Social Dimension of

Education
Sociological Dimensions
-Consensus Theory
-Conflict Theory
-Interactionist theory
-Symbolic Interactionism
-Functions
a. Historical b. Sociological functions
c. Socio- Cultural d. Socio-Political
e. Socio-economic
Sociological Theory

• Theories guide research and policy

formulation in the sociology of education
• They also provide logical explanations for
why things happen the way they do.
• Theories help sociologist understand
educational systems
• Educational theories change over time and
(cultural) space.
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Origin of Sociology of
Education
• The sociology of education is the study of how
social institutions and individual experiences
affects education and its outcome.
• It is relatively a new branch and two great
sociologist Émile Durkheim and Max Weber were
the father of sociology of education. Émile
Durkheim's work on moral education as a basis
for social solidarity is considered the beginning of
sociology of education.

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Sociologists see education as one of
the major institutions that constitutes
society. While theories guide research
and policy formulation in the sociology
of education.
This theories help sociologists
understand educational systems.

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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.

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Sociological Theory

• Society has two faces (Dahrendorf;

1959,1968)

• Sociological Theory should be divided into

2 parts. Conflict Theory and Consensus
Theory.

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Sociology
• The word Sociology originates from latin
prefix :socius, "companion"; and the suffix -
ology, "the study of", from Greek lógos,
"knowledge" .
• Sociology is the systematic study of
society.Sociology encompasses all the
elements of society ie social relation, social
stratification, social interaction, culture.

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Society
• : people in general thought of as living
together in organized communities with
shared laws, traditions, and values
• : the people of a particular country, area,
time, etc., thought of especially as an
organized community

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Education
• Education is a broad concept, referring to all the
experiences in which learners can learn
something .
• It is a social endeavour designed to get the
maximum from the ability of each of the member
of the society. Education is covers both the
teaching, learning of knowledge and values.
• Education consists of systematic instruction,
teaching and training by professional teachers.

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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 the
consensus theory and
the conflict theory. Gamilla, Vinson, Sabello
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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

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Karl Marx
Marx's class theory rests on
the premise that "the history
of all hitherto 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.
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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.
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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.
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 Louis Althusser Ralf Dharendorf
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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
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• 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.
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• 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
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• Education plays a big part in maintaining
the prestige, power, and economic and
social position of dominant group in the
society
• Social behavior is best understood in terms
of conflict or tensions between competing
groups.
• It needs not to be violent

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• 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) helps to maintain the privileges of
some groups.
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The conflict model is Social Structures
concerned with the produce patterns of
stresses and conflicts inequality in the
that emerge in society distribution of scarce
because of resources.
competitions over
scarce resources.
Conflict
It focuses on the
inequalities that are built
into social structures
rather than on those Reorganization and Change
that emerge because of
personal characteristics.

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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

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• 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.

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 Consensus Theories Conflict theories

Emphasize the dominance of some

See shared norms and values as
social groups by others
fundamental to society

See social order as based on

Focus on social order based on manipulation and control by
tacit agreements dominant groups

View social change as occurring

View social change as occurring in rapidly in a disorderly fashion as
a slow and orderly fashion subordinate groups overthrow
dominant groups

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Structural Functionalism
Structural Functionalism states that society is made up of
various institutions that work together in cooperation.
Parsons’ structural functionalism has four functional
imperatives
also known
as AGIL
scheme.

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 Structural Functionalism (AGIL)
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 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.

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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.
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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
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 Interaction Theory
• Is the relation of school and society
are critiques and extensions of the
functionalist and conflict
perspectives.
• Interactionist theories are critiques
and extensions of the functionalist
and conflict perspectives.

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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.
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 Basic forms of Social
Interaction

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SOCIAL INTERACTIONISM

SYMBOLIC NON-SYMBOLIC
INTERACTION INTERACTION

• Which require mental • Which does not involve

processes. thinking.

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 Symbolic Interactionism

• 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.

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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.
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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 ton
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.
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Important concept that has long been
used by symbolic interactionist.

• Looking-glass self

a. developed by Charles Horton Cooley

b. “We see ourselves as others see us”

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The Functions/ Methods
the field uniquely performs

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Historical functions

• Recognition and remembrance

• Commemoration and celebration
• Immortalization and solemnification
• Honor-giving and posterity-making

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Sociological Functions
• It brings about the phenomenon of social
grouping.
• It differentiates human collectivities into various
forms of interaction such as the villages, towns,
provinces, cities, nations, and international
communities.
• It formalizes the different parts of the social
system (society) into institutions with different
functions, extent of duration, validities, and
outcomes.
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 Socio-Cultural Functions
• Is a policy that emphasizes the unique characteristics
of different cultures, especially as they relate one
another in receiving nations.
• The regularization of common tasks and activities of
collective life; this function gives rise to routines, norms,
public behavior and standard operating procedures.
• The atonement and instilment in the social members of
the customary laws and values guide and direct the
members towards enlightenment, ennoblement, and
perfectibility.

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• Field of study and an emerging discipline
whose major aim is to create equal
educational opportunities from racial,
ethnic, social class and cultural groups
• The veneration of all that are beneficent to
the human race and society through the
collective acts of celebration, recognition
and commemoration of the people.
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Advantages of Socio-Cultural

Lead cultural exchanges

Add variety in the life of all citizens
Bridges the chasm of ignorance and
arrogance

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Lead Cultural Exchanges
BACK

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 Add variety in the life of all Citizens

BACK

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Bridges the Chasm of
Ignorance and Arrogance

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Socio-Economic Functions

• Promotion of self-sufficiency for the

populace by both the government and the
private sectors.
• Strengthening the agricultural and industrial
economies of the country.
• Intervention of government in anti- social
business practices.
• Balancing people’s needs with the country’s
export business

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 Socio-Political Functions

Political governance, legislation,

arbitration, social service, social
assistance, security and protection,
punitive sanctions, implementation of
social justice through laws, and social
development.

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References/Sources
• Sociological Theories and the
• Sociological Theories and the Education
System
By: Emmanuela M. Licayan
Educ 3
• Cultural Changes (slideshare.com)
• Multiculturalism (slideshare.com)

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