Socialization, Education & Socio-economic Factors (PDF)

**3.4.2 Types of Socialization** There are Iwo types of socialization: i. Informal socialization ii. Formal socialization **Informal socialization** is the type of socialization process that child passes through, before going to school. That is what they learn at home from parents like several...

**3.4.2 Types of Socialization** There are Iwo types of socialization: i. Informal socialization ii. Formal socialization **Informal socialization** is the type of socialization process that child passes through, before going to school. That is what they learn at home from parents like several habits, neatness, eating, respect for elders, the act of worship and other moral values through examples and imitation **Formal socialization** is the socialization process that take place in schools. Through formal socialization, teachers and parent deliberately prepares children for adult life by teaching them how to perform adult roles. **3.4.3 Agents of Socialization** The agents of socialization include family or home, peer group, school, mass media, religious organization and the general community. **The Family:\ **This is a social group concerned with face to face interaction. Family has the potential of continuing to exercise it strong influence over the life of an individual. Family is a unit made of father, mother, children and other family members. It is the first socializing agent for the child. The roles played by the family in the socialization of the child include the following: i. Moral training --- to lay a sound moral and spiritual foundation. ii. Intellectual training --- to lay a foundation for intellectual development. iii. Character training --- for good manners and attitude formation. iv. Vocational training --- for trade and future self-reliance. **The Peer Groups:\ **These are the age-mates or play-mates who associate closely together. If children in a peer group come from a responsible home, they will influence themselves rightly, but if the reverse is the case such children would constitute juvenile delinquents. This agent of socialization can easily influence socialization positively or negatively and that is why it is very important that parent should be vigilant enough to monitor the type of children their child is playing with. **The School:\ **The school is a place where learning takes place in a formal way. The school performs the basic functions of socializing the child in many ways as follows: i. Development of behavioral pattern ii. Development of moral values. iii. Provision of knowledge and skill iv. Development of social and civic consciousness v. Ability to adopt the norms of the environment outside school. vi. Acquisition of discipline, patience and endurance. **The Mass Media**:-\ The mass media is another socializing agents. This institution achieves its socialization objectives through electronic and print media like radio, TV. Telephone, video and other gadgets. In this current dispensation of high speed of globalization in information technology, this agent becomes a source of information, education and entertainment. At the same time, it becomes a source of societal ills and problems. Therefore, the role of mass- media in the socialization process should be properly handled by the society. **The Religious Organizations:\ **The role of religious organization in socialization process is a tremendous one. Such religious bodies like the mosque and the church play the following roles in socializing individuals in the society. i. Moral and spiritual training ii. Intellectual development iii. Obedience iv. Jurisprudence (teaching of laws) **The General Community:\ **The community is made up of the entire society and its environment outside the homes. Places like markets, Motor Parks, hospitals, playgrounds and so on can socialize the child positively or negatively. Therefore, a decent and well discipline society can socialize the children into well behaved citizens positively by using one or more of these agents. **3.4.4 Importance of Socialization Process\ **Socialization process has tremendous impacts on individuals in any society. Its relevance includes the following: i. Socialization helps to inculcate discipline ii. To teach self-control, obedience and concern for others iii. Encourages and instill aspirations into the individuals iv. Inculcates the desire of earning to support oneself, the acquisition of knowledge and vocational skills v. Inculcates the need for playing social responsibilities and supportive attitudes like teaching, parenting and administration. vi. **3.5 Influence of Social Factors on Education and the Learning Process** **3.5.1 Socio-economic Factors and Education** There is a strong possible relationship between the socio---economic status of the parent and the educational achievement of the child. It seems to be a powerful ingredient for the success or otherwise of the child academically. **3.5.2 How Socio-economic Status affects Child Education** The socio-economic status of the parent affects the child academic achievement in school both positively and negatively depending on the prevailing condition either higher or lower. Higher socio-economic status affects child education [positively] as follows: i. Early enrolment into school ii. Enrolment into the best school iii. Timely provision of books and other study materials iv. Encouragement in school work through additional private couching v. Academic and job aspiration after school Vi. Proficiency in Language of communication due to solid academic foundation\ vii. Provision of social amenities in the home. On the other hand, lower socio-economic status of parent will affect the education of their children [negatively] because such parent cannot afford the provision of the above-mentioned opportunities to their children. The result is that, if such parents do not properly guide their children with the provision of social amenities in the home, a child may waste his/her time watching unnecessary films or internet in the name of socialization and may lead to failure in life educationally. **3.6. Education in Society** **3.6.1 Education and Society** In this unit, we shall look at the relationship between education and the society, functions of education to the society and the functions of the society to education (i.e. school). Every society has certain important needs and problems that must he dealt with for their survival, and these can only be achieved through the manifest and latent functions of education to that society. **The Manifest Functions of education to the Society** These are the basic and obvious functions of education offered to the society for its survival. i. Preparing people of the society for occupational role. ii. Preserving the cultural heritage of the society by transmitting it from one generation to the other. The educational system does this through its curriculum and extra curricula activities. iii. Producing patriotic citizens through the lesson learnt in citizenship education, national anthem or pledge iv. Education sources for social reforms. Horton and Hunt (1980) listed some other manifest functions of education to the society, as follows: a. Encouraging democratic participation by teaching verbal skills and developing the person's ability to think rationally and independently. b. Enriching life by enabling the student to expand his or her intellectual and aesthetic horizons. c. Improving personal adjustment through counseling and such course as applied psychology. d. Character building through moral teaching. e. Improving health of the nation's youth through physical exercises. **The Latent Functions of Education** These are not basic and obvious but are implied functions of education to the society as follows: i. The school serves as a place where children are taken care off. ii. It provides a forum for both formal and informal interaction. iii. Weakens parental influence and control over their children through interaction with peer group and instructions. iv. Education promote social innovation and social misconduct. v. It keeps youth out of the labour market, up to the end of their study. vi. Education alters the class system by enabling children from low socio-economic status to get the education needed for higher status position. On the other hand, the relationship between education and society is reciprocal because the society also provides to the school the manpower and facilities needed or the resources required thereby making the school function as a formal organization.