Impact of Sociological Theories on Education
Sociologists and educators argue the function of education in society. Historically speaking, education was very informal; formal education was only for the elite. Whether education serves a political or an economic agenda can be best viewed within three perspectives. These perspectives are the functionalist, conflict and interactionist perspective. We will explore the differences and similarities in functionalist, conflict, and interaction theories of education; as well as their effect on individual views, approach to social change, and views of society within education.
The functionalist theory focuses on the ways that education serves and contributes to the needs of society. “Functionalists first see education in its manifest role: conveying basic knowledge and skills to the next generation (CliffsNotes.com).” From a functionalist perspective, education is an interrelated yet independent element that benefits society as a whole. Functionalist Talcott Parsons says that education prepares and selects individuals for their future roles in society, therefore benefiting the individual as well as society. Looking from the functionalist’s perspective, education is positive in helping society to function because it provides a value consensus and social solidarity.
Functionally speaking, education serves as a venue to transmit culture and skills. “Schools supplement the family by passing on to youngster’s important elements of their culture, (Sullivan, T.J., 2007).” Functionalists see this as equipping the individual with the skills necessary to function in society and to promote success. Not only does it establish a soci...
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Functionalism views society as the stability and assimilation of a range of forces that function within it. While society is a separate entity with a life of its own, there are individual elements contributing to that stability. Functionalism as a sociological theory emphasizes assimilation rather than the dissociation of society. Therefore, the society is seen as a whole that is compromised of parts which give one another their identity and their function. The part, whether that is education, such as a school, or sports, such as a football team, operates in relation to the other parts, and cannot be entirely understood in isolation from the other parts. All the parts are interrelated, and when there is a disturbance in any one of the parts, is when you can see the interdependence. But what is important about this theory is that “there will always be some reorganization and tendency to restore equilibrium” (Wallace and Wolf 17). Functionalist do not believe it’s crucial that the people involved in the society to be aware of this interconnectedness anymore than the brain and heart consciously realize that they work together as an organism.
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Specifically, functionalists argue that school performs two key functions that contribute to social cohesion: assimilation and political socialization. The education system serves as a means by which to instill the norms of a specific group (usually a dominant group) through a wide array of mechanisms ranging from medium-of-instruction policies to the hidden curriculum, thus producing a set of individuals with the same cultural and linguistic norms, a cohesive social unit. Likewise, political socialization expands on this notion of group identity, applying it as a loyalty not only to one’s own group, but to the nation as a whole. Through reciting the pledge of allegiance and teaching students about traditional political values in required U.S. history and government classes, the education system instills in students a loyalty to the nation as a whole. Assimilation and political socialization, as argued from the functionalist perspective, serve to socialize individuals in ways that enable them to adapt to the larger social world of mass society. These ideals, when paired with the meritocratic role differentiation system described above, form the
Education is a vital part of society. It serves the beneficial purpose of educating our children and getting them ready to be productive adults in today's society. But, the social institution of education is not without its problems. Continual efforts to modify and improve the system need to be made, if we are to reap the highest benefits that education has to offer to our children and our society as a whole.