NARRATIVES OF MERITOCRACY IN EDUCATION AND THE REPRODUCTION OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY: A LITERATURE REVIEW IN A CRITICAL SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
NARASI MERITOKRASI DALAM PENDIDIKAN DAN REPRODUKSI KETIMPANGAN SOSIAL: TINJAUAN LITERATUR DALAM PERSPEKTIF SOSIOLOGI KRITIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v14i3.5718Keywords:
Meritocracy, Social Inequality, Critical Sociology, Education, Cultural CapitalAbstract
This study aims to examine how the narrative of meritocracy in education contributes to the reproduction of social inequality through a critical sociological approach. Education is often assumed to be a means of social mobility based on individual ability and effort, but the literature shows that this system is fraught with structural biases. This study uses a systematic literature review method with a critical qualitative approach. Data sources come from scientific articles, academic books, policy reports, and educational documents collected from databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and DOAJ. The selected literature focuses on meritocracy, educational inequality, as well as critical theories of education such as cultural capital, habitus, and symbolic dominance. The analysis was carried out thematically and interpretively. The results of the study show that the education system actually strengthens social stratification through evaluation and selection mechanisms that appear to be neutral. The ideology of meritocracy plays a role in justifying inequality and blaming individuals for their failures. This study concludes that a socially just approach to education needs to be developed to break symbolic dominance and open up space for more inclusive and equitable policiesReferences
Abdurahman, A. (2017). Pengembangan Desain Dan Pendekatan Perencanaan (Planning) Dalam Manajemen Pendidikan Islam. Al-Tanzim : Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 1(2), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.33650/AL-TANZIM.V1I2.110
Afdhal, A., & Hidayat, R. (2019). Perlawanan Gerakan Guru Pasca Orde Baru di Indonesia: Studi Pada Federasi Serikat Guru Indonesia (FSGI). Indonesian Journal of Sociology, Education, and Development, 1(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.52483/IJSED.V1I1.1
Afida, I., Diana, E., & Puspita, D. M. Q. A. (2021). Merdeka Belajar dan Pendidikan Kritis Paulo Friere dalam Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam. FALASIFA : Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 12(02), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.36835/FALASIFA.V12I02.553
Alfia, Y. D., & Kwarto, F. (2023). Doxa Etik Kesenjangan Personalia Habitus Mahasiswa Akuntansi. Jurnal Akuntansi Dan Ekonomi Bisnis, 12(2), 96–118. https://doi.org/10.33795/JAEB.V12I2.5136
Aliefiah, N. D., & Prasetyo, A. R. (2024). Kritik Formalistik Lukisan Starry Night Karya Vincent Van Gogh. Citradirga : Jurnal Desain Komunikasi Visual Dan Intermedia, 6(01), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.33479/CD.V6I01.885
Amalia, A., Syamsuri, S., & Ihsanudin, I. (2021). Eksplorasi Etnomatematika Batik Krakatoa Cilegon sebagai Sumber Belajar Matematika SMP. Wilangan: Jurnal Inovasi Dan Riset Pendidikan Matematika, 2(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.56704/JIRPM.V2I1.11640
Andiatma, A. (2019). Pengembangan Kurikulum Berbasis Pendidikan Karakter. BADA’A: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 1(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.37216/BADAA.V1I1.242
Annisa, A. N. A., Lestari, D. P., Nur, M., Kobandaha, F., & Abdul, M. N. H. (2024). Analisis Pengelolaan Evaluasi Pembelajaran Berbasis Kurikulum Merdeka. Journal of International Multidisciplinary Research, 2(8), 112–118. https://doi.org/10.62504/JIMR826
