Preview

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4147 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY: WHAT TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP?

By

AJANI Oluwatoyin Ayodele

Sociology of Education(M.Ed)
Matric. No:00/SW/03/205
Department of Educational Foundations
Lagos State University, Ojo.

This paper focuses on the relationship between education and society. It acknowledges a strong relationship between the two concepts. Education is sees as a means of cultural transmission from one generation to another in any given society. Society is defined as the whole range of social relationships of people living in a certain geographic territory and having a sense of belonging to the same group.
The relationships between the two concepts 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 instills in his those skills that will enable him to live a useful life and contribute to the development of the society.
Education as a social phenomenon does not take place in a vacuum or isolation; it takes place in the society and this normally begins from the family, which is one of the social institutions responsible for the education of the child.
Introduction
Many sociologists have observed that there is a strong relationship between education and society. This observation is borne out of the fact that it is not possible to separate or draw any line of demarcation between the two concepts. This is because of the fact that what happens to the educational system undoubtedly affects the society, and whatever occurs in the society influences or shapes the educational system in all its ramifications. previous discussion has extensively discussed the concept of education as well as the informal (traditional) and formal education. Here, the term society shall be briefly looked into and the relationship between education and society.
The



References: Blakemore, K. and Cooksey, B. (1981). A Sociology of Education for Africa. London: George Allen & Unwin. Boocock, S. (1972). An Introduction to the Sociology of Learning. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Clarke, F. (1948). Freedom in the Educative Society. London: University Press. Dubey, D.L. et. al. (1984). An Introduction to the Sociology of Nigerian Education. London: Macmillan. Durkheim, E. (1961). Moral Education, English Translation. London: Free Press. Havighurst, R.J. (1960). Education, Social Mobility and Social Change in four Societies. Homewood, III: Dorsey Press. Omokhroodion, J.O. and Pemede O. (2002). Education and Society (A Functional Approach), Olu-A in Publishers, Ibadan. Ottaway, A.K.C. (1980), Education and Society An Introduction to the Sociology of Education. New York: The Humanities Press. Uche, U. (1980). A Sociology of Education of NCE Students. London: George & Unwin.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Best Essays

    Final Paper Gary Smith

    • 1787 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This paper gives the reader and insight on what is the social impact of our educational system. Going over the problems that have been developed over a time period of educational and, social mishaps. Taking what has happen and what we can do to fix the o sociological viewpoints of the problem, then take the correct actions to fix the problem.…

    • 1787 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Meyer, John W. (1977). “The effects of education as an institution,” American Journal of Sociology 83:55-77.…

    • 2343 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The education system has faults and many inequalities throughout it. The inequalities can be seen in many different areas including, meritocracy, different social classes, gender and ethnic inequalities, racism, cultural capital, and repressive state apparatuses etc. Various sociologists have different views about the education system and what the inequalities consist of.…

    • 927 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article “A Good Education”, the author poses the question of whether a good education is a broad one, with traditional subjects, or a specialized one, providing practical skills. The author states that in the XVIIIth and XIXth century a good education was a broad one, which provided men the possibility to pursue any career. However, he/she contends that since the latter part of the XIXth century, workers were required to have a more specialized training because the world was more complex, specialized, and competitive. The author explains that, around the 1960s, American students’ complaint about taking useless courses and not choosing their subjects lead to a reform in Universities’ programs, which now included many specialized subjects and dropped several traditional ones. According to the author, now both graduates and employers complain that practical knowledge lacks depth and flexibility, and is not enough to perform successfully at work. To conclude, he/she states that every teacher and student has their own ideal program and that it is hard to decide who has to right to define what a good education should be like. In my opinion, the fact that the author has presented the changes in the educational system within a historical frame is very important, because I believe that the historical and social context is closely related to the definition of a good education. As the renowned author, Sir Ken Robinson, states in his talk “Changing Education Paradigms”, nowadays the reasons why many countries are reforming public education are mainly economic and cultural. On the one hand, the economies in the 21th century are constantly changing and children should be educated to take their own place in their country’s economy. On the other hand, due to globalization, children need to find a balance between adapting to this process and having their own cultural identity. This context is completed by the fact that, according to Robinson, children are growing up in the…

