Friday, 14 June 2013

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND EDUCATION


RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND EDUCATION
Restin Jose (No. 21, Mathematics)
INTRODUCTION
            Nowadays widely realized that the sociological dimension plays an important role in human affairs and that education is a major force in the processes of enculturation and social change.  Education is asocial process. It brings about socially acceptable behavior patterns in individuals, and socializes the child. Social structure, social process, social control, and social changes have their influences on education. Thus, education and sociology are inter-related.
The sociological tendency has also made a very strong impact in the field of social education. Social education of the individual implies an education which acquaints the individual with every aspect of his environment and trains him to fulfill his responsibilities as a citizen. Social education aims not only at the complete development of the individual but also at evolving social unity and other social ideals in him. According to educational sociologist, education is a social process which socializes the child and causes certain changes in his behavior. In this way, even in defining education, the sociologist have stressed its social aspects  The objective of education is to evolve those social qualities and asocial feeling in the child which will enable him to understand his responsibility to society and nation and to become the ideal citizen of his country, and train him to fulfill his duties. Such aims of education as education for citizenship and education for social life are influenced by the sociological tendency.
SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is one of the latest additions to social sciences. Auguste Comte (1798-1857), the French philosopher is considered as the father of modern sociology. He coined the word Sociology by joining the Greek word socius, i.e. society, and the Latin word logos, i.e. science or study. Thus by sociology he meant a scientific discipline or science about society. It’s one part, i.e., social statics dealt with “the laws of action and reaction of the different parts of the social system”, while its other part dealt with “the development and change of whole societies as the units of analysis.”
According to J.S. Roucek, sociology is a science, which aims to discover, through empirical research, knowledge about the social life of man and its relations to the factors of culture, natural environment, the functioning of groups, culture, changes and the effect of different patterns of culture on personality”. The renowned British scholar Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was the first person to write a systematic book dealing with the sociological analysis of society.  His work The Principles of Sociology is considered to be a classic even today.  According to him, the scope of sociology would include the study of family, politics, religion, social control, industry, associations, and communities, division of labour, social stratification, knowledge, science, art and aesthetics. Sociology should study the inter-relations among the different elements and parts of society which one often finds woven together in some intricate yet meaningful pattern of thought and action.
The meaning of sociology can be summarized as follows:
·         Sociology as a science of  society
·         Sociology as the study of social relationships
·         Sociology as the study of human behavior in groups
·         Sociology as the study of social structure
·         Sociology as the study of social patterns
·         Sociology as the study of social action
·         Sociology as the study of the different forms of human interrelations
EDUCATION
Education is a process which draws out the best in man with the aim of producing a well-balanced personality – culturally refined, emotionally stable, ethically sound, logically correct, mentally alert, intellectually competent, technically advanced, morally  upright, physically strong, socially efficient, spiritually mature, vocationally self sufficient and internationally liberal.
The word education is derived from the Latin word Educare which meansto bring up’, ‘to nourish’, ‘to raise’ etc. There is yet another Latin word educere, which meansbring forth’. Education, therefore, means both to bring forth as well as bring up. According to another explanation ‘E’ means out of’ and duco means to lead i.e. ‘to educate’ means ‘to lead forth’ or ‘to extract out’ the best in man.
Different scholars and philosophers diversely defined education. Plato viewed man as a combination of body and soul. Education has to develop the physical and spiritual qualities of man. Aristotle defined ‘education as the creation of a sound mind in a sound body’. Rig Veda says’ education is something which makes a man self-reliant and self less’. According to Pestalozzi, “education is a natural, progressive and harmonic development of all the faculties of the individual – head, heart and hand”. Gandhiji said, “By education I mean, an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man –body, mind and spirit”.
The general functions of education can be summarized as follows:
·                     All round development of personality
·                     Control, redirection and sublimation of  instincts
·                     Character formation and development
·                     Progressive development of innate powers
·                     Preparation for adult life
·                     Vocational and social efficiency
·                     Creation of good citizenship
·                     Self preservation
·                     Complete living
·                     Transmission of knowledge
EDUCATIONAL SOCIOLOGY
Education produces change in the behavior pattern of the individuals. This change in the behavior pattern of the individuals will produce changes in society.  This relationship between education and sociology has given birth to a new branch of sociology known as Educational sociology. George Payne is known as the father of Educational sociology. 
