Social Control and

Education
 Social Control Theory
Criminal misconduct can be overcome using:

Formal social control Informal social control

Laws and regulations Values, morals, ethics

Government, Education Family, Peers, Education and , Religious Institutions,

Institution Media, Workplace

Failure in a subject due to Praise and compliment (positive sanctions)

ridicule and sarcasm, gossip (negative
plagiarism sanctions)
Social Control and Education
Functionalist view Self-Conflicist view Symbolic Interactionist view
• See education as a • Criticise Functionalist • Focuses on interactions
medium to control people view during school time and
manifested by teachers as • Produce students who the consequences of it
the knowledge movers to accept the basic • Example: positive
prepare students to adapt inequalities of the social reinforcements from
and serve for the system teachers will shape
demanding society in the • works in the interests of positive character of the
future. capitalist employers students, negative
• Train students to become reinforcement will shape
citizens who shared bad character of the
common and accepted students
knowledge, behaviour
and occupation to serve
for the society
 Functionalist views
Emile Durkheim
a)Social Solidarity
- Achieved through learning the same curriculum and
pledging country’s flag to promote shared identity
among students
-Project-based work to promote cooperativeness among
students so that they can work with other people in
workplace
b) Learning specialised skills for work
- Learn diverse skills in curriculum and co-curriculum
to cater the massive and complex Divisons of Labour
- Learn to abide with the schools rules to control and
shape students’ personalities to fit in the wider
society
Talcott Parson
a) Teaching students core values
-To prepare them for occupational skills
-measured through universal standards
(exams in schools) rather than particularistic
standards (family judgements)
b ) job allocation to fit into the future job market
- foster the value of achievement to allocate
students to the most appropriate job for their talents
using examinations and qualification
- everyone has a chance of success and it is the most
able who succeed through their own efforts
(meritocracy)
 Self-conflict views
Conflict between Upper-class parents and vs poorer class parents which affect
students’ life in fitting into the society

The ‘Hidden
Economy Culture Curriculum’

Teaching the skills future

- wealthier pupils tend to get the best education and
then go onto to get middle class jobs. Working class
children are more likely to get a poorer standard of
education and end up in working class jobs
Cultural training received by the upper-class capitalist employers
students at home eases their learning as the need via school values
school also teaches such culture leaving the
poorer class students who have no exposure
to such culture which hinders the learning

Resulted in class inequality

Resulted in degree of dropouts among poorer class
students
Symbolic Interactionist views
• Cultivate students’ personalities and characters to behave in an
accepted manner in the society via gestures, labels and responses of
the teachers in face-to-face interactions (classroom activities)

• Sees teachers as role models in fostering positive responses, feedbacks, praises

and compliments to students in order for the students to behave in such manner
as well in the society
References
Allsman, K., Crocker, C., Davis, K., Davidson, J., Huu, J., Marin, G., Yoon., J & S
hih, J. (2020). Education in Sociology. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/site/educationinsociology/
Lumencandala. (2017). The Conflict Perspective on Education. Retrieved from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless- sociology/chapter/the-conflict-
perspective-on-education/
Revise Sociology. (2020). The Functionalist Perspective on Education. Retrieved
from https://revisesociology.com/2015/01/26/
Revise Sociology. (2020). The Marxist Perspective on Education. Retrieved
from https://revisesociology.com/2015/01/27/marxist- perspective-education
Sociology guide. (2020). Education and Social Control. Retrieved from
https://www.sociologyguide.com/education/education-and- Social-
control.php