Chapter 16: Education

Transcription

1 Chapter 16: Education An Overview of Education Education: is the social institution responsible for the systematic transmission of knowledge, skills, and cultural values within a formally organized structure A social institution that imparts values, beliefs, and knowledge considered essential to the social reproduction of individual personalities and entire cultures Early socialization first at family and friends Then, socialization passes to the schools and other more formalized organizations created for the purpose of educating Sociology of education: entire subfield of sociology devoted to education Education in Historical- Global Perspective Micro level, people must acquire the basic knowledge and skills they need to survive in society Macrolevel, the social institution of education is an essential component in maintaining and perpetuating the culture of a society across generations Cultural transmission: the process by which children and recent immigrants become acquainted with the dominant cultural beliefs, values, norms and accumulated knowledge of a society (occurs through informal and formal education) Informal Education in Preliterate Societies Preliterate societies: have no written language and are characterized by basic technology and a simple division of labour Informal education: learning that occurs in a spontaneous, unplanned way Can happen through storytelling or ritual ceremonies that convey cultural messages and provide behavioural norms Formal Education in Pre-industrial Industrial, and Post-Industrial Societies Preindustrial societies: have written language, few people know how to read and write, and formal education is often reserved for the privileged

2 Formal education: learning that takes place within an academic setting, such as a school, which has a planned instructional process and teachers who convey specific knowledge skills, and thinking processes to students Beginning of education in Canada: missionaries trying to civilize Aboriginal children Roman Catholic Church was central to the institution of education Renaissance, focus of education shifted from human depravity to the importance of developing well-rounded and liberally educated people Only rich went to school. Poor people worked on farm where education wasn t important Egerton Ryerson, free schooling Mass education: refers to providing free, public schooling for wide segments of a nation s population Public schools to serve as the primary agent of socialization for millions of European immigrants arriving in Canada Core curriculum: courses such as mathematics, social sciences, natural sciences, and English Three Rs: Reading, riting, and rithmetic Controversy on what should be taught, how it should be taught and who should teach it Contemporary Education in Japan Emphasize conformity and nationalism Beginning very young, toddlers sent to cram schools (jukus) Women account for less than 5% of all colleges and universities Lack of child care facilities within universities Sociology Perspectives on Education Functionalists, education contributes to the maintenance of society and provides people with an opportunity for self-enhancement and upward mobility

3 Conflict, education perpetuates social inequality and benefits the dominant class at the expense of all others Symbolic interactionists, focus on classroom dynamics and the effect of self-concept on grades and aspirations Postmodern theorists, view the education system as a social institution characterized by permeability Functionalist Perspective Education one of the most important components of society Durkheim, education is crucial for promoting social solidarity and stability in society We can learn from what others already have experienced Moral Education: because it conveys moral values, the foundation of a cohesive social order School a commitment to the common morality Group needs ahead of individual desires and aspirations Royal Commission of Learning, purposes of schooling: o Ensure for all students high levels of literacy by building on basic reading, writing, and problem solving o Develop an appreciation of learning o Prepare students for responsible citizenship Manifest Functions of Education Manifest functions: open, stated, and intended goals or consequences of activities within an organization or institution Five major manifest functions o Socialization Lean appropriate attitudes and behaviour for the student role

4 Political socialization, taught different subjects, o Transmission of Culture Transmit culture and norms to each new generation Assimilation o Social Control Schools are responsible for teaching values, such as discipline, respect, obedience, punctuality, and perseverance Conformity taught based on classroom teachers o Social Placement Responsible for identifying the most qualified people to fill the positions available in society o Change and Innovation New programs introduced with changing time (sex ed) Latent Functions of Education Latent functions: hidden, unstated, and sometimes unintended consequences of activities within an organization or institution At least three latent functions o Restricting some activities Mandatory education laws: require children to attend school until they reach a specified age (16) or complete a minimum level of formal education (grade 8) Keep students off the street and out of the full time job market Keep unemployment within reasonable bounds o Matchmaking and production of social networks B/c school brings together people of similar ages, social class, and race/ethnicity o Creation of a generation gap

