Formal vs Informal Education

Education as a Social Institution

• Education is a social institution that teaches individuals the skills, knowledge, norms, and values necessary to become productive members of society.
• Education is an important part of socialization.

Types of Education

• Formal education, also referred to as schooling, occurs in schools under the guidance of teachers, principals, and other professionals.
• Informal education can occur anywhere, but for young children, it traditionally occurs primarily in the home with their parents as instructors.
• In industrial societies, day care is becoming an increasingly important venue for young children's instruction, making education more formal than in the past.

Functions of Education

Socialization

• Education is a primary vehicle for learning norms, values, and skills necessary to function in society.
• Schools teach not only the three Rs but also the society's norms and values.

Social Integration

• Education helps people subscribe to a common set of beliefs and values necessary for a society to function.
• The development of common views was a goal of the system of free, compulsory education that developed in the 19th century.

Social Placement

• No additional information provided in the text.