Anwar, M. S. (2022). Ketimpangan aksesibilitas pendidikan dalam perpsektif pendidikan multikultural. Foundasia, 13(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.21831/FOUNDASIA.V13I1.47444
Araki, S. (2023). Beyond ‘Imagined Meritocracy’: Distinguishing the Relative Power of Education and Skills in Intergenerational Inequality. Sociology, 57(4), 975–992. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385231156093
Aryani, N., & Wilyanita, N. (2022). Pendidikan Karakter Berbasis Keluarga Terintegrasi Pembelajaran untuk Menanamkan Nilai-nilai Toleransi Sejak Dini. Jurnal Obsesi : Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 6(5), 4653–4660. https://doi.org/10.31004/OBSESI.V6I5.2339
Atria, J., Castillo, J., Maldonado, L., & Ramirez, S. (2020). Economic Elites’ Attitudes Toward Meritocracy in Chile: A Moral Economy Perspective. American Behavioral Scientist, 64(9), 1219–1241. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764220941214
Batlajery, S. (2016). Penerapan Fungsi-Fungsi Manajemen Pada Aparatur Pemerintahan Kampung Tambat Kabupaten Merauke. JURNAL ILMU EKONOMI &Amp; SOSIAL, 7(2), 135–155. https://doi.org/10.35724/JIES.V7I2.507
Batruch, A., Jetten, J., Van de Werfhorst, H., Darnon, C., & Butera, F. (2023). Belief in School Meritocracy and the Legitimization of Social and Income Inequality. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 14(5), 621–635. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221111017
Bird, S. R., & Rhoton, L. A. (2021). Seeing Isn’t Always Believing: Gender, Academic STEM, and Women Scientists’ Perceptions of Career Opportunities. Gender &Amp; Society, 35(3), 422–448. https://doi.org/10.1177/08912432211008814
Bocquet, R., Cotterlaz-Rannard, G., & Ferrary, M. (2024). How Do Prestigious Universities Remain at the Summit: A Bourdieusian View of their Business Models. British Journal of Management, 35(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12819
Brighouse, H. (2022). The tyranny of meritocracy and elite higher education. Theory and Research in Education, 20(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/14778785221113990
Bubak, O. (2019). Perceptions of meritocracy: A note on China. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 4(2), 192–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/2057891118806065
Darnon, C., Smeding, A., & Redersdorff, S. (2018). Belief in school meritocracy as an ideological barrier to the promotion of equality. European Journal of Social Psychology, 48(4), 523–534. https://doi.org/10.1002/EJSP.2347
Dekkers, M., Erkelenz, M., Hoeben, L., Lenhard, C., & Kalaitzi, S. (2022). Meritocracy and inequality – exploring a complex relationship. Sztuka Leczenia, 37(2), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.4467/18982026SZL.22.009.16670
Farkhan, M. R., & Maryani, E. (2023). Dari Keberagaman Entitas Menjadi Ketimpangan Multisektor di Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial Dan Humaniora, 12(3), 593–604. https://doi.org/10.23887/JISH.V12I3.69580
Gavriș, A. (2020). The (RE)Production of Meritocracy: Challenges from the Romanian Higher Education System Under Neoliberalism. Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Sociologia, 65(1), 69–89. https://doi.org/10.2478/SUBBS-2020-0003
HERIANTO, H., & MARSİGİT, M. (2023). Filsafat, Ideologi, Paradigma Evaluasi Pendidikan. https://doi.org/10.31219/OSF.IO/GB2JR
Hidayat, T., & Asyafah, A. (2019). Konsep Dasar Evaluasi Dan Implikasinya Dalam Evaluasi Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam Di Sekolah. Al-Tadzkiyyah: Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 10(1), 159–181. https://doi.org/10.24042/ATJPI.V10I1.3729
