Aims of Education.

The development of sociological tendency in education led to the key role of educational sociology in the
process of determining the following aims of education:

i. To develop social feelings, social attitudes, social qualities, and democratic ideals. Individuals can
achieve harmonious adjustment with their environment developing society to higher and higher
levels by performing their obligations and using their rights. This development eventually leads to
international brotherhood and international welfare. Hence education for efficient dynamic
citizenship is the main aim of education.
ii. Social Efficiency and self-reliance. Hence the second important aim of education is to provide
vocational education to children.
iii. Effective and gainful use of leisure time. Hence proper utilization of leisure time is the third aim of
education.

Functions of Education.

iv. Diffusion of Knowledge. The first function of education is to prepare an individual for active
participation in social activities, so that both the individual and the society grow and develop
higher and higher. But the development of individuals and society depends upon intelligence
which requires considerable knowledge. The function of education is to diffuse increased
knowledge creating intelligent, useful, and dynamic citizens contributing their best to the
advancement of society.
v. Education as a Means of Social Control. In addition to the preparation of intelligent citizens,
education also devices mean for social control and guidance. Proper education inculcates in
children moral consciousness, sentiments of self- control, service and sacrifice which develop the
capacity to face all problems squarely and find effective solutions for them. Thus, social control
through education is an important function of education.
vi. Security and Transmission of Social Heritage. Another important function of education is to
protect, preserve and transmit the valuable heritage of human culture and civilization to
successive generations. Neither preservation nor transmission of culture to successive
generations without a sound and effective system of education. In the absence of this wholesome
influence, harmonious adjustment will not be achieved. Consequently, the process of social
decay will set in.
vii. Social Progress. The development of an individual is possible only in a developed and
progressive society.
viii. It should make children capable for their livelihood.
ix. It should emphasize educational plans and schemes.
x. It should be constructed in conformity with social ideals and values.
xi. It should include increased subjects of sociological value to promote international understanding.

Etymological Meaning of Education

The Latin word 'Educatum' means to train. 'H' means from inside and 'Duco' means to draw out,
to lead out or to bring up. By combining the two education comes to mean to draw from within. Education
is a process which draws from within. Each child is born with some innate tendencies, capacities and
inherent powers. Education draws these powers out and develops them to the full. Latin words 'Educare'
and 'Educere' mean to bring up, to lead out and to develop etc. In this way the word education means to
develop the inborn qualities of a child to the full. Thus, education is a process of development. To
understand its nature and rate of progress, one must know the data of education.
 Culture is the stock-in-trade of a group. It is an antecedent complex of values into which every
individual is born. It is a medium within which individuals develop and mature." Hence culture
comprehends all that is implied in social heritage. As Alexander A. Goldenweiser has expressed it, "Our
attitudes, beliefs and our judgements and values, our institutions-political and legal, religious and
economic; our ethical codes and codes of ettiquette; our books and machines, our sciences, philosophies
and philosophers, all of these and many other things and beings within themselves and in their multi-form
interrelations." This definition of culture contains a detailed account of all factors. Culture is generated and
acquired. It is a unique quality of humans, and it is transmitted from one generation to the next, as a
mental phenomenon, it is social rather than individual, and it helps to satisfy certain needs.

Educational Sociology

Social consciousness is the essential basis of education. It needs to be developed increasingly

for meticulously organizing the various aspects of education, which is the main purpose of Educational
Sociology. Education is now regarded as a social, dynamic, and progressive process which aims at
achieving social planning, social change, and social reconstruction.

The following definitions of some well-known scholars make the meaning of Education Sociology clear:

(1) "Educational Sociology is the study of interaction of the individual and his cultural environment
including other individuals several groups and pattern of behaviour" —Brown

(2) "Educational Sociology starts with the assumption that education is an activity which goes on in
society and society in turn determines the nature of education." —Ottaway

(3) "Educational Sociology is the scientific study of how people live in social groups, especially including
the study of education that is obtained by the living in the social groups, and education that is needed by
the members to live efficiently in social groups". —Good Aims of Educational Sociology

Following are the aims of Educational Sociology. According to Harington,

(1) To acquire knowledge about schoolwork and the work of teachers in relation to society and social
progress.

(2) To study the effects of social elements on the school.

(3) To acquire knowledge about the effects of social elements on individuals.

(4) To construct a curriculum of education with full understanding of the economic and cultural
tendencies of society.

(5) To gain knowledge about democratic ideologies.

(6) To employ research techniques for achieving the aims of educational sociology

Educational Sociology is a wide and comprehensive subject which deals with the influences of
educational and process on social relationship and the effects of sociological processes on education.

The following are the critical issues of study for Educational Sociology:

(1) Mutual relations of teachers and students.

(2) The place of a teacher in society.

(3) Social problems, needs and aspirations.

(4) Small units of society and their interrelation.

(5) School and its relations with local social institutions.

(6) Effect of social life upon individuals and school.

(7) Progress of democratic feelings in school.

(8) Necessary modifications in the curriculum for individual and social growth.

(9) Encouragement to critical thinking and investigation.

(10) Evaluation of Radio, Television and Press as medium of social progress(11) Determination of
teaching methods of the development of child.

(12) Investigation of all the sources of social restrictions and social advancement.

Importance of Educational Sociology

(1) Concept of Education for All. Educational Sociology maintains that man is a social being. In ancient
times racial discrimination held sway over the minds of people in general. There is no bar to education
because of race, caste, creed, color and sex.

(2) Promotion of International Culture. Educational Sociology provides full protection in the preservation
and progress of culture.

(3) Social Growth. Educational Sociology formulates such rules and procedures which establish and
develop social growth. Only useful and relevant traditions remain effective, others decay and die out.

(4) Well -adjusted Social Life. Educational Sociology secures a safe, reliant, and self- development living
for an individual in society. It promotes social adjustment by everyone. It inculcates in them urges and
desires for social service and social good.

(5) Better Group Life. Educational Sociology tries to secure and promote a happy life for all individuals.
When the mass of people understands their welfare, they strive to achieve social good for all.

John Locke, The empiricist educator

Acquire knowledge about the world through the senses- learning by doing and by interacting with the
environment

Simple ideas become more complex through comparison, reflection and generalization-the inductive
method

Opposed the “divine right of kings” theory which held that the monarch had the right to be an
unquestioned and absolute ruler over his subjects

Political order should be based upon a contract between the people and the environment

People should be educated to govern themselves intelligently and responsibly.

Education is not acquisition of knowledge; it is learners interacting with concrete experience, comparing,
and reflecting on the same concrete experience.

The learner is an active not a passive agent of his own learning.

From the social dimension, education is seeing citizens participate actively and intelligently in establishing
their government and in choosing who will govern them from among themselves because they are
convinced that no one is destined to be a ruler forever.

HERBERT SPENCER; UTILITARIAN EDUCATION

Survival of the fittest

Individual competition leads to social progress, he who is fittest survives

Curriculum should emphasize the practical, utilitarian, and scientific subjects that helped humankind
master the environment

Not inclined to rote learning, schooling must be related to life and to the activities needed to earn a living.

Curriculum must be arranged according to their contribution to human survival and progress.

The whole child approaches a powerful tool for self- focused schools has as tenets –” each student learns
in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults “and “each student has
access to personalized learning and is supported by qualified and caring adults.

Favors specialized education over that of general education

The competition in class is what advocates of whole child approach and socio emotional learning.

JOHN DEWEY; LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION IS SOCIAL PROCESS AND SO SCHOOL IS INTIMATELY RELATED TO THE SOCIETY

THAT IT SERVES.

Children are socially active human beings who want to explore their environment and gain control over it.

The sole purpose of education is to contribute to the personal and social growth of individuals.

The school is a special environment established by members of society, for the purpose of simplifying,
purifying, and integrating the social experience of the group so that it can be understood, examined, and
used by its children.

Steps of scientific and reflective method

1. genuine situation experience (involvement in an activity in which he is interested)

2. genuine problem that stimulates thinking

3. processes the information to solve the problem

4. develops possible and tentative solutions that may solve the problem

5. tests the solution

The school is social, scientific, and democratic. The school introduces children to society and their
heritage. School as a miniature society is a means of bringing children into social participation.

Schools are for the people and by the people.

George Counts; Building a new social order

Education is relative to a particular society living at a given time and place.

Schools should cope with social change that arises from technology and become instruments for social
improvement.
Teachers are agents of change.

Equality in education

Problem-solving, like Dewey, should be the dominant method for instruction.

There is cultural lag between material progress and social institutions and ethical values. Material
progress of humankind is very evident but moral and ethical development seem to have lagged.

Theodore Brameld; social reconstructionism

Social Reconstructionism is a philosophy that emphasizes the reformation of society.

Schools should examine present culture and resolve inconsistencies to build a new society, not just
change society.

Education must be international in scope for global citizenship

Passionately committed to equality or equity in both society and education.

Paulo Freire; critical pedagogy

Systems must be changed to overcome oppression and improve human conditions

Teaching and learning as a process of inquiry in which the child must invent and reinvent the world.

The central element is the “dialogue”

Employ critical pedagogy and dialogue in contrast to the banking system of education.

Learners are not empty receptacles to be filled.

Historical foundation of education

Anticipatory socialization: role learning that prepares us for future roles.

Family; the most important agent of socialization

Cultural patterns: transform a hostile environment into one that is life sustaining, humankind developed
life skills

Importance of studying History of Education

1. education issues and problems are often rooted in the past; the study of educational history can help
us understand and solve today’s problems,

2. realistic effort to reform education begins with present conditions which are a product of our past; by
using our past, we can shape the future,

3. the study of education’s past provides a perspective that explains and illuminates our present activities
as teachers

Life skills

1. tool or instrument making

2. adherence to the moral behavior code of group life

3. language

Socialization: a process by which individuals internalize the norms and values of society and so social
and cultural continuity are attained; informal education in action.

In primitive societies survival against natural forces was the need and so what were taught were
survival skills and values to cultivate group cohesiveness.

For the Athenian in ancient Greece, what mattered most in education was the rounded development of
every individual while for the Spartan it was the development of soldiers and military leaders.

For the Early Romans, schools needed to develop a sense of civic responsibility and to develop
administrative and military skills as citizens of the Roman Empire.

For the Ancient Arabic world where Islam rose the most important concern of education was to cultivate
religious commitment to Islamic beliefs.

During the Medieval period, schools were concerned with the development of religious commitment ,
knowledge and ritual to establish order.

Renaissance period was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic ‘rebirth’
following the Middle Ages, Education was focused on the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature
and art.

The reformation period had as for its educational goals the cultivation of a sense of commitment to a
particular religious denomination and general literacy.
The History of the Philippine Educational System

Education is a function of society and as such what is taught in schools arises from the nature and
character of society itself.

Education during the Pre-colonial period

Informal and unstructured, decentralized

Basically, prepare their children to become good husbands and wives.

Children were provided with more vocational training but less academics

Teachers were tribal tutors

Education during the Spanish Era

Formal and organized;

Authoritarian in nature.

Tribal tutors of the pre-Spanish period were replaced by Spanish missionaries.

Pupils attended formal schooling in the parochial school.

Religion oriented

Separate school for boys and girls

Wealthy Filipinos or the illustrados were accommodated in the schools

The EDUCATION DECREE OF 1863

Complete system of education from elementary to the collegiate level

Provided for the establishment of elementary schools in all municipalities in the country

Curriculum included subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic, history Christian doctrine, Spanish
language, vocal music, agriculture for the boys and needlework for the girls.

Attendance in school was compulsory between the ages of seven and twelve

EDUCATION DURING THE AMERICAN REGIME 1898-1946

Promoted democratic way of life

May 1898, the first American school was established in Corregidor

Training was done through the schools both public and secular manned by Chaplains and Military officers
of the US Army

Thomasite arrived, August 23, 1901

The University of the Philippines was founded in 1908. UP was the first state school of university status.

Set up three level school system

1. four-year primary and three years intermediate or seven-year elementary curriculum

2. four-year junior college

3. four-year program
THE COMMONWEALTH PERIOD

Free education in public schools was provided all over the country, in accordance with the 1935
Constitution

Vocational education and some household activities like sewing, cooking, and farming were also given
importance

Students were taught the life of Filipino heroes

Good manners and discipline were taught

Formal adult education

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 134 (OF 1936) signed by Manuel Quezon designating Tagalog as our National
language

Executive Order no. 217, Quezon Code of Ethics was taught in schools

Executive Order No. 263, required teaching of the Filipino, national language in the senior year of all high
schools and in all years in the normal schools

Education Act of 1940 (CA 586) approved by the Philippine assembly on August 7, 1940 which provided
the following.

1. reduction of the 7 year elementary course to 6 years

2. fixing the school entrance age at 7

3. national support for elementary education

4. compulsory attendance of primary children enrolled in Grade 1

THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

Make the people understand the position of the Philippines as a member of the East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere

Eradication of the idea of reliance upon western States, particularly the US and Great Britain

Elevating the moral of the people giving up over emphasis on materialism

Diffusion of elementary education and promotion of vocation education

Developing of people, the love of labor

Post Colonial Philippines

The civil Service Eligibility of teachers was made permanent pursuant to RA 1079 in June 15, 1954

Daily flag ceremony was made compulsory in all schools including the singing of National Anthem
pursuant to RA 1265 approved on June 11, 1955. An Act making Flag Ceremony Compulsory in all
Educational Institutions,"

Magna Carta for Teachers was passed into law by virtue of RA 4670
The life, the works and writings of Jose Rizal especially the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo shall
be included in all levels

According to some sociologist, society has two faces; the face of consensus and the face of conflict.

Further, they emphasized that sociological theory should be divided into two parts between consensus
theory and conflict theory.

The proponents of consensus and conflict sociological and social theories are:

 Karl Marx

 Emile Durkheim

 Max Weber

 Talcott Parsons & Robert Merton

 Louis Althusser & Ralph Dahrendorf

 Herbert Mead & Herbert Blumer

Karl Marx Marx's class theory rests on the premise that "the history of all existing society is the history of
class struggles." According to this view, ever since human society emerged from its primitive and
relatively undifferentiated state it has remained fundamentally divided between classes who clash in the
pursuit of class interests.

Emile Durkheim Durkheim discusses how modern society is held together by a division of labor that
makes individuals dependent upon one another because they specialize in different types of work.
Durkheim is particularly concerned about how the division of labor changes the way that individuals feel
they are part of society as a whole.

Max Weber Max Weber believed that it was social actions that should be the focus of study in sociology.
To Weber, a “social action’” was an action carried out by an individual to which an individual attached a
meaning. Therefore, an action that a person does not think about cannot be a social action.

Conflict Theory

emphasizes the role of coercion and power in producing social order. This perspective is derived from
the works of Karl Marx, who saw society as fragmented into groups that compete for social and economic
resources. According to conflict theory, inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate
share of society’s resources actively defend their advantages.
The conflict model is concerned with the stresses and conflicts that emerge in society because of
competition over scarce resources.

It focuses on the inequalities that are built into social structures rather than on those that emerge because
of personal characteristics.

Consensus Theory

Is a social theory that states that social change should occur in institutions that are provided by a
political or economic system, which is fair. The theory also states that the absence of conflict within a
society is a state of equilibrium.

It is being considered in these theories that the social order in society should be maintained, based
upon the accepted norms, values, roles or regulations that are accepted by society in general.

Structural Functionalism (AGIL)

1. Adaptation – a system must cope with external situational exigencies. It must adapt to its environment
and adapt the 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 three functional imperatives (A,G,L)

4. Latency (pattern maintenance)- a system must furnish, maintain and renew both the motivation of
individuals and the cultural patterns that create and sustain the motivation.

Functional Requisites of a social system

1. Social system must be structured so that they operate compatibly with other systems. 2. To survive, the
social system must have requisite from other systems.

3. The system must meet a significant proportion of the needs of its actors.

4. The system must elicit adequate participation from its members.

5. It must have at least a minimum of control over potentially disruptive behavior.

6. If conflict becomes sufficiently disruptive, it must be controlled.

7. Finally, a social system requires a language in order to survive.

-Talcott Parsons

Interaction Theory

Is the relation of school and society being critiques and extensions of the functionalist and conflict
perspectives.

Interactionist theories are critiques and extensions of the functionalist and conflict perspectives.

This level of analysis helps us to understand education in the “big picture”.

Interactionist theories attempt to make the “commonplace strange” by turning on their heads everyday
taken-for granted behaviors and interactions between students and students and between students and
teachers.

 Symbolic interaction theory analyses society by addressing the subjective meanings that people
impose on objects, events, and behaviours.
Has its own origin in the social psychology of early twentieth century sociologist George Herbert Mead
and Charles Horton Cooley.

This school of thought, known as symbolic interactionism, views the self as socially constructed in
relation to social forces and structures and the product of on going negotiations of meanings.

Symbolic Interactionism

Principles of Symbolic Interactionism

1. Human beings are endowed with the capacity for thought.

2. The capacity for thought us shaped by social interaction

3. In social interaction, people learn the meanings and the symbols that allow them to exercise their
distinctively human capacity for thought.

4. Meanings and symbols allow people to carry on distinctively human action and interaction.

5. People are able to modify or alter meanings and symbols that they use in action and interaction on the
basis of their interpretation of the situation.

6. People are able to make these modifications and alterations because, in part, of their ability to interact
with themselves, which allows them to examine possible courses of action, assess their relative
advantages and disadvantages, and then choose one.

7. The intertwined patterns of action and interaction make up groups and societies.

• Sociological Theory should be divided into 2 parts.

Conflict Theory and Consensus Theory.

Conflict Theory

Emphasize the dominance of some social groups

• Social order as based on manipulation and control by dominant groups

• Social change is occurring rapidly in a disorderly fashion

• Subordinate groups overthrow dominant groups

• Examines conflict of interest and the coercion that holds society

• Disagreement or clash between opposing sides, principles, or people

• It can be overt or covert conflict

• Focuses on the heterogeneous nature of society and the unequal distribution of political and social
power.

Struggle between social classes

• Asks how schools contribute to the unequal distribution of people into jobs in society

• More powerful members of society maintain the best positions

• Less powerful group (women, racial and ethnic group) are allocated to lower ranks

Education plays a big part in maintaining the prestige, power, and economic and social position of
dominant group in society
• Social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tensions between competing groups.

• It needs not to be violent

Emergence of conflict and what causes conflict

• Conflict theory deals with the incompatible aspects of society and how they clash with one another

• Interested in how society institutions (family, gov’t religion, education and media) help to maintain the
privileges of some groups.

Consensus Theory

Sees shared norms and values as fundamentals to society

• Focuses on social order based on tacit agreements.

• Social change occurs in a slow and orderly fashion

Examines value integration in society

• Absence of conflict as the equilibrium state

• A collection of theories in which social order and stability as the base of emphasis

• Concerned with the maintenance or continuation of social order in relation to norms, values, rules and
etc.

Social System

Consist of plurality of individual actors interacting with each other with at least physical or environmental
aspect.

• Social system copes with the integration of function by controlling its component parts.

• Cultural system performs the latency function by providing the norms and values that motivates them for
action.

Socio-Cultural Education

Field of study and an emerging discipline whose major aim is to create equal educational opportunities
from racial, ethnic, social class and cultural groups

Multicultural Education

Is a progressive approach for transforming education that holistically critiques and addresses current
shortcomings, failings and discriminatory practices in education.

Four Approaches in Achieving Multicultural Education

1. Contributions Approach

ethnic heroes and holidays are included in the curriculum.

2. Additive Approach

A unit or course is incorporated but no substantial change is made to the curriculum as a whole

3. Transformation Approach

Students are taught to view events and issues from diverse ethnic and cultural perspectives
4. Social Action Approach

Students not only learn to view issues from multiple perspectives but also become directly involved in
solving related problems.

Emile Durkheim’s theory (1858 – 1917)

• Solidarity contributes to social order.

• Social solidarity is a kind of moral cement that binds people together.

Talcott Parson’s theory (1902 – 1979)

Social stability achieved through institutions playing their part.

e.g. family raise new generation, military defend society, schools teach skills & values for society’s benefit

Robert Merton

• Merton called the beneficial consequences of people’s actions as functions.

 These functions keep society stable.

• There are two kinds of functions: manifest and latent

 Manifests are the intended and recognized consequences or outcomes.

 Latent are the unintended and unrecognized consequences or outcomes.

• Consequences that harm society are called dysfunctions.

Main features of Functionalism

1. Stability (permanence, solidarity, steadiness)

Status quo, social equilibrium

2. Integration (individual is part of the larger group in society)

3. Functional coordination (collective functioning)

4. Consensus (agreement, consent, harmony)

Functionalism:(Functional Analysis)

• Emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society. (family, religion, education, economy,
government)

• According to functionalists these sections of society are part of the integrated whole wherein a
change in one part of leads to changes in the other parts.
• Functionalism believes that after upheaval, society will return to a state of status quo. (Although
there may be slight changes)

• Functionalists believe that there is a consensus on values, which results in cooperation among
members of society.

Structural Functionalist Theory of Education

• Since society is held together by shared values and collective agreement, education functions to
socialize students according to these shared values.

• The function of a school is to maintain social order.

• School operates in the interest of majority citizen since social order is in their best interest.

• Purpose of education;

-Intellectual (teach cognitive skills)

Political (develop allegiance to political order and how to function within a democracy, learn basic laws of
society)

– Social (socialization to ensure social cohesion)

– Economic (prepare students for later occupational roles, train and allocate individuals in the
division of labor)

Relationship Between Culture and Society

What is Society?

 Society is the bigger, cooperating social group with an organized sense of relationship.

 It is the sum of interactions and people.

What is Culture?

 Culture can be seen as tradition that creates cohesion and continuity.

 It has a lot of different meanings

 It is the traits of a population's behavior, values and beliefs.

Difference between society and culture

Basis

Culture is based off of historical precedence

society is an agreement on how each member should behave.

Scope

Society is the overall bigger picture

Culture is a part of society

Difference between society and culture

 Flexibility

Culture is changing constantly and exclusively

Society is more stable and inclusive

Examples

Examples of culture are fashion, language, traditional products, music, art and ideals. Examples of
society are villages, small towns and big cities

Relationship between culture and society

 Present and continuous movement

 Society and culture are closely related and interlinked

 But they are “Not Interchangeable”

 culture plays a key role in the formation of a society

Characteristics of relationship between culture and society

 Mutual existence

 Not Identical

 Essential Difference

Mutual Existence

 Culture and society are co-existent.

 No culture could exist without society and equally no society could exist without culture

Not Identical

 Culture and society may have some common elements but the two are not the same; they are not
identical.

Essential difference

 Society is composed of people

 Culture consists of knowledge, ideas, customs, traditions, mores, beliefs, skills, institutions,
organizations and artifacts.

Major cultures within a society

 Universal Culture

 Subcultures

 Countercultures

 Material Culture

 Non-material culture

Cultural Universals
 Cultural traits shared by nearly all societies

 Arts and Leisure activities

 Basic Needs

 Clothing, cooking, Housing

 Communication and Education

 Family Courtship

 kin groups, marriage

 Government and Economy

 Calendar, division of labor, government, law, property rights, status differentiation, trade

 Technology

 Medicine, tool making

Subcultures

 Groups that share values, norms, and behaviors that are not shared by the entire population.

Countercultures

 Groups that reject the major values, norms, and behaviors that is practiced by larger society.

Major cultures within a society

 Universal Culture

 Subcultures

 Countercultures

 Material Culture

 Nonmaterial culture

Material Culture

 Material culture includes all the physical things that people create and attach meaning to

 Clothing, food, tools, architecture etc.

Nonmaterial culture

 Nonmaterial culture includes creations and abstract ideas that are not embodied in physical objects.

 Any intangible products created and shared between the members of a culture

 Social roles, rules, ethics, and beliefs are just some examples.

Cultural Sociology

 Specialized field of sociology that studies the culture and its relationship with society  culture in the
sociological field can be defined as the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that
together shape a people's way of life.
 Every cultural phenomenon should be seen as a product of social processes

The concepts of nature and culture as significant changes in value are fairly representative of the general
state of contemporary thinking. Relations between nature and culture have been characterized by
differences or even opposition between two concepts. What we have from nature have been artifice,
custom and convention. Culture is a human institution and as such, it reflects the exercise of will or at
least a set of intended meanings.

THEORY OF CULTURAL DETERMINISM

The position that the ideas, meanings, beliefs and values people learn as members of society determines
human nature. People are what they learn. Optimistic version of cultural determinism places no limits on
the abilities of human beings to do or to be whatever they want.

Some anthropologists suggest that there is no universal "right way" of being human. "Right way" is almost
always "our way"; that "our way" in one society almost never corresponds to "our way" in any other
society.

Proper attitude of an informed human being could only be that of tolerance.The optimistic version of this
theory postulates that human nature being infinitely malleable; human being can choose the ways of life
they prefer.The pessimistic version maintains that people are what they are conditioned to be; this is
something over which they have no control. Human beings are passive creatures and do whatever their
culture tells them to do. This explanation leads to behaviorism that locates the causes of human behavior
in a realm that is totally beyond human control.

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Different cultural groups think, feel, and act differently. There are no scientific standards for considering
one group as intrinsically superior or inferior to another. Studying differences in culture among groups and
societies presupposes a position of cultural relativism. It does not imply normalcy for oneself, or for one's
society. It however, calls for judgment when dealing with groups or societies different from one's own.
Information about the nature of cultural differences between societies, their roots, and their consequences
should precede judgment and action. Negotiation is more likely to succeed when the parties concerned
understand the reasons for the differences in viewpoints.

CULTURAL ETHNOCENTRISM

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own culture is superior to that of other cultures. It is a form of
reductionism that reduces the "other way" of life to a distorted version of one's own. This is particularly
important in case of global dealings when a company or an individual is imbued with the idea that
methods, materials, or ideas that worked in the home country will also work abroad. Environmental
differences are, therefore, ignored. Ethnocentrism, in relation to global dealings, can be categorized as
follows:

a. Important factors in business are overlooked because of the obsession with certain cause-effect
relationships in one's own country. It is always a good idea to refer to checklists of human variables in
order to be assured that all major factors have been at least considered while working abroad.

b. Even though one may recognize the environmental differences and problems associated with change,
but may focus only on achieving objectives related to the home-country. This may result in the loss of
effectiveness of a company or an individual in terms of international competitiveness. The objectives set
for global operations should also be global.
c. The differences are recognized, but it is assumed that associated changes are so basic that they can
be achieved effortlessly. It is always a good idea to perform a cost-benefit analysis of the changes
proposed. Sometimes a change may upset important values and thereby may face resistance from being
implemented. The cost of some changes may exceed the benefits derived from the implementation of
such changes

Key Components of Culture

All cultures share four components.

1. Communication

2. Cognitive

3. Material

4. Behavioral

A. Communication Component

1. Language. It forms the core of all cultures throughout society. Through having a language, a
group of people interact with one another, socially sharing their thoughts, feelings or ideas to people with
the same language.

2. Symbols. Considered as the backbone of symbolic interactions. A symbol might be considered as

anything that holds a particular meaning and is recognized by the people that share the same culture.
Different cultures have different symbols, it is cross-culturally, and it might change over a period of time.

B. Cognitive Component

1. Ideas are considered mental representation and are used to organize stimulus. When Ideas are link
together it will organize into larger systems of information which will become knowledge.

2. Knowledge is considered as storage of information fact or assumption, and these knowledge can be
passed down from one generation to another.

3. Beliefs, assumes a proposition, statement, description of fact are true in nature. These acceptances
were influenced by the external authorities such as government, religion, or science rather than proven
true from the individual's direct experiences.

4. Values, serve as guidelines for social living. Culturally, it can be defined as the standards of desirability,
goodness and beauty.

5. Accounts, considered being a way on how people use the language for their explanation, justification,
or to rationalize, excuse, or legitimize a behavior towards themselves or to others.
C. Behavioral Component

1. Norms are considered as rules and expectations eventually set by a particular society that serves as
guides to the behavior of its members. It varies in terms of degrees of importance and might change over
a period. It is reinforced by sanctions in the forms or rewards and punishments. These are standards
accepted by society culturally and serve as obligatory and expected behaviors of the people in different
situations in life.

2. Mores are kinds of norms that are considered to be customary behavior pattern which have taken from
a moralistic value.

3. Laws serve as the formal and important norms that translate into legal formalizations. Folkways are
considered as behavioral patterns of a particular society that is repetitive and organized.

4. Rituals on the other hand are those highly scripted ceremonies of interactions which follow a sequence
of actions.

D. Material Component

This includes materials or objects created by humans for practical use or for artistic reasons. These
objects are called as “material culture”. Material components serve as an expression of an individual
culture.

Culture is transmitted through.

1. Enculturation. It is the process of learning culture of one’s own group.

2. Acculturation. It is the process of learning some new traits from another culture.

3. Assimilation. It is the term used for a process in which an individual entirely loses any awareness of
his/her previous group identity and takes on the culture and attitudes of another group.
Sociological Perspectives on Education

Theoretical perspective Major assumptions

Education serves several functions for society.
These include (a) socialization, (b) social
integration, (c) social placement, and (d) social
and cultural innovation. Latent functions include
child care, the establishment of peer relationships,
Functionalism
and lowering unemployment by keeping high
school students out of the full-time labor force.
Problems in the educational institution harm
society because all these functions cannot be
completely fulfilled.
Education promotes social inequality through the
use of tracking and standardized testing and the
impact of its “hidden curriculum.” Schools differ
Conflict theory
widely in their funding and learning conditions,
and this type of inequality leads to learning
disparities that reinforce social inequality.
This perspective focuses on social interaction in
the classroom, on the playground, and in other
school venues. Specific research finds that social
interaction in schools affects the development of
Symbolic interactionism
gender roles and that teachers’ expectations of
pupils’ intellectual abilities affect how much pupils
learn. Certain educational problems have their
basis in social interaction and expectations.
The Functions of Education

Functional theory stresses the functions that education serves in fulfilling a society’s various needs.
Perhaps the most important function of education is socialization. If children are to learn the norms,
values, and skills they need to function in society, then education is a primary vehicle for such learning.
Schools teach the three Rs (reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic), as we all know, but they also teach many of
society’s norms and values. In the United States, these norms and values include respect for authority,
patriotism (remember the Pledge of Allegiance?), punctuality, and competition (for grades and sports
victories).

A second function of education is social integration. For a society to work, functionalists say, people must
subscribe to a common set of beliefs and values. As we saw, the development of such common views
was a goal of the system of free, compulsory education that developed in the nineteenth century.
Thousands of immigrant children in the United States today are learning English, US history, and other
subjects that help prepare them for the workforce and integrate them into American life.

A third function of education is social placement. Beginning in grade school, students are identified by
teachers and other school officials either as bright and motivated or as less bright and even educationally
challenged. Depending on how they are identified, children are taught at the level that is thought to suit
them best. In this way, they are presumably prepared for their later stage in life. Whether this process
works as well as it should is an important issue, and we explore it further when we discuss school tracking
later in this chapter.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Filipino Character

Character

Strengths of the Filipino Character

Pakikipagkapwa-Tao

Kapwa-tao = - open fellow human to others and being feel one with others regard others with dignity and
respect Kapwa-tao = a fellow human

Pakikipagkapwa-tao•basic sense of justice and fairness

•concern for others.

•ability to empathize with others

Pakikipagkapwa-tao•helpfulness and generosity in times of need(pakikiramay); practice of bayanihan or

mutual assistance, Filipino hospitality.

• sensitivity to people’s feelings (pakikiramdam)

• pagtitiwala or trust

• sense of gratitude or utang na loob.

• very dependent on interpersonal relationships; gives sense of security

• camaraderie and a feeling of closeness to one another. Pakikipagkapwa-tao is a foundation for unity as
well as the sense of social

Strengths of the Filipino Character -Family Orientation

Filipinos possess a genuine and deep love for family

•source of personal identity, emotional and material support and

•one’s main commitment and responsibility

honor and respect given to parents and elders; care given to the children; generosity towards kin in need,
and great sacrifices one endures for the welfare of the family.

sense of family results in a feeling of belongingness and rootedness in a basic sense of security.

Strengths of the Filipino Character -Joy and Humor

Filipinos have a cheerful and fun-loving approach to life and its ups and downs…pleasant disposition, a
sense of humor and a propensity for happiness that contribute not only to the Filipino charm but also to
the indomitability of the Filipino spirit.

Laughing at ourselves and the mess we are in is an important coping mechanism. ..playful, sometimes,
disrespectful, we laugh at those we love and at those we hate, and we make jokes about our good fortune
and bad.

…manifested in the Filipino’s love for socials and celebrations, to laugh even in the most trying of times….
The result is a certain emotional balance, optimism, a healthy disrespect for power and office and the
capacity to survive.

Strengths of the Filipino Character -Flexibility, Adaptability and Creativity

 We can adjust and adapt to circumstances and the surrounding environment, both physical and social;
adjust to whatever happens even in unplanned or anticipated events. We possess a tolerance for
ambiguity that enables us to remain unfazed by uncertainly or lack of information.

The result is productivity, innovation,

Strengths of the Filipino Character-Hard Work and Industry

Who says Pinoy’ s is lazy?

• We have the capacity for hard work given proper conditions;

• to raise one’s standard of living and to possess the essentials of a decent life for one’s family

We are willing to take risks with jobs abroad and, while there, to work at two or three jobs. The result is
productivity and entrepreneurship for some and survival despite poverty for

Strengths of the Filipino Character-Faith and Religious-Filipinos have deep faith in God.

• Our innate religiosity enables us to comprehend and genuinely accept reality in the context of God’s will
and plan.

• Religious expressions are very tangible expressed every day; we relate to God like a human being –
threaten, thank, ask forgiveness, appease

• tragedy and bad fortune are accepted, and some optimism characterizes even the poorest lives.

• related to bahala na which may be considered positively as a reservoir of psychic energy, a

psychological prop on which we can lean during hard times. This pampalakas ng loob allows us to act
despite

Strengths of the Filipino Character-Faith and Religious -Our faith and daring was manifest at EDSA and
other times in our history even when it was difficult to be brave.

• Our faith and daring was manifest at EDSA and other times in our history; seen in the capacity to
accept failure and defeat

• we recognize forces external to ourselves as contributing to how events in our lives turn out.

The results of the Filipino’s faith are courage, daring optimism, inner peace, as well as the capacity to
genuinely accept tragedy and death.

Strengths of the Filipino Character- Ability to Survive

Filipinos have an ability to survive.

It is manifested in the millions of Filipinos who bravely live through the harshest economic and social
circumstances. What might we be able to do under better circumstances?

What about weaknesses in character?

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character- Extreme Personalism Filipinos view the world in terms of personal
relationship Filipinos view the world in terms of personal relationships, no separation between an
objective task and emotional involvement.

We tend to give personal interpretations to actions, i.e., “take things personally”. Thus, a sincere question
may be viewed as a challenge to one’s competence or positive feedback may be interpreted as a sign of
special affection.
 There is in fact some basis for such interpretations as Filipinos are quite personal in criticism and praise.
Personalism is also manifested in the necessity for the establishment of personal relationships before any
business or work relationships can be successful.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character- Extreme Personalism Because of this personalistic world view,
Filipinos have difficulty dealing with all forms of personal stimuli.

We tend to be uncomfortable with bureaucracy, with rules and regulations and with standard procedures,
all of which tend to be impersonal. we tend to ignore them, or we ask for exceptions.

Personal contacts are involved in any transaction, and these are difficult to turn down. Preference is
usually given to family and friends in hiring, delivery of services and even in voting.

Extreme personalism thus leads to the graft and corruption evident in Philippine society.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character/ Extreme Family Centeredness

Excessive concern for the family creates an in-group to which the Filipino is fiercely loyal to the detriment
of concern for the larger community or for the common good.

Excessive concern for the family manifests itself in the use of one’s office and power as a means of
promoting the interest of the family, factionalism, patronage, and political dynasties, in the protection of
erring family members.

Family centeredness results to a lack of concern for the common good and acts as a block to national
consciousness.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character/ Lack of Discipline

The Filipino’s lack of discipline is manifests in a casual and relaxed attitude towards time and space which
manifests itself in lack of precision and compulsiveness, in poor time management andprocrastination.an
aversion for following strictly a set of procedures and this results in lack of standardization and quality
control.

We are impatient and unable to delay gratification or reward, resulting in the use of short-cuts, in skirting
the rules (the palusot syndrome) and in foolhardiness. We are guilty of ningascogon, starting out projects
with full vigor and interest which abruptly die down leaving things unfinished.

Our lack of discipline often results in efficient and wasteful work systems, violations of rules leading to
more serious transgressions and a casual work ethic leading to carelessness and lack of follow- through.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character- Passivity and Lack of Initiative

Filipinos are generally passive and lacking ininitiative. There is a strong reliance on others (e.g., leaders,
government) to do things for us related to our need for strong authority.

Filipinos tend to be complacent and there rarely is a sense of urgency about any problem. There is high
tolerance for inefficiency, poor service and even violations of one’s basic rights. In many ways, it can be
said that the Filipino is too patient and long suffering (matiisin).

Too easily resigned to one’s fate. Filipinos are thus easily oppressed and exploited.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character- Colonial Mentality

Filipinos have a colonial mentality which is made up of two dimensions: the first is a lack of patriotism or
an active awareness, appreciation and love of the Philippines; the second is an actual preference for
things foreign.
Filipino culture is characterized by an openness to the outside—adapting and incorporating the foreign
elements into our image of ourselves - not built around a deep core of Philippine history and language.

The result is cultural vagueness or weakness that makes Filipinos extraordinarily susceptible to the
wholesale acceptance of modern mass culture which is often Western. Thus, there is preference for
foreign fashion, entertainment, lifestyles, technology, consumer items, etc.

The Filipino colonial mentality is manifested in the alienation of the elite from their roots and from the
masses as well as in the basic feeling of national inferiority that makes it difficult for Filipinos to relate as
equals to Westerners.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character- Kanya-Kanya Syndrome

Filipinos have a selfish, self-serving attitude that generates a feeling of envy and competitiveness toward
others, particularly one’s peers who seem to have gained some status or prestige.

The kanya-kanya syndrome is also evident in the personal ambition and the drive for power and status
that is completely insensitive to the common good. Personal and in-group interests reign supreme.

This characteristicis also evident in the lack of a sense of service among people in the government
bureaucracy. The public is made to feel that service from these offices and from these civil servants is an
extra perk that is to be paid for.

The kanya-kanya syndrome results in the dampening of cooperative and community spirit and in the
trampling upon the rights of others.

Weaknesses of the Filipino Character-Lack of Self-analysis and Self-reflection

There is a tendency in the Filipino to be superficial and even somewhat flighty. In the face of serious
problems, both personal and social, there is a lack of analysis or reflection.

We joke about the most serious matters, and this prevents us from looking deeply into the problem.
There is no felt need to validate our hypotheses or explanations of things. Thus, we are satisfied with
superficial explanations and superficial solutions to problems.

We tend to emphasize on form (maporma)rather than on substance; to be satisfied with rhetoric and to
substitute this for reality ;rhetoric and endless words are very much part of public discourse. As long as
the right things are said, as long as the proper documents and reports exist, as long as the proper
committees, task forces or offices are firmed, Filipinos are deluded into believing that what ought to be,
actually exists.

The Filipino lack of self-analysis and our emphasis on norms is reinforced by an educational system that
is often more form than substance and a legal system that tends to substitute law for reality.

The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

GOAL 1: No Poverty
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being

GOAL 4: Quality Education

GOAL 5: Gender Equality

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality

GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

GOAL 13: Climate Action

GOAL 14: Life Below Water

GOAL 15: Life on Land

GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal