Sociology of Education Study Unit 3 PDF

Sociology of Education Study unit 3  Learning Outcomes define formal and informal schooling; list and explain the social functions of education; explain, using the conflict perspective, the ways in which educational experience is structured to create and perpetuate advantage a...

Sociology of Education Study unit 3  Learning Outcomes define formal and informal schooling; list and explain the social functions of education; explain, using the conflict perspective, the ways in which educational experience is structured to create and perpetuate advantage and privilege; discus some of the challenges of the South African education system; and compare and contrast rich (private) and poor (public) schools and their impact on educational outcomes. Important Concepts in the Sociology of Education 1.Formal Education 2.Informal Education 3.Role of Education 4.Hidden curriculum 5.Education in South Africa Thus, the study of the sociology of education provides an understanding of the following: 1.The role of education as a transmission of culture in society 2.The function of education in society 3.The role of schools in society 4.The role of higher education institutions in society 5.Education and the labor market The sociology of education is characterised by two dominant streams of thought 1.those who view education as imparting science 2.those who argue that education serves broader social functions.  A deeper background Societies structure the educational experience. Educational experiences shape success and failure among advantaged and disadvantaged populations. Education is seen as the means whereby children can develop their full potential and hence take up a meaningful place in society. It is questionable whether education is able to meet the educational needs of diverse populations, integrate diverse populations, provide equality of educational opportunity and access to higher education. It can be argued that education helps to perpetuate and reproduce levels of inequality.  RIGHTS, CULTURE AND CURRICULUM: Is education a universal right? Should everyone get the same access to education? Should education be free? Who decides on the curriculum? CONSTITUTION OF SA, 1996 29.Education.— I. Everyone has the right - a. to a basic education, including adult basic education; and b. to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible. RIGHTS, CULTURE AND CURRICULUM: What should take precedence – education systems or cultural traditions? Education vs. schooling… what’s the difference? “education is a complex political, economic, social and cultural issue…” (Giddens, 2009: 834)  Theoretical Perspectives On Education FUNCTIONALISM 1. Schools perform a number of important social functions that ideally contribute to the smooth operation of society. 2. For Emile Durkheim education was important for socialising children This way they would come to know the norms, values, beliefs, acceptable forms of behaviour they are expected to adopt. In industrial societies it also teaches people the skills needed in the workplace. Talcott Parsons believed in the importance of individual achievement and believed school instilled this ‘Universal’ standards – e.g. exams ‘Meritocratic’ process These functionalists have something to offer, but assume relatively homogenous societies or societies where different social groups share similar interests.  Theoretical Perspectives On Education FUNCTIONALISM FUNCTIONS Of EDUCATION  Including: a. transmitting skills b. facilitating change and progress c. contributing basic and applied research d. integrating diverse populations e. screening and selecting the most qualified students for what are considered the most socially important careers.  Theoretical Perspectives On Education CONFLICT THEORY Any analysis of school systems must focus on the ways the educational experience is structured to create and perpetuate advantage and privilege. 1. Schools are not perfect: i. not all minds are liberated ii. students drop out iii. students refuse to attend or graduate iv. schools misclassify students and so on  Theoretical Perspectives On Education CONFLICT THEORY 2. The conflict perspective draws our attention to issues of inequality by asking the following kinds of questions: i. Who writes the curriculum? ii. Who has access to the most up-to- date computer or athletic facilities? iii. Which groups are most likely to drop out of high school and which to attend university? iv. Who studies abroad? v. How do schools simply perpetuate the inequalities of larger society? 3. Schools serving the low income and other disadvantaged students usually have the highest dropout rates and lowest graduation rates. One factor that contributes to this inequality is, of course, differences in funding.  Theoretical Perspectives On Education SCHOOLING FOR CAPITALISM Some conflict theorists worked with the socialisation idea but saw schooling as “[producing] the right kind of workers for capitalist economies” (Giddens, 2009: 836) THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM -Why is schooling structured the way it is? i. Why am I standing in front? ii. Why are you here? iii. Who is in control here?  Theoretical Perspectives On Illich Education argued that we shouldn’t take compulsory and structured schooling for granted, after all it’s a relatively recent development. i. What about home schooling? ii. What about ‘communication networks’ sharing knowledge? iii. Schooling in our youth vs. life- long learning CURRICULUM Curriculum encompasses: subject content, assessment methods and activities … involved in teaching and learning for a specific course, grade or degree.  Theoretical Perspectives On Education SOCIAL REPRODUCTION  Bourdieu “devised a broad theory of cultural reproduction which connects economic position, social status and symbolic capital with cultural knowledge and skills” (Giddens, 2009: 846)  Using Marx’s idea of ‘capital’ Bourdieu regarded economic capital as being just one way that groups/individuals gain advantage over others. Cultural capital 1. Pierre Bourdieu’s (1977) theory, individuals come to know and internalize what is objectively possible for someone with their educational credentials. Someone with a college or graduate degree, on the other hand, will likely expect to live free of poverty and to earn a relatively high salary. Such assumptions match an objective reality.  Theoretical Perspectives On Education SOCIAL REPRODUCTION 2. Economic capital: A person’s material resources (wealth, land and money). 3. Cultural capital: A person’s non-material resources (educational credentials, the kinds of knowledge acquired, social skills and aesthetic tastes). 4. Both economic and cultural capitals are distributed unequally throughout society. Social reproduction: The perpetuation of unequal relations is such that almost everyone, including the disadvantaged, comes to view this inequality as normal and legitimate and tend to shrug off or resist calls for change. 5. Habitus refers to the physical embodiment of cultural capital, to the deeply ingrained habits, skills, and dispositions that we possess due to our life experiences The ‘habitus’ is the objective reality internalized That internalized reality becomes the mental filter through which people understand the social world and their place in it EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT: In South Africa during the apartheid era, education was a vehicle strategically employed by the Nationalist government to promote racial ideologies and notions of white supremacy. Apartheid education deliberately designed education to privilege white and disadvantage black students in South Africa. Segregated schooling predated apartheid by centuries – with mission schools (from the 18th century) being the only opportunity for Black, Coloured and Indians youth to get a ‘Western education’ Racial divisions intensified in various industries, e.g mining industry – leading to “job colour bars” Early 20th century gave birth to geographical separation of races, separate systems of political representation and inferior (non- compulsory) education for Blacks  EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT: School enrolments quadrupled between 1953 and 1975 – at least in part due to industry requiring more educated workers Although Bantu Education was opposed from the outset the introduction of Afrikaans as a language of instruction in 1976 led to significant uprisings Open schools: In the 1970s and 1980s selected Catholic schools were desegregated, followed by private schools – but this had little impact In the 1980s… “Bantu Education, as a system designed to control the aspirations of Africans and school them for subservience, had failed. Instead South Africa was increasingly ungovernable and change was immanent.” (Dolby, 2001: 25)  EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT: White schools were emptying (declining populations in some areas) and many Black schools didn’t have enough desks. Whites-only schools were given a choice in late 1990: Model A – schools become private Model B – schools could adopt their own admission procedures Model C – conversion into semi-private schools (50% plus 1 White enrolment)  EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: POST-APARTHEID RESTRUCTURING CRISIS IN SA EDUCATION SYSTEM Apartheid education designed to privilege white and disadvantages black students – History alone not be to blame for the education crises in SA Poor education outcomes contributed to a decline in SA’s global competitiveness (Global Competency Report): Drop from 45th position in 2009/2010 to 54 th (2011) to 61 (2017-2018) Basic education ranks 129th out of 139 countries (2011) South Africa still faces the reality of two different education  ON-GOING INEQUALITIES Desegregation of previously White-only schools (Dolby, 2001):  Made no significant impact for the majority of the population  Although those schools were open new students were expected to assimilate without there being any significant/institutional change “[The] school system was not yet systematically able to overcome inherited socio-economic disadvantage at the primary level, and poor schools least so… On top of this “differential school outcomes [are] likely to translate into large  PROMISE OF EDUCATION IN SA SA unemployment rate Q2 2019: 29% SA youth unemployment (aged 15–34 years) rate Q2 2019: 40,3% SA youth unemployment (aged 15–24 years) rate Q2 2018: 32,3% (approximately 3,3 million) were not in employment, education or training A NEET is a young person who is "Not in Education, Employment, or Training"  HIGHER EDUCATION South Africa’s higher education system consists of numerous publicly funded universities. Some of these are considered comprehensive and others are universities of technology. Both types of institutions offer Bachelor’s, Honours, Masters and Doctorate degrees, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas. Several of South Africa’s comprehensive universities are internationally recognized for their research in areas such as astronomy, business, palaeontology, and public policy in Africa, as well as the calibre of student produced.  HIGHER EDUCATION THE AVAILABILITY OF ACCESS TO UNIVERSITY SA higher education system consist of 23 public-funded universities Ongoing inequalities afflict higher learning During apartheid, black students were prevented from attending universities (policies, financial constraints, lack of merit) All SA institutions are required to develop and comply with appropriate measures for redress past inequalities Increased financial support for black students through NSFAS Demographics have shifted dramatically SA – national senior certificate (bachelors pass) needed to enter university (university exemption)  B M la c % % % % % Blale k A 80 60 100 40 0 20 % Fe ac fr m k ic an al Af e ri ca 9 17 n C 8 15 M o lo a Co le ure. Fe lo d m u r 9 1 al e e d 10 I 9 M n di a a In le n/ 19 Fe di As. m an ia al / A n e s 7 3 ia 3 2 n 0 3 8 1 W. M hi a t W le e Fe hi 8 3 3 4 m te al e 1 4 4 3 ic ry Matr Post- Some Prima Other/ unknown Maleatric Secondary pre- primary No education or (Kraak & Press, 2008) Educational Attainment: Other Factors Coloured learners perform better than Blacks in the lower grades this advantage disappears in high school. One of the reasons for this which they posit is a long- term trend where Coloured youth drop out of high school around the age of 15 for various reasons… (Louw, Van der Berg, & Yu, 2006 – using census data) OTHER FACTORS Growing up in the New South Africa (Bray et al, 2010): Lasting relationship between class, race and neighbourhood Strong belief in the importance of education, but the dropping out of high school is the more pervasive ‘norm’. Also, “the nature of [someone’s] previous and current domestic, schooling and neighbourhood environments” are going to be more significant indicators of whether someone is going to drop-out than behaviours such as drinking, sexual activity and smoking.  ASPIRATIONS TOWARD HIGHER EDUCATION (COSSER, 2009) 1. Needing to proceed to higher education to improve your chances of getting a job 2. A desire to enter a particular profession 3. An interest in studying in a particular field 4. Higher education enabling you to earn more money one day 5. The status which a higher education qualification will give you 6. Your academic performance at school 7. Your parents/relatives wanting you to study at a higher education institution 8. Your ability to get financial assistance to study at a higher education institution 9. Your parents/relatives wanting you to get your studies over with so that you can support yourself and/or them 10.A teacher persuading you to study at a higher education institution © North-West University