SOCIAL DIMENSION OF

EDUCATION
Topics:
 Society
 Sociologist
 Education
 Theories
 Consensus
 Conflict
 Interaction

 Socio- Cultural
 Socio-Political
 Socio-Economic
 Socio-Psychological
 Origin of Sociology of Education

 The sociology of education is the study of how

social institutions and individual experiences
affects education and its outcome.
 It is relatively a new branch and two great
sociologist Émile Durkheim and Max Weber were
the father of sociology of education. Émile
Durkheim's work on moral education as a basis
for social solidarity is considered the beginning
of sociology of education.
Sociologists see education as one of the
major institutions that constitutes society.
While theories guide research and policy
formulation in the sociology of education.
This theories help sociologists understand
educational systems.
Sociology

 The word Sociology originates from

latin prefix :socius, "companion"; and
the suffix -ology, "the study of", from
Greek lógos, "knowledge" .
 Sociology is the systematic study of
society.Sociology encompasses all the
elements of society ie social relation,
social stratification, social interaction,
culture.
Society

 : people in general thought of as living

together in organized communities with
shared laws, traditions, and values
 : the people of a particular country, area,
time, etc., thought of especially as an
organized community
Education

 Education is a broad concept, referring to all

the experiences in which learners can learn
something .
 It is a social endeavour designed to get the
maximum from the ability of each of the
member of the society. Education is covers
both the teaching, learning of knowledge and
values.
 Education consists of systematic instruction,
teaching and training by professional
teachers.
THEORIES
According to some
sociologist; society
has two faces; the face
of consensus and the
face of conflict.

Further, they
emphasized that
sociological theory
should be divided into
two parts between the
consensus theory and
the conflict theory.
The proponents of consensus and
conflict sociological and social theories
are:

 Karl Marx
 Emile Durkheim
 Max Weber
 Talcott Parsons & Robert Merton
 Louis Althusser & Ralph Dahrendorf
 Herbert Mead & Herbert Blumer
Karl Marx
Marx's class theory rests on
the premise that "the history
of all hitherto existing
society is the history of class
struggles." According to this
view, ever since human
society emerged from its
primitive and relatively
undifferentiated state it has
remained fundamentally
divided between classes
who clash in the pursuit of
class interests.
Emile Durkheim
Durkheim discusses how
modern society is held
together by a division of
labor that makes individuals
dependent upon one
another because they
specialize in different types
of work. Durkheim is
particularly concerned
about how the division of
labor changes the way that
individuals feel they are part
of society as a whole.
Max Weber
Max Weber believed that
it was social actions that
should be the focus of
study in sociology. To
Weber, a “social action’”
was an action carried out
by an individual to which
an individual attached a
meaning. Therefore, an
action that a person does
not think about cannot be
a social action.
Talcott Parsons Robert Merton
Louis Althusser Ralf Dharendorf
George Herbert Mead Charles Horton Cooley
 Conflict Theory
 emphasizes the role of
coercion and power in
producing social order. This
perspective is derived from
the works of Karl Marx, who
saw society as fragmented
into groups that compete for
social and economic
resources.
According to conflict theory, inequality exists because
those in control of a disproportionate share of
society’s resources actively defend their advantages.
The conflict model is Social Structures
concerned with the produce patterns of
stresses and conflicts inequality in the
that emerge in society distribution of scarce
because of resources.
competitions over
scarce resources.
Conflict
It focuses on the
inequalities that are built
into social structures
rather than on those Reorganization and Change
that emerge because of
personal characteristics.
 Consensus Theory
 Is a social theory that states that social
change should occur in institutions that are
provided by a political or economic system,
which is fair. The theory also states that the
absence of conflict within a society is the state
of equilibrium.
 It is being considered in these theories that
the social order in society should be
maintained, based upon the accepted norms,
values, roles or regulations that are accepted
by the society in general.
Consensus Theories Conflict theories
Emphasize the dominance of
See shared norms and
some social groups by
values as fundamental to
others
society

See social order as based

Focus on social order based on manipulation and control
on tacit agreements by dominant groups

View social change as

View social change as occurring rapidly in a
occurring in a slow and disorderly fashion as
orderly fashion subordinate groups
overthrow dominant groups
Structural Functionalism
Structural Functionalism states that society is
made up of various institutions that work
together in cooperation.
Parsons’ structural functionalism has four
functional imperatives
also known
as AGIL
scheme.
Structural Functionalism (AGIL)
1. Adaptation – a system must cope with external situational
exigencies. It must adapt to its environment and adapt environment
to its needs.
2. Goal attainment- a system must define and achieve its primary
goals.
3. Integration- a system must regulate the interrelationship of its
component parts. It must also manage the relationship among the
other three functional imperatives (A,G,L)
4. Latency (pattern maintenance)- a system must furnish, maintain
and renew both the motivation of individuals and the cultural patterns
that create and sustain the motivation.
Structure of the General Action System
(Ritzer 2000)

Cultural system Social system

(Latency Function) (Integration Function)
providing actors with the
controlling its
norms and values that
motivate them for action components parts

Action system Personality system

(Adaptation Function) (Goal Attainment)
adjusting to and defining system goals
transforming to the and mobilizing resources
external world to attain them
 Functional Requisites of a social system

1. Social system must be structured so that

they operate compatibly with other
systems.
2. To survive, the social system must have
requisite from other systems.
3. The system must meet a significant
proportion of the needs of its actors.
4. The system must elicit adequate
participation from its members.
5. It must have at least a minimum of control
over potentially disruptive behavior.

6. If conflict becomes sufficiently disruptive, it

must be controlled.

7. Finally, a social system requires a

language in order to survive.

-Talcott Parsons
Interaction Theory

Is the relation of school and society

are critiques and extensions of the
functionalist and conflict perspectives.
Interactionist theories are critiques
and extensions of the functionalist
and conflict perspectives.
This level of analysis helps us to
understand education in the “ big
picture”.

Interactionist theories attempt to make

the “commonplace strange” by turning on
their heads everyday taken-for-granted
behaviors and interactions between
students and students and between
students and teachers.
 Symbolic Interactionism
 Symbolic interaction theory analyses society by
addressing the subjective meanings that people
impose on objects, events, and behaviours.
 Has its own origin in the social psychology of early
twentieth century sociologist George Herbert Mead
and Charles Horton Cooley.
 This school of thought, known as symbolic
interactionism, views the self as socially constructed
in relation to social forces and structures and the
product of on going negotiations of meanings.
 Principles of Symbolic Interactionism
1. Human beings are endowed with the capacity
for thought.
2. The capacity for thought us shaped by social
interaction
3. In social interaction, people learn the meanings
and the symbols that allow them to exercise
their distinctively human capacity for thought.
4. Meanings and symbols allow people to carry on
distinctively human action and interaction.
5. People are able to modify or alter meanings and
symbols that they use in action and interaction
on the basis of their interpretation of the
situation.
6. People are able to make these modifications and
alterations because, in part, of their ability to
interact with themselves, which allows them ton
examine possible courses of action, assess their
relative advantages and disadvantages, and
then choose one.
7. The intertwined patterns of action and interaction
make up groups and societies.
 Socio-Cultural Functions
 The regularization of common tasks and activities of
collective life; this function gives rise to routines,
norms, public behavior and standard operating
procedures.
 The atonement and instilment in the social members
of the customary laws and values guide and direct
the members towards enlightenment, ennoblement,
and perfectibility.
 The veneration of all that are beneficent to the
human race and society through the collective acts
of celebration, recognition and commemoration of
the people.
Socio-Economic Functions

 Promotion of self-sufficiency for the populace

by both the government and the private
sectors.
 Strengthening the agricultural and industrial
economies of the country.
 Intervention of government in anti- social
business practices.
 Balancing people’s needs with the country’s
export business
Socio-Political Functions

Political governance, legislation,

arbitration, social service, social
assistance, security and protection,
punitive sanctions, implementation of
social justice through laws, and social
development.
References:
 http://ser.oxfordjournals.org
 http://www.merriam-webster.com
 http://guides.wikinut.com/The-Consensus-And-
Conflict-Theory/1anshulq/
 http://psychology.about.com/
 Social Dimensions of Education, Violeta A.Vega
 Social Dimensions of Philippine Education, Dr.
Adelaida Bago