Sociological foundation of curriculum development

Sociology is the study of social behaviour or society, including its origins, development,

organization, networks, and institutions. Educational sociology is a branch of sociology, which is
confronted with the problems of relationship between society and education. It makes an effort to
achieve the aims of sociology through educational process, which is nothing but an interaction
between the individual and the society. Society has its own expectations about the aims and
objectives that should be considered when designing the curriculum. It also has a perception of
what the product of the school system should look like. It is therefore necessary for curriculum
designers to take into account these societal considerations.

1. Brown: All education proceeds by the participation of the individual in the social
consciousness of the races.

2) Ottaway’s view: The sociology of education may be defined as a study of relations between
education and sociology. The education is an activity which goes on in a society, and its aims
and method depend on the nature of the society, in which it takes place.

Curriculum development is defined as planned, a purposeful, progressive, and systematic

process to create positive improvements in the educational system. Every time there are changes
or developments happening around the world, the school curricula are affected. There is a need
to update them to address the society’s needs. Curriculum development has a broad scope
because it is not only about the school, the learners, and the teachers. It is also about the
development of society in general. In today’s knowledge economy, curriculum development
plays a vital role in improving the economy of a country. It also provides answers or solutions to
the world’s pressing conditions and problems, such as environment, politics, socio-economics,
and other issues of poverty, climate change, and sustainable development.
Educational significance
Education is not mere schooling or instruction imposed by the elders on the younger ones. It is
equivalent to the development of character or personality by means of the social life of education
institutions. The social life includes all kinds of out-of-class activities. Man acquires experience
throughout his life. This acquisition of experience is education. This process of acquiring
experience is a social process and it is related to and influenced by social factors. Education is
thus a social process and its function is not only to preserve the social heritage but also to enrich
it. Learning is the result of social interaction and social motivation. Education helps to develop
this social self so that an individual may become an effective and useful member of the society.
Education is a process of directed learning. Educational sociology focuses upon the social forces
through which the individual gains experience.

Sociology and education are closely related to each other. Whenever we speak of sociology,
education system and schools have been studied as social phenomena. Thus the sociology
changes affected social foundations of curriculum. Social foundations of curriculum are different
considering attitudes of community planners toward society and the role of education in the
engagement of these two subjects.

The Sociological Aspects of Curriculum Development

 Issues from society including groups and institutions in the culture and their contribution to
education.
 Refers to issues from society that have an influence on curriculum.
There are many aspects of the society that need consideration in curriculum making. These
include:

 Social change
 Transmission of culture
 Social problems as issues for curriculum
 Economic issues
 Technology
 Home/family
 Technology
 Diversity
 Environment
 Political factors
 Church/ Mosque
Social change
When societies are faced with enormous cultural changes, especially if these changes affect their
basic behaviour, the image of society is blurred and the people saw themselves unable against
natural and logical activities. Less than 20 years, the Internet, Face book, i Pad, websites, blogs
and e-mail have changed our lives dramatically. Downloading music and videos, chat, computer
games and mobile phones are part of our and our children daily lives. You must remember that
some of the current events had no place even in the dreamed of people in hundred years ago. For
example, to people in one hundred years ago, imagining a plane, subway, radio, etc., which is
natural to us, seems unlikely. Nowadays, because of frequent changes we can expect more
amazing changes in science, technology, lifestyle, economy, education, demographics and the
politics.

All education comes from some assumptions about the future. If taught of a society about the
future is clearly wrong, the youth education system will be betrayed. Anyway, as we make plans
for curriculum, we need to think about abilities and possibilities that may occur in the future. We
will be faced with complex problems that we cannot respond to it. These include terrorism,
human rights, pollution, attention to the rights of individuals and respect to the family, and
control of different communities based on an authority. The problem will be solved with critical
thinking that today we can hardly imagine it. We shall educate citizens that can make decisions
based on science. Either now or in the future, our curriculum must be open and flexible against
uncertain and intangible consequences. The curriculum planners shall have a future based
approach and to predict and monitor changes in values and their implications for curriculum
changes to promote more informed methods for curriculum. Changes in the curriculum focused
equally on where we are going and where we are right now.

Transmission of Culture
Culture is a complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, customs and any
other capabilities acquired by man as a member of the society. It is the sum total of a given
society’s way of life moulded and shaped by prevailing circumstances and environment (Brown,
1990). This implies that culture is not static but dynamic and it responds to external influences,
which bring about changes and curriculum development in schools.
 The fundamental aspects of culture include beliefs, values, routines and customs

 Beliefs
Every culture has some beliefs which are accepted as true. These beliefs are sometimes called
superstitious beliefs because of lack of empirical knowledge or lack of scientific proof. These
beliefs are valued and so are accepted by majority of people in the community.

 Values: Values are those aspects of cultural practices, actions or objects that are valued in high
esteem in the society. The values of a society are also those aspects of the culture that society
wants to preserve because their traditionally valued and they want to pass it from generation to
generation. The values of the society are the aspect of the culture, which is needed in the society.
These aspects of the culture that are valued should be passed from generation to generation so as
to maintain a particular valid aspect of the culture.
 Routines and customs: Routines and customs are also very important aspects of culture.
Recipes are the ideas and the understanding about how things should be done as prescribed by
the culture in question. For instance, different societies have different ways prescribed by their
culture in performing naming, burial, marriage ceremonies and so on.
Routines and customs refer to the actual doings and the regularities of those cultural actions or
elements. Customs serve as recipes and routines to which people regularly resort for recurring
purposes.

Economic issues
 Change in curriculum, needs financial support.
 New teaching materials are required.
 Teachers are needed to be provided with in-services training and equipped with new
teaching materials textbooks are to be revised to fulfill the changing needs of the society.
 Supportive personal are required to assist the teachers for effective implementation of new
curriculum designs.
The family
The home is still the main institution affecting the life and growth of the child. The family exerts
significant influence on the social, emotional and moral development of the child. His
personality and values are affected by the family. In planning any relevant curriculum for the
learners, the planner should be familiar with the family and home conditions of the learner. The
intellectual climate of the home and attitudes of the parents towards education affects the
individual’s behaviour and accomplishment in schools.

More attention is now being devoted in the school to aspects of the home and of the family life.
Courses in homemaking are found frequently on both the secondary school and the collegiate
levels, and the courses in marriage and family relationships and in sex education are given on
both levels. In the curriculum of the secondary schools, newer courses in social living, social
problems, and child care are often cantered around family life.

Political Factors
 It would be tempting, to argue that education should be taken out of politics. An educational
will expect political parties to clarify their general educational aims and policies, which
concern broad social issues.
 Every person coming into power brings with him his vested interests and few educational
plans for the nation, in such atmosphere educationist is likely to suffer from frustration.
The Church/Mosque/Temple
These are public worship centers for Christian Muslims and Hindu respectively. However, apart
from these two worship centers where people go to worship God in order to satisfy their spiritual
needs, there are other worship centres in the society to satisfy the spiritual needs of the people.
Religion itself is a social institution. Although religion is a human is a human society it is not
necessarily accepted by everyone and even those who accept religion do not accept it in the same
degree. The major role of the church, mosque and temple is in moulding the character of the
child and the people in general. Similarly, the church, mosque and temple are also agencies of
intellectual development in the society.

Technological
Technology driven curriculum development is the norm of the 21 st century. The computer
technology of the 21st century influences curriculum development at every level of learning.
Learning centers and classrooms increasingly provide computers as requisite interaction for
studies among students. Technological multimedia use influences educational goals and learning
experiences among students.
Diversity
Curriculum development affect from diversity opens learning opportunities. Social diversity
including religion, culture and social groupings affects curriculum development because these
characteristics influence the types of topics and methods for teaching information. Developing
relevant curriculum takes into account society’s expectations, accommodating group traditions
and promoting equality.

Environment
Environment issues affect curriculum development. World awareness and action toward
reversing and ending pollution continues affecting curriculum development. Typical elementary
classrooms teach recycling and healthy environmental practices.

Societal problems
 War and greed
 Prejudices
 Threat
 Dissolution of family
 Regionalism
 Ecological imbalance
 Population
 Issues of particular groups in society