SOC1023G Social Problems:

Unit 8
Education under Stress

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

References
Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C.
(1997). Understanding social problems.
Cincinnati, OH: Wadsworth.
Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C.
(2000). Understanding social problems
(2nd ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Wadsworth.

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Devotions
Study to show thyself approved unto God. . .
2 Timothy 2:15a (KJV)
. . . And at the end of your life you groan, when
your flesh and body are consumed, and you
say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart
despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice
of my teachers or incline my ear to my
instructors. I was at the point of utter ruin in
the assembled congregation.”
Proverbs 5:12-14 (RSV)

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Devotions

It was he who gave some to be

apostles, some to be prophets, some
to be evangelists, and some to be
pastors and teachers. . .
Ephesians 4:11 (NIV)

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

With the exception of moral

training through the church
and home, nothing is more
important for a stable,
progressively developing
society than education!
education

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

There is a strong correlation

between the improvement of
the quality of education as well
as the attained educational
level and the increase in the
standard of living.

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

Impact of Education
 Democracy requires an educated public
 The strongest social factor to the upward
mobility of blacks in the last 30 years is higher
attained educational levels
 One of the primary forces that began the
incredible rise in the standard of living that we
now enjoy is the GI Bill for WWII veterans

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

Society is heading toward a two class

system
. . . Those with high attained educational
levels
. . . Those who are illiterate
This will be the primary source of future
conflict which will lead to a variety of
social problems . . .

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

Educational Attainment (Adults 25 and older)

Educational Attainment Race/Ethnic Percent
Four years of high school or more Whites 82.1%
Blacks 72.9%
Hispanics 53.3%

Four years of college or more Whites 23.0%

Blacks 12.9%
Hispanics 9.1%

If this tend continues, what racial/ethnic impact will this have

on society during the next 10 to 40 years?

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Structural-
Functionalist Perspective (Order Paradigm)

Many social problems, such as

unemployment, crime and
delinquency, and poverty may
be linked to the failure of the
educational institution to fulfill
these basic functions. . .

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Structural-
Functionalist Perspective (Order Paradigm)

Functions of the Educational Institution

 Instruction
 Build on the the basic knowledge and basic skills
that are taught at home
 Socialization
 The socialization function of education involves
teaching students to respect rules and authority--
behavior that is essential for social organization
(Robert Merton 1968)

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Structural-
Functionalist Perspective (Order Paradigm)

 Sorting Individuals into Statuses

 Tracking
 Attempts to facilitate instruction and promote learning by
enabling teachers to gear instruction to the ability levels of
their students
 Custodial Care
 The educational system also serves the function of
providing custodial care, which is particularly valuable
to single-parent and dual-earner families (Robert
Merton 1968)

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective (Pluralist Paradigm)

 Teacher-Student Interactions
 Students from economically advantaged homes
 Children bring into the classroom social and verbal skills that
elicit approval from teachers
• They are fun and easy to teach
• They tend to value education
 Student from economically disadvantaged homes
 These children tend to be verbally and socially less
developed
• When compared to middle-class children, teachers
inadvertently show less approval

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Symbolic Interactionist
Perspective (Pluralist Paradigm)

 Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
 Occurs when people act in a manner consistent with
the expectations of others
 A teacher who defines a student as a slow learner may be
less likely to call on that student or to encourage the student
to pursue difficult subjects
 Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) study of the self-
fulfilling prophecy in the public school system
 Because the teachers expected the “high achievers” to do
well, they treated the students in a way that encouraged
better school performance

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Conflict Perspective
(Conflict Paradigm)

 Conflict theorists emphasize that the educational institution

solidifies the class positions of groups and allows the elite
to control the masses
 Conflict theorists point out that the socialization function of
education is really indoctrination into a capitalist ideology
 The organization child
 Refers to the child in nursery school who is most comfortable
with supervision, guidance, and adult control. Teachers cultivate
the organization child by providing daily routines and rewarding
those who conform.
 Teachers train future bureaucrats to be obedient to authority

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Unit 8
Education under Stress: Conflict Perspective
(Conflict Paradigm)

 Inequities in educational systems

 School districts located in poorer,
disadvantaged areas tend to have less funding
per student
 This contributes toward keeping the poor and
disadvantaged locked into the bottom rungs of the
socioeconomic ladder
 The best way to help these students with upward
mobility is to provide appropriate funding to counter
their negative environment

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

Home Schooling
 Teaching children at home instead of sending them to a
public or private school
 Part of a fundamentalist movement to protect children from
perceived non-Christian values in public schools
 Parents concerned about the quality of their children’s education
and safety
 Children educated at home were equally successful in going to
college and securing employment as those educated in the
public school system (Webb 1989)

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Unit 8:
Education under Stress

Is home schooling good or bad for

society?
Note: Whatever viewpoint you take,
whether home schooling is good, neutral,
or bad--I believe that parents should have
the right to make this choice for their
children. My children attend public school.

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