    • 531 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Education is a social indicator to the level of skills and master within the society. It is a great indicator the society's norms and values based on society’s beliefs, attitudes, and value to human development. Also, education is an indication to the kind of pressures of not being part of society. In other words, part of the population who struggle with inequalities and stratification within the general population are uneducated. For example, Teague places great prestige and privilege on being a high graduate by rewarding students with job placement opportunities. The social indicator of education displays Teague’s beliefs, values, and attitude to graduation. 83.2% of Teague’s total population has a high school diploma or higher level…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sociologists of education have competing theories relating to the role that the education system plays in wider society. Some structural theorists look at education as responding to the needs of society. This may be in terms of the functions it performs and perpetuate society or its role in reproducing inequality. Some sociologists see education as part of a meritocratic society, whereas others argue that processes within school such as the hidden curriculum maintain an unequal society.…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Education, the knowledge one receives first in kindergarten, is no longer limited to the classroom. While schools provide one’s first look into education, one’s culture determines, ultimately, one’s attitude towards education. The socioeconomic status, an element of culture, and experiences with that status in school, and culture’s viewpoint towards education of a person directly correlates with one’s attitude towards education.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Education is defined in our textbook as the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values. In my opinion, there couldn’t be a better way to describe education. (Macionis, John J. Sociology, 13ed, page 516) It teaches us the facts on history, math, English and other basic subjects while quietly teaching us the way we are supposed to act, what is considered right and wrong, and general values and norms the system wants us to incorporate. On the darker side, it teaches us how we are divided among our peers, how we separate and categorize each other - sometimes for the worse. Even though those things aren’t in the curriculum, we may learn them more than the lessons that are in the curriculum.…

    • 1725 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Public education, it can be argued, shapes society, instils social mores and indoctrinates the impressionable with those philosophies the elites value. This essay will focus upon three main areas intrinsic to the education system. These are the social reproduction of ideas, the life chances created and instilled through education, and the socialisation of the individuals undergoing the educational process. Two main sociological perspectives that are useful when studying the education system are Functionalism and Critical Theory, because they focus on macro issues and social structures more than the interactionist perspective.…

    • 1667 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Major social institutions affect society, humanity, and prosperity in different ways. Education is a social institution that affects an individual’s “economic success and social progression (Wright 1368).…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bibliography: Olu Osukoya; Education in Nigeria: History, Strategise, issues and Problems, Ibadan: Laurel Educational Pub. 1987.…

    • 3205 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sociological Imagination

    • 2872 Words
    • 12 Pages

    * Edwards, T. 2002. A Remarkable Sociological Imagination, British Journal of Sociology of Education, 23(4), pp. 527-535…

    • 2872 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Education is the key to a greater society.” Education has become a necessity in our fast-paced globalizing society and is undoubtedly they key to a greater society. Therefore, in order to understand if better education leads to a better standard of living, we have to first note that a better standard of living means an improved condition of which people live by, indicated by factors such as increased literacy rates, mortality rates and –perhaps, a better education – referred to as better educational qualifications in the form of training, certification or knowledge. Hence, we see that education has become necessary in order to alleviate our living standards and the key to the progress of our society. However, this does not hold true for every society where a better education has not brought about a change in the standard of living or social standing of an individual. Thus, while to a large extent, better education does improve one’s abilities to alleviate oneself in society, this is limited in several societies where better education does not necessarily translate to a better standard of living.…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    The social institution referred to as Education is comprised of the school system and it is in the school system where knowledge and skills are developed along with cultural and social values and norms. Additionally, through the school system culture and society continue and further those social values and norms thus fulfilling a need prescribed by society. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the theories of functionalism, conflict, and interactionism perceive the social institution of education. As the functionalism theory states, each social institution exists in order to fulfill a social need in addition without the social institution in question, social order would falter. The conflict theory states, a social institution creates and/or furthers social inequalities and assists in maintaining an ascribed social status in the social order however, as the social order is continuously in flux, the social order tries to find a balance in and for society. The interactionism theory tries to understand why individuals who maintain a presence within a social institution act and/or react to each other under certain stimulations (Vissing, 2011). The social institution of education is comprised of what we term as schools therefore throughout this paper the terms education institution, schools, and the school system will be used interchangeably and accordingly. Each individual within a society is introduced to and educated in a system of values and norms pertaining to their particular society beginning at an early age and continuing through the individual’s lifetime additionally, the school system plays a large part in that education as the youth of that particular society develop into adults. The instructors or teachers within the school system act as role models to elicit proper behavior and strengthen cultural and societal norms (Beaver, 2009). Along with the academic curriculum taught in schools, schools also act as a large…

    • 3469 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the Microsoft office dictionary, education is the system of formal teaching and learning as conducted in schools and other institutions. According to Microsoft Student with the Encarta Premium 2009 a society is a structured community of people bound together by similar traditions, institutions or nationality. Culture, also defined by Encarta, is the patterns of behavior and thinking that people in social groups, learn, create and share. It includes their beliefs, rules of behavior, language, rituals, art, technology, styles of dress, way of producing and cooking food, religion, and political and economic system. An institution, as stated by the Microsoft office dictionary, is an important organization, that is, a large organization that is influential in the community, e.g. a college, hospital or bank. The word social as used in this case maybe defined as, the way in which people relate to and interact with each other. Therefore, if education is to be seen as a form of social institution , it means then that education as a social institution would an important and influential organization in a community in which people are also able to interact with each other. Then, if it is influential it then means that it would impact to ones society and culture to a greater extent. Thus I think Education, as a social institution impacts on the Caribbean society in both a positive and a negative way. This will be discuss in the proceeding paragraphs, in which the positive impacts of education as a social institution on the Caribbean culture and society will be discussed first followed by the negatives.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics