I.

INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS

OF EDUCATION
Introduction:

Sociologists see education as one of the major institutions that

constitutes society.

Social science theories guide research and policy formulation while

providing logical explanations for why things happen the way they
do.

Consensus and Conflict Theories:

Consensus is a general or widespread agreement among all members of a

particular society. A concept of society in which the absence of conflict is
seen as the equilibrium state of society based on a general or widespread
agreement among all members of a particular society.

Conflict is a clash or disagreement between ideas, principles and people.

Consensus theories see shared norms and values as fundamental to

society; focus on social order based on tacit agreements, and view social
change as occurring in a slow and orderly fashion. In contrast, conflict
theories emphasize the dominance of some social groups by others, see
social order as based on manipulation and control by dominant groups and
view social change as occurring rapidly and in a disorderly fashion as
subordinate groups overthrow dominant groups (Ritzer, 2000). It is a theory
or collection of theories which places emphasis on conflict in human society
(Jary and Jary, 2000:105).
Is it possible in such society to have no conflict?
Dahrendorf recognizes that society can not exist without both conflict
and consensus, which are prerequisites for each other. Thus, we cannot
have conflict unless there is some prior consensus.

What is the focus of Conflict Theory?

According to Horton and Hunt (1984), conflict theory focuses on the
heterogeneous nature of society and the differential distribution of political
and social power. A struggle between social classes and class conflicts
between the powerful and less powerful groups occur.

What is the larger issue for conflict theorists?

The larger issue for conflict theorists is the role that education plays in
maintaining the prestige, power, and economic and social position of the
dominant group in society (Ballantine & Spade, 2004).
Where the conflict theory did came from?
Grew out from the work of Karl Marx and focuses on the struggle of
social classes to maintain dominance and power in social systems.
They explained change as emerging from the crisis between human
beings and their society.
They argued the theory characterized by class conflicts: bourgeoisie
(rich owners) and proletariat (poor workers).

Structural Functionalism:

What is structural functionalism?

States that society is made up of various institutions that work together
in cooperation.
Structural functionalism was for many years the dominant sociological
theory in the works of Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton and their students
and followers. However in the last 3 decades it has declined dramatically in
importance (Chris, 1995).
 Parson’s Structural functionalism has 4 Functional Imperatives for all
“ACTION SYSTEMS”, embodied in his famous AGIL scheme. These functional
imperatives that are necessary for all systems are:

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 3
functional imperatives (AGL).

4. Latency- (pattern maintenance) a system must furnish, maintains, and

renews both the motivation of individuals and the cultural patterns that
create and sustain the motivation.

Parsons designed the AGIL scheme to be used at all levels in this

theoretical system:

Action System- handles the adaptation function by adjusting to an

transforming the external world.

Personality system- perform the goal-attainment unction by defining

system goals and mobilizing resources to attain them.

Social System- copes with the integration function by controlling its

component parts.

Cultural System- performs the latency function by providing actors with

the norms and values that motivate them for action (Ritzer, 2000).
 Interactionist Theories:

-is the relation of school and society are critiques and extensions of the
functionalist and conflict perspectives.

In sociology, interactionism is a theoretical perspective that derives social

processes (such as conflict, cooperation, identity formation) from human
interaction.It is the study of how individuals shape society and are shaped
by society through meaning that arises in interactions.Interactionist theory
has grown in the latter half of the twentieth century and has become one of
the dominant sociological perspectives in the world today. George Herbert
Mead, as an advocate of pragmatism and the subjectivity of social reality, is
considered a leader in the development of interactionism. Herbert Blumer
expanded on Mead's work and coined the term "symbolic interactionism".

Symbolic interactionism
- is a sociological theory that develops from practical considerations and
alludes to people's particular utilization of dialect to make images and
normal implications, for deduction and correspondence with others.In other
words, it is a frame of reference to better understand how individuals
interact with one another to create symbolic worlds, and in return, how
these worlds shape individual behaviors. It is a framework that helps
understand how society is preserved and created through repeated
interactions between individuals.
Symbolic interactionism comes from a sociological perspective which
developed around the middle of the twentieth century and that continues to
be influential in some areas of the discipline. It is particularly important in
micro-sociology and social psychology. It is derived from the American
philosophy of pragmatism and particularly from the work of George Herbert
Mead, as a pragmatic method to interpret social interactions.

George Herbert Mead

Symbolic interaction was conceived by George Herbert Mead and
Charles Horton Cooley. Mead argued that people's selves are social
products, but that these selves are also purposive and creative, and
 believed that the true test of any theory was that it was "useful in
solving complex social problems".Mead's influence was said to be so
powerful that sociologists regard him as the one "true founder" of the
symbolic interactionism tradition. Although Mead taught in a
philosophy department, he is best known by sociologists as the
teacher who trained a generation of the best minds in their field.
Strangely, he never set forth his wide-ranging ideas in a book or
systematic treatise.

Herbert Blumer
Herbert Blumer, a student and interpreter of Mead, coined the term
and put forward an influential summary: people act a certain way
towards things based on the meaning those things already have, and
these meanings are derived from social interaction and modified
through interpretation.Blumer was a social constructionist, and was
influenced by John Dewey; as such, this theory is very
phenomenologically-based. Given that Blumer was the first to use
symbolic interaction as a term, he is known as the founder of symbolic
interaction.He believed that the "Most human and humanizing activity
that people engage in is talking to each other."According to Blumer,
human groups are created by people and it is only actions between
them that define a society. He argued that with interaction and
through interaction individuals are able to "produce common symbols
by approving, arranging, and redefining them."Having said that,
interaction is shaped by a mutual exchange of interpretation, the
ground of socialization.

Other theorists
Two other theorists who have influenced symbolic interaction theory
are Yrjö Engeström and David Middleton. Engeström and Middleton
explained the usefulness of symbolic interactionism in the
communication field in a variety of work settings, including "courts of
law, health care, computer software design, scientific laboratory,
telephone sales, control, repair, and maintenance of advanced
manufacturing systems".Other scholars credited for their contribution
 to the theory are Thomas, Park, James, Horton Cooley, Znaniecki,
Baldwin, Redfield, and Wirth.Unlike other social sciences, symbolic
interactionism emphasizes greatly on the ideas of action instead of
culture, class and power. According to behaviorism, Darwinism,
pragmatism, as well as Max Weber, action theory contributed
significantly to the formation of social interactionism as a theoretical
perspective in communication studies.

Symbolic interaction- requires mental processes.

Non-symbolic interaction doesn’t involve thinking.

II. THE FOUR PILLARS OF EDUCATION

Education throughout life is based on four pillars: learning to know,
learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be.

• Learning to know, by combining a sufficiently broad general

knowledge with the opportunity to work in depth on a small number of
subjects. This also means learning to learn, so as to benefit from the
opportunities education provides throughout life.

• Learning to do, in order to acquire not only an occupational skill but

also, more broadly, the competence to deal with many situations and
work in teams. It also means learning to do in the context of young
peoples' various social and work experiences which may be informal, as a
result of the local or national context, or formal, involving courses,
alternating study and work.
• Learning to live together, by developing an understanding of other
people and an appreciation of interdependence - carrying out joint
projects and learning to manage conflicts -in a spirit of respect for the
values of pluralism, mutual understanding and peace.

• Learning to be, so as better to develop one's personality and be able

to act with ever greater autonomy, judgement and personal
responsibility. In that connection, education must not disregard any
aspect of a person's potential: memory, reasoning, aesthetic sense,
physical capacities and communication skills.

Formal education systems tend to emphasize the acquisition of

knowledge to the detriment of other types of learning; but it is vital now
to conceive education in a more encompassing fashion. Such a vision
should inform and guide future educational reforms and policy, in
relation both to contents and to methods.