Wesleyan University Philippines

Maria Aurora, Aurora

First Semester 2014-2015

Sociological Analysis of Educational Problems

Report No. 2 Title RESEARCH ON SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION

Reporter CHRISTOPHER G. MARMOL Ed.D student

What do I need to
learn?
At the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:
Define Education and Society
Explain the Social Function of Education
Give the Social Benefits of Education
What do I need to
know?
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

Education, simply stated, is the process of gaining knowledge, learning forms of
proper conduct and acquiring technical competency in a specific field. It involves
cultivating the mind and instilling values that enable an individual to distinguish
between the right and the wrong. It includes developing skills pertaining to a
specific field and also aims at achieving overall development. Formal education is
divided into phases starting from primary school, continuing through higher
education followed by education in a specific field (specialization). But education
never really ends. You learn something from every incident you are exposed to,
every experience you have and every person you meet. The process of education
is believed to begin in the mother's womb and it continues throughout one's life.

Society includes our family, friends, relatives and the people who live in our
community, county or even our country. It is made up of individuals who have
agreed to work together for mutual benefit. It can be a very broad term, as we can
make generalizations about what the whole society believes, or it can be a very
narrow definition, describing only a small group of people within a given
community. But no matter the size, and no matter the link that binds a society
together, be it religious, geographic, professional or economic, society is shaped by
the relationships between individuals.

Daramola (2003) stated that the relationships between the two (education and
society) are so strong that it is not possible to separate them because what
happens to one affects the other. Educational institutions are micro-societies,
which reflect the entire society. The education system in any given society
prepares the child for future life and instils in him those skills that will enable him to
live a useful life and contribute to the development of the society.

Social Functions of Education:
Education as social institution plays a vital role in our society. The function of
education is multidimensional within the school system and outside it. It performs
the function of socialising the individual for a variety of social roles and
development of personality. It is also an important part of the control mechanisms
of society. Education is a necessity right from the simple society to modern
complex industrial society.
1. Socialization:
The most important function of education is socialisation. The people have no
knowledge about the culture of their society. They must learn them and they must
learn the way which their society is functioning. Hence, the children as they grow
up must be introduced into the culture which they are going to face.
Society, therefore, provides a conscious teaching programme to inculcate values,
norms and social skills that will fit the individuals for their adult role in society.
Society creates educational institutions such as school and colleges to perform
certain functions in accomplishing this general end.
Besides, providing the children with tools of knowledge how to write, spell and
master arithmetic, the school also exposes them to social norms and values
beyond those which are available for learning in the family and other groups.
The learners acquire academic knowledge through schools and college which they
will need latter on and some will be practical or technical to fit him for some sort of
job. At the same time the schools and colleges inculcate social values and norms
among them.
Though people learn a great deal from their parents or in clubs and among groups
of friends, they learn more of the culture of their society though educational system.
For it is in the educational institutions that the young are exposed to social norms
and values beyond those which are available for learning in the family and other
social groups. History books tend to be written from an ethnocentric viewpoint and
to inculcate nationalistic; attitudes.
Through education, the child is able to develop reasoning in social relations,
cultivates social virtues and thus becomes socially efficient as says Deway. When
he speaks about social efficiency, he refers to economic and cultural efficiency, and
he calls it socialisation of individual. Thus, education may be only part of the
process of socialisation, but it is a very important part.
2. Development of Personality:
Education plays an important role in the development of personality. The object of
education, as said Durkheim is to awaken and develop in the child those physical,
intellectual and moral states which are required of him both by his society as a
whole and by the milieu for which he is specially designed. Education helps the
development of the qualities of an individual, such as physical, mental and
emotional make-up as well as his temperament and character.
The self, the core of personality, develops out of the childs interaction with other.
Subsequently, the habits, traits, attitudes and ideals of an individual is patterned by
the process of education. A learners personality is also developed indirectly when
he is encouraged to form his own attitudes and values by studying outstanding
people in history and literature. Moreover, a learner is also influenced by the
outlook and attitudes of fellow students and teachers.
3. Social Control:
Education plays a vital role in regulating individual behaviour through transmitting a
way of life and communicating ideas and values to the new generations.
One way that education contributes to the regulations of social conduct, says
Bottomore, is in the early socialisation of the child. In order to transmit its social
heritage and survive as a social order all societies develop educational systems to
train its younger generations. The young must be consciously trained for their adult
roles to maintain the society. Through the process of education society regulates
the behaviour of its members and enforces conformity to its norms.
Education in a broad sense, as says Bottomore, From infancy to adulthood, is
thus a vital means of social control. Formal education in modern societies
communicates ideas and values which play a part in regulating behaviour. The new
generations are instructed to observe the social norms, the violation of which may
invite punishment.
4. Social Integration:
Education, by imparting values, also integrates people into the broader society. The
curriculum of the school, its extra-curricular activities and the informal relationship
among students and teachers communicate certain values and social skills such as
cooperation or team-spirit, obedience, fair play.
5. Determination of Status:
Determination of status of an individual is an important function of education.
Amount of education is a good indicator of socio-economic status, from lower
working class to upper class, education leads to economic opportunity. It is through
education young people secure higher status jobs than their parents. With higher
incomes they come to associate with the persons of higher status. Thus, education
provides the channel to better socio-economic status.
6. Provides Route for Social Mobility:
Educational qualifications increasingly form the basis for the allocation of
individuals to social statuses and social mobility. There has been steady move from
one status to other due to educational attainment. An industrial society like United
States or Great Britain places increasing emphasis on the attainment of both of the
skills acquired in elementary, secondary and higher education and of the
educational credentials that a person has acquired the skills for a job.
The educational system is expected to provide opportunity for social and economic
mobility by selecting and training the most able and industrious youth for higher-
status position in society.
The educational system places those with the greater abilities and training in higher
positions and those with the lesser abilities and training in lower ones. Thus,
education tends to generate vertical social mobility by increasing their earning
power and by preparing them for higher-status occupation than that of their
parents.
The educational system whether industrial societies or in developing societies like
India tend to create and maintain a broad division between elites and masses,
between education for intellectual and for manual occupations. Such differentiation
within the educational system is closely linked to the system of social stratification
and mobility.
7. Social Development:
Skills and values learned in education are directly related to the way to which the
economy and the occupational structure operate. Education trains the individuals in
skills that are required by the economy. In modern planned economy the output of
skilled people must be consciously geared to the economic and social priorities of
the society. That explains the vital role of education in social development. Literacy,
for example, stimulates economic and social de development and that is why all
developing countries have undertaken large-scale literacy programmes.
Literacy increases political consciousness among poor people who now organize
themselves into various forms of organization.
SOCIAL BENEFITS OF EDUCATION
Education has the potential to bring significant benefits to individuals and society,
which go well beyond its contribution to individuals employability or income. Skills
are important channels through which the power of education is manifested in a
variety of social settings. Policy makers should take into account the wider social
benefits of education when allocating resources across public policies.

Education brings wide-ranging benefits to the society.

What is the ultimate purpose of education? Early philosophers such as Aristotle
and Plato pointed out that education was central to the moral fulfillment of
individuals and the well-being of the society in which they live. In the past few
decades, research has supported this conventional wisdom, revealing that
education not only enables individuals to perform better in the labour market, but
also helps to improve their overall health, promote active citizenship and contain
violence.
More educated people tend to live longer
Life expectancy reflects a long trajectory of individuals socio-economic
circumstances that affect their health conditions and other mortality risks. In OECD
countries, life expectancy at birth, on average, reached 80 years in 2010. Women
live almost six years longer than men, averaging 83 years vs. 77 for men. Data
show that life expectancy is strongly associated with education. On average,
among 15 OECD countries with available data, a 30-year-old tertiary-educated man
can expect to live eight years longer than a 30yearold man who has not
completed upper secondary education. Among men in Central European countries
there are particularly large differences in life expectancy by level of education. A
30-year-old tertiary-educated man in the Czech Republic can expect to live 17
years longer than a 30-year-old man who has not completed upper secondary
education. In the 15 OECD countries analyzed, differences in life expectancy by
level of education are generally much smaller among women. On average, a
tertiary-educated woman can expect to live four years longer than a woman without
an upper secondary education. Whether these observed associations also reflect
causal effects is a matter of debate. The associations may, for instance, reflect the
fact that healthier children not only achieve more education but also become
healthier adults.
Tend to engage more in civic activities
A cohesive society can be found in countries where citizens actively engage in civic
activities, trust others and have faith in the functioning of public institutions. Data
show that adults who have attained higher levels of education are generally more
likely than those with lower levels of educational attainment to report stronger civic
engagement, in terms of voting, volunteering, political interest, and interpersonal
trust. For example, among 25 OECD countries with available data, the gap in the
self-reported voting rate between adults with high and low a level of education is on
average 15 percentage points. This gap widens considerably to 27 percentage
points among younger adults (25-34 year-olds). For younger adults in Germany,
the corresponding figure is as high as 50 percentage points. Education at a Glance
2011 and 2012 show that similar associations also exist for the relationship
between education and volunteering, political interest, interpersonal trust,
institutional trust and engagement in social activities.
Tend to feel happier.
Indicators such as life satisfaction and happiness have also become important
benchmarks to assess the extent to which government policies address peoples
well-being beyond what can be captured using purely economic measures. Adults
who have attained higher levels of education are generally more likely to portray
greater satisfaction in life than those with lower levels of educational attainment. On
average, the gap in self-reported life satisfaction between adults with high and low
levels of education is 18 percentage points. Nordic countries tend to show smaller
gaps by education compared to Central European countries. This may reflect the
cross-regional differences in the welfare regimes which could affect the well-being
of the disadvantaged population. Indicators of civic engagement and subjective
well-being are based on self-reported survey data. There may be certain
discrepancies between self-reported and actual civic engagement (e.g. voting).
Measures of subjective well-being based on self-report may be subject to cross-
cultural or social desirability biases. Also these associations do not necessarily
signify causal relationships.
It is important to note that education and skills do not necessarily improve societal
outcomes. Some studies have shown that the higher the level of education, the
more likely an adult is to engage in potentially self-abusive behavior such as binge
drinking.
What do I need to
remember?
The inter-linkages between society and education work both ways. While we all
know of the impact of education on society, lets also examine the impact of society
on education. Education is influenced greatly by various societal factors including
norms, culture, development, traditions and beliefs. Education is not only the mode
of learning facts and figures. Most of our learning actually happens when we
observe and learn from those around us. In this aspect, the society and the people
who belong to it play a major role. Society includes our family, friends, relatives and
the people who live in our community, county or even our country. Take for
instance the case of people in impoverished societies. In these poor societies, the
lack of resources greatly impacts and impedes education. Often the children of
such societies cannot afford costly books, computers, laboratories or practical work
and may have to eke out a living themselves. In such societies, bare literacy is
sometimes all that the people can afford. Societal values also greatly impact
education. In many underdeveloped countries where female emancipation and
freedom is lacking, almost half the population (females) has severely curbed or
curtailed education. This is due to the ignorance and prevalence of age-old
customs and traditions. On the other hand, in USA and many European countries,
gender based differences in education are not present. This illustrates how the
customs and traditions prevalent in some specific societies influence education.

Education and its Socio-cultural Implication
At the policy level, the social development programs highlight many positive effects
on the socio-cultural arena in the current state of affairs. Education sector also is
part of the social development programs today. As we are aware - primary and
secondary school curriculum have been the main endeavour of educational
reforms, besides infrastructural investment in the education sector. (UAEInteract,
2010)
Comprehensive educational system directly blends with the socio-cultural features
of educational aspects namely
Computer training programs
Free and compulsory primary education
Environmental programs for school children
Providing scholarship and awards
Student website for better access
Primary and secondary infrastructural development.

Aspects of Education:
We can indicate several sociological aspects of education.
1. Learning is a creative experience. When a man responds to stimuli, he
acts in a creative manner. In other words, education is a creative act for
the learner.
2. Education is of two ways of learning
a. informal education serves continuously through life, as
mechanism for learning as well as for reinforcing previous learning
b. formal education.
3. Formal education is a socially devised technique, a highly elaborated
procedure for creating situations in which the pupil may learn. Individuals
go through formal education only a Short period of their life.
4. Education is both the living of life (in the network of social relationships, in
the classroom and outside) and a preparation for life. Preparation for life
involves
a. capacity to earn a livelihood,
b. capacity to enrich ones life through enjoyment of the cultural
heritage and of ones inner resources,
c. capacity to function efficiently and constructively as a member of
society, as a citizen of the State.
5. Education involves
a. mastery of the tools of learning, such as reading, writing arithmetic
and
b. mastery of our relations to our inner self, to our neighbour, to the
universe.

6 Basic Elements or Characteristics which Constitutes Society

In order to interpret society in a wider sense, it is necessary to examine the basic
elements or characteristics which constitute society.
Society possesses the following elements:
1. Likeness:
Likeness of members in a social group is the primary basis of their mutuality. May
be in the beginning assumed or real common lineage, tribal affinity, family benefit
or the compactness due to a common to time inculcated between and among the
members in the group the feeling of likeness. Likeness means mutuality, and that
means Society.
Maclver points out, Comradeship, intimacy, association of any kind or degree
would be impossible without some understanding of each by the other, and that
understanding depends on the likeness which each apprehends in the other.
Likeness is the one element which must have strongly stimulated the group
feelings in bringing men, women and children together. Likeness is the link-up for
mutuality.
2. The Reciprocal Awareness:
Likeness is generative of reciprocity. Once some are aware of the mutual likeness,
they, certainly differentiate against those who are not like them. The problem of
likes and dislikes was concomitant to the social growth. Consciousness of this kind,
alone could make sense of likeness. All social action is based on reciprocal
response. This alone, makes possible, the we-feeling.
3. Differences:
Sense of likeness in not always sufficient. It alone is not adequate for social
organisation. This does not exclude diversity or variation. The social structure of
humanity is based on the family which rests upon the biological differences
between the sexes, viz, men and women. The economic structure of society is
based upon division of labour in which the professions and economic activities of
people are different or dissimilar. The culture of society prospers with the
differences in thoughts ideals, viewpoints, etc. No two individuals are alike in their
nature.
They differ from each other in respect of their interests, capacities, abilities and
tendencies etc. These differences do not imply mutual conflict; instead; by it the
organisation of society is further strengthened. A 100 per cent organised society is
not possible.
It is a myth. Society to run smoothly there must be some differences. If people were
exactly alike their social relationship would be very much limited. There would be
little reciprocity, little give and take. They would contribute very little to one another.
A society based exclusively on likeness or uniformity is bound to loose in socialites.
Life would be boring, monotonous, prosaic and uninteresting if differences are not
present. We cannot imagine a society in which all people are adults or all old or all
young. Having realised the chaotic state of society, the importance of differences
will be apparent.
Differences subordinate to likeness:
Society means likeness but the contrary of the statement is not true. Differences is
necessary to society but it by itself does not create society. Difference, is
subordinate to likeness. Maclver says Primary likeness and secondary differences
create the greatest of all social institutions- the division of labour. There were
evolved conflicting management mechanism to resolve the differences, yet despite
it, these were subordinated to the good of the totality.
4. Interdependence:
Society implies interdependence. It is another essential element to constitute
society. It is not possible for human being to satisfy his desire in isolation.
He cannot live alone. He needs the help of others for his survival. Society fulfils all
the needs of the people. For example, the institution of family rests on the
biological interdependence of sexes. None of the two sexes is complete by itself
and, therefore, each seeks fulfilment by the aid of the other. This fact of
interdependence is very much visible in the present day society. Today not only
countries but also continents depend upon one another. Likewise, communities,
social groups and nations are also interdependent.
5. Cooperation:
Cooperation is also another essential element to constitute society. Without
cooperation, no society can exist. If the members of the society do not work
together for the common purposes, they cannot lead a happy and comfortable life.
Cooperation avoids mutual destructiveness and results in economy. In the words of
P. Gisbert, Cooperation is the most elementary process of social life without which
society is impossible.
For want of cooperation, the entire fabric of society may collapse. It is the very
basis of social life. C.H. Cooley has rightly remarked, Cooperation-arises when
men realise that they have common interests. So great is the realisation of the
necessity of cooperation on the part of every society, Kropotkin says, it is difficult to
survive without it.
6. Conflict:
Conflict is an ever present phenomenon present in every human society. Not only
cooperation but also conflict in necessary for the formation of society. They must
coexist in a healthy society. Conflict is a process of struggle through which all
things have come into existence.
George Simmel maintained that a conflict free harmonious society is practically
impossibility. There is no denying the fact that society requires for its formation and
growth harmony and disharmony, cooperation and conflict. Maclver rightly states
that Cooperation Crossed by conflict marks society wherever it is revealed.
Besides these above elements, Maclver has also mentioned some seven other
elements of society such as, usages, procedures, authority, mutual aid, groupings,
controls and liberties.



What does research
say about this?
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY: WHAT TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP?
By
Daramola, C. O. (Ph .D)
Dept. of Educational Foundations,
University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

Many sociologists have appreciated the relationship between education and society
and have concluded that the two are so interrelated. That one cannot draw any line
of demarcation between them. It has been observed that the educational system of
any nation must be based on the needs and demands of the society, and that any
educational system that fails to meet the needs, aspirations and ambitions of the
society is not relevant and is bound to fail.
The educational system of any nation is concerned with, the transmitting of the
cultural values of today to those who will live in the world of tomorrow, and contents
of education must somehow strike a balance. Dubey et. al. (1984) observed that a
good educational system, in all its full substance and ramifications, is related to the
level of culture, industrial development, rate of urbanization, political organization,
religious climate, family structure, stratification and other institutions of the total
social system.
Finally, education has to fulfill both the individual's needs and those of the society
and must keep pace with other sub-systems in the society, as both variables are
inter-related.


