, and replicated in school interaction with teachers.^[1]