5 Lean info that contradicts beliefs held by their parents or their religion Generation gap: when education conflicts with parental attitudes and beliefs Conflict Perspectives Do not believe that public schools reduce social inequality, but believe that schools often perpetuate class, racial and gender inequalities Some groups seek to maintain their privileged position at the expense of others Cultural Capital and Class Reproduction Access to high-quality education is closely related to social class Education is a vehicle for reproducing existing class relationships Bourdiu, school legitimates and reinforces the social elites by engaging in specific practices that uphold the patterns of behaviour and the attitudes of the dominant class Cultural capital: social assets that include values, beliefs, attitudes, and competencies in language and culture Middle and upper class parents endow their children with more cultural capital than do working class Circular effect, students with dominant cultural values are more highly rewarede by the educational system Tracking and Social Inequality Ability grouping: based on the assumption that it is easier to teach students with similar abilities Tracking: the assignment of students to specific courses and educational programs based on their test scores, previous grades, or both Tracking affects students perceptions of classroom goals and achievements Tracking another method for poor and minority students receive a diluted academic program

6 The Hidden Curriculum Hidden Curriculum: is the transmission of cultural values and attitudes, such as conformity and obedience to authority, through implied demands found in rules, routines, and regulations of school Working class and poverty level student may be affected the most adversely Schools for working class students emphasize procedures and rote memorization without much decision making, choice, and explanation of why something is done a particular way Schools for middle class students stress the processes involved in getting the right answer Schools for affluent students focus on creative activities in which students express their own ideas and apply them to the subject under consideration Schools for students from elite families, develop students analytical powers and critical thinking skills, applying abstract principles to problem solving Credentialism: a process of social selection in which class advantage and social status are linked to the possession of academic qualifications Closely related to meritocracy Conflict theorists, and hidden curriculum, credentials will stay in the hands of the elite Feminist Perspectives Gender Bias and Gender Stereotyping Not ony a theoretical perspective but also a broad movement for social change Girls were underrepresented in schools, sexism, teachers preferred boys Liberal feminism: the idea that biology did not mean destiny, that equality meant open access and equal treatment Equity not all there, education doesn t necessarily mean more income Also challenged common assumptions about learning and traditional teaching Men and women learn in different ways

7 Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives Focus on classroom communication patterns and educational practices that affect students self-concept and aspirations Labeling and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Labeling: the process hereby a person is identified by others as possessing a specific characteristic or exhibiting a certain pattern of behaviour (such as being deviant) Process of labeling is directly related to the power and status of those persons who do the labeling and those who are being labeled Self-fulfilling prophecy: previously defined as an unsubstantiated belief or prediction resulting in behaviour that makes the originally false belief come true Ex of labeling and self-fulfilling prophecy is IQ tests Using Labeling Theory to Examine the IQ Debate Herrnstien and Murray, intelligence is genetically inherited, people cannot be smarter than they are born to be Critics o The authors used biased statistics that underestimate the impact of hard to measure factors such as family background o Used scores from the armed forces qualification test, exam that depends on how much schooling people have completed Postmodern Perspectives Often highlight difference and irregularity in society Educators attempt to be substitute parents Autonomy evident Higher education: McUniveristy, thought of as a means of educational consumption t hat allows students to consume educational services and eventually obtain goods Eventually might be impossible to distinguish higher education from other means of consumption

8 Current Issues in Education Canada is the only advanced industrialized country without a federal educational system Inequality in Public Schools versus Private Schools Perceived conflict between public schools and private schools More students go to public school Little research that private school is better than public school Dropping Out School dropout rate down Dropouts were less engaged in school both academically and socially Females, boredom and preference for work Come out looking for jobs, but are disappointed to find that they don t have the education for jobs Academic Standards and Functional Illiteracy Functional illiteracy: is the inability to read and/or write at the skill level necessary for carrying out everyday tasks They can read but not well Educators in the public school system have returned to an emphasis on testing and evaluation Equalizing Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Disability: regarded as any physical and/or mental condition that limits students access to, or full involvement in school life Charter, all children are guaranteed a free and appropriate public education Many schools have attempted to mainstream children with disabilities by inclusion programs Individualized education plan used that provides annual education goals

9 The Cost of Post-Secondary Education Postsecondary education has been described as the dividing line of the modern labour market Tuition fees rising University education a bargain But some say that it reproduces class structure Education in the Future Compensatory education programs: preschool, remedial, extra education, learning assistance Homeschooling, some people do it, but others question the validity of it IT being accepted as an integral part of education Challenge to make the school system more available to everyone Access to education is becoming more restricted becase of funding