Iqbal, M., Hanani, S., Harahap, N. I. Y., & Pratama, A. R. (2023). Kritik Karl Marx terhadap Manajemen Pendidikan Islam: Perspektif Sosiologi Kritis. Jurnal Riset Sosial Humaniora Dan Pendidikan, 2(4), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.56444/SOSHUMDIK.V2I4.1226
Junaidi, A. S., Wasono, S., & Zulyeno, B. (2023). Cerpen-cerpen Lekra (1950—1965) sebagai strategi perjuangan politik PKI. Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, Dan Pengajarannya, 6(4), 1055–1070. https://doi.org/10.30872/DIGLOSIA.V6I4.789
Khofsah, Z. A., Fatmawati, F. A., & Ifadah, A. S. (2023). Pengaplikasian Budaya Lokal Gresik dalam Kegiatan Pembelajaran PAUD. Aulad: Journal on Early Childhood, 6(3), 462–469. https://doi.org/10.31004/AULAD.V6I3.561
Kuppens, T., Spears, R., Manstead, A. S. R., Spruyt, B., & Easterbrook, M. J. (2018). Educationism and the irony of meritocracy: Negative attitudes of higher educated people towards the less educated. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 429–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JESP.2017.11.001
Littler, J. (2017). Against Meritocracy. Against Meritocracy: Culture, Power and Myths of Mobility, 1–236. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315712802
Manullang, J., Maria, R., & Manullang, A. (2021). Relevansi Pendidikan Humanis Paulo Freire Dengan Pendidikan Agama Kristen Jenjang Sekolah Menengah Atas. Jurnal Educatio FKIP UNMA, 7(2), 482–490. https://doi.org/10.31949/EDUCATIO.V7I2.1088
Meipiani, C. A., Febriani, L., & Cholilah, J. (2021). Inovasi Pendidikan : Upaya Penyelesaian Masalah Reproduksi Kelas Sosial Pada Sistem Pendidikan Di SMA Santo Yosef Pangkalpinang. Jurnal Studi Inovasi, 1(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.52000/JSI.V1I2.17
Meyanti, I. G. A. S., & Lasmawan, I. W. (2023). Tuntutan Digital Literasi pada Kurikulum Pendidikan IPS. Media Komunikasi FPIPS, 22(2), 115–122. https://doi.org/10.23887/MKFIS.V22I2.62514
Mijs, J. J. B. (2019). The Paradox of Inequality: Income Inequality and Belief in Meritocracy go Hand in Hand. https://doi.org/10.31235/OSF.IO/DCR9B
Nisa, E. K., Rustono, R., & Mardikantoro, H. B. (2023). Kritik Sosial dalam Video Instagram @sandissukron melalui Kacamata Wacana Kritis Teun A. Van Dijk. Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra Dan Pengajaran (KIBASP), 7(1), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.31539/KIBASP.V7I1.7893
Novarisa, G. (2019). Dominasi Patriarki Berbentuk Kekerasan Simbolik Terhadap Perempuan Pada Sinetron. Bricolage : Jurnal Magister Ilmu Komunikasi, 5(02), 195. https://doi.org/10.30813/BRICOLAGE.V5I02.1888
Nur, D., HS, N. F. Rezki., Nurindah, N., & Nursia. (2023). Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Problem Based Learning Untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis Siswa Pada Pembelajaran Sosiologi. Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Pembelajaran, 3(2), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.62388/JPDP.V3I2.327
Purnomo, S., Shunhaji, A., & Saihu, M. (2022). Pembelajaran Agama Islam Berbasis Multi Kultural Melalui Model Pembelajaran Transformative Learning Di Stai Al-Karimiyah Depok Jawa Barat. Jurnal Multidisiplin Indonesia, 1(2), 384–392. https://doi.org/10.58344/JMI.V1I2.40
Qomarrullah, R. (2024). Peran Masyarakat Adat dalam Pengembangan Pendidikan Berbasis Lingkungan Sosial. Indonesian Journal of Intellectual Publication, 4(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.51577/IJIPUBLICATION.V4I2.505
Rahmawati, Y. (2023). Peran Pendidikan Sosial dalam Membentuk Karakter Individu. JUPSI: Jurnal Pendidikan Sosial Indonesia, 1(2), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.62238/JUPSIJURNALPENDIDIKANSOSIALINDONESIA.V1I2.56
Rasya, H. S., & Triadi, I. (2024). Akses Keadilan dan Kesenjangan Sosial: Transformasi Melalui Peran Hukum Tata Negara. Indonesian Journal of Law and Justice, 1(4), 12. https://doi.org/10.47134/IJLJ.V1I4.2330
