Sociological Theories in Education

• Education and sociology aim to level the playing field, uplift financial standing, address conflicting values, integrate immigrants, and ensure fairness.
• Theoretical approaches explain knowledge acquisition and its effects on classrooms and society

Four Key Sociological Theories in Education

• Structural-functional theory (Functional Theory)
• Social-conflict theory (Conflict Theory)
• Symbolic interactionist theory (Interaction Theory)
• Feminist Theory

Structural-Functional Theory

• Stems from a Functionalist viewpoint in sociology
• Society and educational institutions engage in activities essential for the overall societal function

Focus of Structural-Functional Theory

• Functions or purposes within the system are emphasized
• The system's interdependence is associated to its integration level
• Smooth operation indicates good integration, where the system's parts complement each other

Émile Durkheim

• His work focused on society & institutions' interdependence

• Addressed the diminishing community, solidarity, and cohesion during shift from traditional to modern societies

• His goal was to understand education without bias

• Education varies across time and place

• Education and society mirror one another

• Education helps transmit societal values to children

• Passing down knowledge maintains order within society

• Social order exists within schools and classrooms

• Classrooms are socialization agents

• Contact with others aids children in developing social values

Limitations in Structural-Functional Theory

• Fails to acknowledge conflicting ideologies and interests
• Views schools as upholding dominant group interests
• It assumes a rational or fair relationship among schooling, skills, and jobs
• Fails to study classroom dynamics between teachers and students or among students
• Focuses on the 'what' rather than the 'how'
• No room to form roles
• No element of judgment
• Struggles to reflect the reality of stable societies.

The Conflict Theory

• Distinct from Functional Theory, prioritizing competition

• Societal tension arises from competing individual and group interests

Key Figures in Conflict Theory: Karl Marx

• Stood against capitalism due to its worker exploitation within the class system
• Dominant groups have control over power, wealth, material goods, privilege, and influence
• Power struggles determine the structure and operation of an organization or hierarchy
• Change is both predictable and rapid, leading to the takeover of current power structures

Key Figures in Conflict Theory: Max Weber

• Schools primarily teach "status cultures"
• Influential groups mold schools
• "Insiders" reinforce status culture via school experience
• "Outsiders" experience barriers to school success, like the poor and minorities
• Deals with conflict, domination, and struggles for wealth, power, and social status
• Power dynamics establish society's basic structure, informing the position within a group

Functions of Education in Conflict Theory

• Education serves as a means for dominant groups to fulfill their desires
• Education cultivates a disciplined workforce for military, political, and elite-controlled sectors

Symbolic Interactionism Theory

• Social interaction consists of actions, reactions and adaptation between two or more individuals

• Focuses on communication between individuals

• Goffman (1967) stated people sharing a culture interpret social situations similarly through shared socialization and expectations, forming norms and interaction rituals that unite societies.

• It focuses on relationships among individuals in a society

• People shape the social world through communication

• Communication is the exchange of meaning through language and symbols

• The development of self-concept is based on the observation of how individuals interact with each other.

Symbolic Interactionism: Labelling Theory

• Labelling is directly linked to power dynamics

• Low standardized test scores often result in "low achiever" tags

• Labels are difficult to shake and create a self-fulfilling prophecy (Merton, 1968)

Feminist Theory

• Emerged around 1794 in publications

• It focuses on amplifying women's voices and acknowledging their contributions to society

• Explores the differences among women, examining the intersection of race, class, sexuality, nationality, age, and gender

• Advocates for the equality of women, pushing for equal opportunities and resources in society

• Aims to understand the roots of gender inequality in education and its social impacts

• Highlights unequal treatment of women in education

• Two-thirds of the world’s 862 million illiterate people are women. Illiteracy rate is expected to increase in several African and Asian countries (UNESCO 2005; World Bank 2007).

• Women with limited access to education face barriers to realizing equal rights and financial independence

• Feminist theory promotes global equal education rights for women, along with resultant benefits

• Willard Waller believes schools exist in potential disequilibrium; teachers worry of job loss due to student discipline, academic authority faces challenges from students, school boards, alumni, and students feel oppressed by forced schooling

Modern Social Theorists

• Basil Bernstein
• Michael Foucault

Basil Bernstein: Social Theory

• Structural Class + School Interaction = Understanding of an Educational System
• Family background may affect speech, affecting position in society
• Evaluate class bias in teaching and how learning ideology affects student performance
• Focused on curriculum and teaching to transmit knowledge

Micheal Foucault: Social Theory

• Emphasized new 'disciplinary power' in 18th Century administrative and social systems like prisons, schools and hospitals
• Argued systems of surveillance and assessment eliminate violence as people self-discipline
• Fascinated by mechanisms of prison surveillance, school discipline, population control, and norms about bodily conduct