CHAPTER 3

SOCIAL SCIENCE
THEORIES AND THEIR
IMPLICATION TO
EDUCATION
 INTENDED LEARNING
OUTCOME:
AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER, THE STUDENTS
MUST BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THREE SOCIAL
SCIENCE THEORIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS
TO EDUCATION.
 THREE SOCIAL SCIENCE
THEORIES

STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL
THEORY CONFLICT THEORY

THE SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONIST THEORY
PERSPECTIVE
 STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL
THEORY
Herbert Spencer, the proponent of structural-
functional views society as "a system of
interconnected parts each with a unique function. The
parts have to work together for stability and balance
of society." Society is compared to the human body
with different but interrelated parts performing
different functions.
 PURPOSES OF
SCHOOLING
ACCORDING TO
FUNCTIONALISTS
THE PURPOSES OF SCHOOLING ACCORDING
TO THE FUNCTIONALIST THEORY ARE:

1. Intellectual purposes acquisition of cognitive

skills, inquiry skills
2. Political purposes educate future citizens;
promote patriotism; promote assimilation of
immigrants; ensure order, public civility and
conformity to laws
THE PURPOSES OF SCHOOLING ACCORDING
TO THE FUNCTIONALIST THEORY ARE:

3. Economic purposes prepare students for later work

roles; select and train the labor force needed by society
4. Social purposes promote a sense of social and moral
responsibility; serve as a site for the solution or resolution
of social problems; supplement the efforts of other
institutions of socialization such as the family and the
church
 CONFLICT THEORY

According to this theory, there are always

two opposing sides in a conflict situation.
People take sides between maintaining the
status quo and introducing change then arrive
at an agreement.
HOW PROPONENTS OF CONFLICT
THEORY REGARD EDUCATION
According to the conflict theory, education is
not truly a social benefit or opportunity as seen
by the functionalists. Rather, education is a
powerful means of maintaining power
structures and creating a docile work force for
capitalism.
 THE SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONIST
THEORY
PERSPECTIVE
 THREE TENETS OF SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONIST THEORY ARE:

1. An individual's action depends

on meaning.
 THREE TENETS OF SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONIST THEORY ARE:

2. Different people may give different

meanings to the same thing. When
teachers are strict, some students see it
as an expression of care.
 THREE TENETS OF SYMBOLIC
INTERACTIONIST THEORY ARE:

3. Meanings change as individuals

interact with one another.
IMPLICATIONS TO TEACHING

Let us continue to teach for meaning. Let us promote

and create opportunities for genuine interaction
among our students, teachers, between students and
teachers. Interaction does not only mean dealing with
warm bodies. Interaction includes reading, listening,
viewing.
WEAKNESS OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTION
THEORY

Critics claim that symbolic interactionism

neglects the macro level of social
interpretation-the "big picture."