Schools are gatekeepers of knowledge and decide what constitutes knowledge. Therefore, schools do not teach pupils that they are oppressed and exploited or need to free themselves. In this way, pupils are kept in a state of false consciousness.

As a philosophy, positivism adheres to the view that only “factual” knowledge gained through observation (the senses), including measurement, is trustworthy. In positivism studies the role of the researcher is limited to data collection and interpretation in an objective way.