EDUCATION, SOCIETY AND DEVELOPMENT: SOME CRITICAL ISSUES
SIR ARTHUR LEWIS INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL & ECONOMIC STUDIES
CONFERENCE 2007
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, 26 28 MARCH 2007

There is a rapid increase in human learning needs and educational demands
among the various sub-groups in societies of developing nations; but there is no
reason to suppose that this acceleration of learning needs will subside. On the
contrary, all indications from the research point to its continued growth far into the
future; and this will have serious implications for the supply side of education.

Caribbean countries, confronted with the critical issues of migration, rural
development, urbanization, and human resource development, will have to put the
necessary infrastructure in place to keep pace in meeting these growing and
changing needs, and also to reconsider their policy approaches to problems of the
demand and supply of the educational equation. To invest heavily in the
quantitative expansion of the formal systems of education with some modifications
to curriculum content, structure of examinations and subject offerings in an
endeavor to meet the demand, while retaining the same institutional labor market
structures, will further exacerbate the problems of inequality and poverty,
unemployment and underemployment, structural imbalances of rural-urban
migration and imbalances in the rural - urban economic opportunities

It is often said that educational systems for the most part reflect and reproduce
social and economic structures of societies where they operate, rather than change
them. Therefore any strategic approach or policies designed to address these
problems should consider reforming the educational system to make it more
relevant for development needs and to increase its internal effectiveness and
equity.
What insights and
learning have I
gained in this topic?
Education is indispensable to individual and society, for without it there would be
loss of all the accumulated knowledge of the ages and all the standard of conduct.
An individual must learn the culture of the society or the accepted ways of doing
things. He must be socialized into the prevailing culture and must learn the rules of
conduct and expectations about future behaviour.
Society therefore, consciously devices its instructional programmes to fulfil
personal and social needs rather than leaving the learning to change. Education
provides a conscious teaching programme that helps to inculcate values, norms
and social skills that will enable the individual to develop his personality and sustain
the social system.
Durkheim conceives of education as the socialisation of the younger generation.
Hence, education may be broadly regarded as the way in which people learn to
take part in the life of society in which they live. Education is the social process by
which individual learns the things necessary to fit him to the social life of his
society.
What do I need to
do?
We acquire the ability to be responsible individuals (and therefore enjoy liberty)
only by living among others in communities often governed and organized by
longstanding institutions.

The life of the family is related to the division of labour according to sex and age,
the carrying on of husbandry, mutual assistance in everyday life, the intimate life of
man and wife, the perpetuation of the race, the upbringing of the children and also
various moral, legal and psychological relationships. The family is a crucial
instrument for the development of personality. It is here that the child first becomes
involved in social life, absorbs its values and standards of behaviour, its ways of
thought, language and certain value orientations. It is this primary group that bears
the major responsibility to society. Its first duty is to the social group, to society and
humanity. Through the group the child, as he grows older, enters society. Hence
the decisive role of the group. The influence of one person on another is as a rule
extremely limited; the collectively as a whole is the main educational force. Here
the psychological factors are very important. It is essential that a person should feel
himself part of a group at his own wish, and that the group should voluntarily accept
him, take in his personality.

The individual is free where he not only serves as a means of achieving the goals
of the ruling class and its party but is himself the chief goal of society, the object of
all its plans and provisions. The main condition for the liberation of the individual is
the abolition of exploitation of one individual by another, of hunger and poverty, and
the reassertion of man's sense of dignity. Socialism everywhere requires striking,
gifted personalities with plenty of initiative. A person with a sense of perspective is
the highest ideal of the creative activity of the socialist society.
Where can I get
additional information
about this?
http://www.unilorin.edu.ng/journals/education/nijef/march_2003
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/beliefs-about-the-purpose-of-education.html
http://people.howstuffworks.com/what-is-society.htm
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/educational-system-the-meaning-
aspects-and-social-functions-of-education/8582/
OECD 2013 Education Indicators in Focus 2013/01 (January)
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/jackmeijer/impact-society-education
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/ by Puja Monda