Rifa’i, M. T. Dr. Ir. A., Zahra, F., Abdurrahman, A., & Saad, M. (2021). Manajemen Pengembangan Kurikulum Berorientasi pada Pembentukan Karakter. TRILOGI: Jurnal Ilmu Teknologi, Kesehatan, Dan Humaniora, 2(2), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.33650/TRILOGI.V2I2.2708
Sakina, A. I., & A., D. H. S. (2017). Menyoroti Budaya Patriarki Di Indonesia. Share : Social Work Journal, 7(1), 71. https://doi.org/10.24198/SHARE.V7I1.13820
Sengupta, N. K., Greaves, L. M., Osborne, D., & Sibley, C. G. (2017). The sigh of the oppressed: The palliative effects of ideology are stronger for people living in highly unequal neighbourhoods. British Journal of Social Psychology, 56(3), 437–454. https://doi.org/10.1111/BJSO.12192
Siska, F., & Rudagi, R. (2021). Analisis Ketimpangan Pendidikan pada Masa Covid-19 di Nagari Sisawah Kabupaten Sijunjung. AL MA’ARIEF : Jurnal Pendidikan Sosial Dan Budaya, 3(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.35905/ALMAARIEF.V3I1.2032
Sun, X., & Shi, L. (2025). A qualitative study of Chinese teacher’s perceptions and practices of meritocracy. Plos One, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0321424
Suryani, S., Utami, A. R. P., Angrasari, D., & Tahfira, T. (2023). Kesenjangan Sosial Pada Masyarakat Desa Saotengnga Kecamatan Sinjai Tengah. Social Landscape Journal, 4(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.56680/SLJ.V4I1.44715
Susanti, Y. (2020). Pembelajaran Multi Kultural Di Sekolah. https://doi.org/10.31227/OSF.IO/HBA69
Syahputra, D. D., Bangun, M. B., & Handayani, S. M. (2023). Budaya Patriarki Dan Ketidaksetaraan Gender Dalam Pendidikan Di Desa Bontoraja, Kabupaten Bulukumba. Sustainable Jurnal Kajian Mutu Pendidikan, 6(2), 608–616. https://doi.org/10.32923/KJMP.V6I2.4028
Tan, P. K. W., & Kosat, O. (2024). Meritocracy, the Reproduction of Inequality, and the Academic Scandal in Indonesia: Philosophical Perspective of Michael Sandel. Indonesian Journal of Educational Research and Review, 7(1), 154–168. https://doi.org/10.23887/IJERR.V7I1.66253
Tan, X., Zhang, Y., Liu, L., Dou, X., Gu, Z., Liang, Y., & Dang, J. (2021). Turning a blind eye: Meritocracy moderates the impacts of social status on corruption perception. International Journal of Psychology, 56(5), 688–697. https://doi.org/10.1002/IJOP.12731
Tanjung, R., Supriani, Y., Mayasari, A., & Arifudin, O. (2022). Manajemen Mutu Dalam Penyelenggaraan Pendidikan. Jurnal Pendidikan Glasser, 6(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.32529/GLASSER.V6I1.1481
Tohet, Moch., & Hidayat, T. (2023). Kepemimpinan Transformasional Peningkatan Mutu Pendidikan dalam Perspektif Interaksionalisme Simbolik. JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 6(2), 1184–1191. https://doi.org/10.54371/JIIP.V6I2.1571
Utari, M. O. B., & Arafat, M. R. (2024). Identifikasi Penjatuhan Hukum Pidana Mati Dalam Perspektif Hak Asasi Manusia Di Indonesia. JUSTITIA Jurnal Ilmu Hukum Dan Humaniora, 7(1), 108. https://doi.org/10.31604/JUSTITIA.V7I1.108-114
Wafi, A., & Subaidi, S. (2022). Aktivitas Ekstrakurikuler Keagamaan Berbasis Moderasi Beragama Dalam Meningkatkan Kepribadian Siswa. Ambarsa : Jurnal Pendidikan Islam, 2(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.59106/ABS.V2I1.47
Wang, G. (2022). ‘Stupid and lazy’ youths? Meritocratic discourse and perceptions of popular stereotyping of VET students in China. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 43(4), 585–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2020.1868977
Zubair, L., mini, D. A. M., Kurnia, Z. A., & Bashith, A. (2024). Strategi Inovatif Dalam Pengembangan Evaluasi Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam Untuk Meningkatkan Kualitas Pendidikan. Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia, 5(11), 1217–1227. https://doi.org/10.59141/JAPENDI.V5I11.5911
.png)