Educational sociology is the study of the interaction of the individual and his cultural environment. It is evident that it studies the effect of cultural environment on the individual, and also the ways and means by which this cultural environment can be changed. Educational sociology is the study of those phases of sociology that are significant for educative processes, especially the study of those that point to valuable programme of learning and control of learning processes. Putting it simply, this discipline is sociology in the field of education. It carries out experiments to make the application of sociological principles more active and effective.
Educational sociology starts with the assumptions that education is an activity which goes on in the society and the society in its turn determines the nature of education.  Modern educationist agrees that the process of education is made possible by family, school, community and other parts of society. The educational system of a society will bear resemblance to the nature of society itself, although this does not imply that society cannot be changed through education. In fact, both society and education influence each other and educational sociology makes a study of this interaction.
Influence of Sociology in Education
It is evident from the foregoing account of the sociological tendency in education that sociology has had wide spread influence upon the meaning, objectives, the curriculum, the methods of teaching, the school organizations, etc,.  These influences can be enumerated as follows:
1.                  Meaning Of Education
According to educational sociologist, education is a social process which socializes the child and causes certain changes in his behaviour. In this way, even in defining education, the sociologists have stressed its social aspects.
2.                  Objective Of Education
According to them, the objective of education is to evolve those social qualities and asocial feeling in the child which will enable him to understand his responsibility to society and nation and to become the ideal citizen of his country, and train him to fulfill his duties. Such aims of education as education for citizenship and education for social life are influenced by the sociological tendency.
3.                  Organization Of Curriculum
Educational sociologists have provided a number of valuable suggestions about reorganizing the curriculum of education. They suggest that the curriculum should be based mainly on social ideals and values, and should provide for the introduction of social subjects and collective activities
4.                  Method Of Teaching
The sociological tendency also laid stress on the inclusion of social elements in the methods of teaching so that education can evolve essential social qualities in children. Educational sociology gives suggestions for changes in teaching methods from the viewpoint of social dynamics.
5.                 Administrative Techniques
Before the impact of the sociological tendency, efforts at administration and discipline were individualistic but the sociological influence laid stress on the social or collective methods. Collective methods stress the fact that administration and discipline should be collective, not individual. It is seen in many circumstances that much better discipline can be established through the influence of social control and public opinion than is possible through individual methods.
6.                  Child Education Movement
As a result of the sociological tendency, there began a movement for the education of infants. Many infant schools were established in America and in many European countries. Most of them aimed providing education to the children of labours. In England, Robert Owen drew attention to the ill-effects of not educating the children of labours.
7.                  Adult Education Method
The sociological influences insisted upon the fact that no individual in society should be left uneducated and hence many movements for adult education began; schools and colleges for such people were run during evening and nights. Much important work has been done in this direction in India.
8.                  Monitor Method
The influence of the sociological tendency can be clearly seen in the monitor method introduced by Dr. Andrew Bell. In this method the onus of teaching fell on the children, for children of higher classes were required to teach children of junior classes. As a result one single educator could teach a much larger number of educands. On the basis of this monitor system, many monitorial schools were established in a number of countries.
9.                  Social Education
The sociological tendency has also made a very strong impact in the field of social education. Social education of the individual implies an education which acquaints the individual with every aspect of his environment and trains him to fulfill his responsibilities as a citizen. Social education aims not only at the complete development of the individual but also at evolving social unity and other social ideals in him. Agencies of social education are literacy, lectures, exhibitions, meetings, tours, etc, In India much useful work has done in the villages towards providing social education.
10.              Responsibility of the states
According to the sociological tendency, it is the responsibility of the state to provide education. Hence, it is for the state to make every individual, through education, capable of earning his lively hood, of developing his personality, of fulfilling his social duties. Without proper education of the masses, democracy can be never a success. Hence, the state should provide primary, secondary, University and professional education.
SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
         Sociology of education is one of the most recent sub-areas of sociology. Although early educationist like Socrates, Quintilian, Abelard, Pestalozzi, Froebel, and Thomas Arnold had stressed upon the social aspects of education in their writings and speeches, yet it was only towards the close of the nineteenth century that a formal study of the sociological aspects of education begun to interest educationist and sociologist.
         Sociology of education may be defined as the scientific analysis of the social processes and social patterns involved in the educational system. Educational process goes on both in formal as well as informal situations. Sociology of education is that branch of knowledge, which presents a sociological theory of education, developed through the various analytical studies of the interactions between individuals in the formal, informal and non-formal educational situations. An analysis of the social role or roles also comes under the purview of analytical studies included in the field of sociology of education.
          Sociology of education is a later development in the sociological study of education. It can be said to be a refinement of or improvement upon educational sociology. According to Floud and Halsey, “since 1945 there has grown a vocal group of professional sociologist with purist inventions towards the sociology of education … determined to reject the tradition which made it a branch of applied sociology and insist that education is intrinsically worthy of scientific investigations by sociologists interested in problems of comparative social structure and dynamics as against methods of educational policy or human betterment.”
EDUCATION AND SOCIOLOGY
1.                  Socialization  
According to W.F Ogburn, “socialization is the process by which the individual learns to conform to the norms of the group”. Bogardus defines, “socialization as the process of working together, of developing group responsibility, or being guided by the welfare nee of others”. Lundberg says the socialization consist of the “complex processes of interaction through which the individual learns the habits, beliefs, skills, and standards of judgment that are necessary for his effective participation in social groups and communities”.
2.                 Social Change
Social change is the change in society. Society is a web of social relationships. Hence, social change is a change in social relationships. It is the change in these which alone we shall regard as a social change. Social change is a term used to describe variations or modifications of any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interactions, or social organization. Describing social change in detail, Merril and Eldredge have said “social change means that large numbers of persons are engaging in activities that differ from those which they or their immediate engaged in some time before”.
3.                 Social Stratification and Culture
         Social stratification means the differentiation of a given population into hierarchically superimposed classes. It is manifested in the existence of upper and lower society layer. No society is unstratified. Social stratification is the horizontal division of society in to higher and lowers social units. Every society is divided into more or less distinct groups. Even the most primitive societies had some form of social stratification.
        Culture is a way of life that is learned and shared by human beings and is by one generation to the next. According to E.B Taylor, “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”. Culture is not inborn in individuals. It is formed as a result of interaction with other individuals.
RELATION BETWEEN SOCIOLOGY AND EDUCATION
          The relation between sociology and education has always been a subject of debate. One concept says education is meant to overcome the inequalities of society ,whereas the other says the prime function of education is to promote the equilibrium status of the society i.e. it tries to maintains equality or inequality whatever state is prevent in the society. The sociologist who favours the second theory says that education is a social effort hence it runs the way society wants. According to them the second theory is a propagated myth by the promoter of first theory. The first theory is said positive and second is leveled as a negative thought.
1.                 Social Aims of Education
          Sociology shapes education and thus forms a vital force in the entire framework of education. The educational sociologist laid greater stress on a social aims in education. He always thinks in terms of society in fixing the aim of education. The social aim of education is to inculcate social qualities, social feelings and responsibilities in children. The aim of education is not merely he acquisition of knowledge but to make the individual “socially acceptable and responsible, technically efficient and personally well adjusted”.
2.                 Structural Function and Social Reproduction
          Structural functionalism is a sociological paradigm which addresses the issue of social functions, various elements of the society is meant to play. This is based on the view of Durkhreim according to which society tends to maintain equilibrium through moral values. The prime function of educational institutions is to maintain the status of society. It is the general moral value which keeps the society intact. According to social structuralism all social institutions particularly educational institutions plays important role to maintain the state of equilibrium in society. Other social institutions like government, religion and economy also helps in maintaining this equilibrium and keeps the society healthy. Society is called healthy when every member of the society accepts the general moral values and obeys them. Structural functions believe that role of educational institutions is to incorporate common consensus among the new member of the society. According to Durkhreim in educational institutions the behaviour is regulated to accept the general moral values through curriculum and hidden curriculum. Educational institutions also sort out learners for future market. It plays the role of grading learners out come to fit them to different future jobs.
3.                  Conflict Theory and Social Reproduction
          The perspective of conflict theory, contrary to the structural functionalist perspective, believes that society is full of vying social groups with different aspirations, different access to life chances and gain different social rewards. Relations in society in this view are mainly based on exploitation, domination, subordination and conflict. This is the opposite view of society than the previous idea i.e. structural functionalism that most people accept continuing inequality. Some conflict theorist believes education is controlled by the nation which is controlled by a powerful social group, and its purpose is to reproduce existing inequalities, as well as legitimize acceptable common ideas which actually as reinforcement to the privileged position of the dominant group.
         Education is one of the most powerful social institutions as it has access to the children. Right from the beginning in their life education institution has great control. Education institutions decide the future perspective of children. But the question arises that what is the dominant force behind educational institutions. Who decides the way educational institutions should run. As we know society has many social groups with different social aims and aspirations, different status and life chances. As the aspiration of different group are varied and may be conflicting. So there is a conflict for becoming the dominant force of educational institutions. And obviously the dominant groups will be the force behind educational institutions.
         Educational institutions follows the directions of dominant group to maintain the status of society i.e. lower, middle and upper class children become lower, middle and upper class adults respectively. This is acyclic processes the dominant group roots the values, and aims favoring themselves in educational institutions. Dominant group also promotes the myth through other institutions like government, economy that education is for all and provides a means of achieving wealth and status. Conflict theorists believe this social reproduction is a cyclic process because the whole education system is flooded with ideologies provided by the dominant group. According to this theory people always tries to go up in level of society.
4.                  Concept of Cultural Capital
Cultural capital denotes the accumulation of knowledge, experiences, skills one has had through the course of their life that enables him to succeed more so than someone from a less experienced background. Piere Bourdieu has built his theoretical framework around the important concepts of Cultural capital. This concept is based on the idea that social structures determine individual’s chances, through the mechanism of the Cultural capital. He used the idea of Cultural capital to explore the differences in outcomes for students from different classes. He explored the conflict between the orthodox reproduction and the innovative reproduction of knowledge and experiences. He found his conflicts are intensified by considerations of which particular Cultural capital is to be conserved and reproduced in schools. He argues that it is the culture of dominant groups, and therefore their cultural capital, which is embodied in schools, and that this leads to social reproduction. The Cultural capital of the dominant group, in the form of practices and relation to culture, is assumed by the school to be the natural and only proper type of Cultural capital and is therefore legitimated. Students who posses this legitimate Cultural capital gain educational capital in the form of qualifications.                    
CONCLUSION
         Sociology and Education are interrelated disciplines. The relation between Sociology and Education can be enumerated as follows:
*                  Sociology is the science of society and Education is an implicit aspects of  social system.
*                  Sociology is the study of a social system and Education is the function of a social system.
*                  Sociology provides norms and guide lines for individual behaviour and Education aims at modifying behaviour.
*                  Sociology develops methods and techniques of social interaction while Education utilizes the same to bring about the desired behavioural and attitudinal change.
*                  Sociology contributes much to the planning, organizing, executing and evaluating of the Educative process.
*                  Sociology prescribes socially appropriate functions for the educational system and Education adopts the principles of sociology to improve its functioning.
*                  Sociology prepares plans and programs for social development while Education implements the same to develop well integrated and wholesome individuals.
*                  Sociology develops laws and principle as a social norm while Education adopts therefore its improvement.
*                  Sociology endeavors to understand men in action and education attempt to mould human nature in the direction provided by the sociological innovation.






















REFERENCES
Chandra, S.S., Rajendra K. Sharma (2007), Sociology of Education, Atlantic Publishers  & Distributers, New Delhi.
Ruhela,S.P, Vyas K.C (1970), Sociological Foundations  of Education in Contemporary India, Dhanpat Rai &  Sons , New Delhi.
Sivarajan, K (2003), Education in the Emerging Indian Society, Calicut University, Calicut.
Thankachan, T.C,(2012), Philosophical and Sociological Bases of Education, V Publishers, Kottayam.

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