Social and Political Influences on Classroom Practices - Essay Example

SOCIAL AND POLITIC INFLUENCES PAPER Social and Political Influences on room Practices The current educational movements and legislation have been under scrutiny following their close relation to classroom practices. Following the scrutiny, a lot has been unveiled which seem to cause much influence on the classroom practices. In the studies, attention has been specifically focused on the social and political factors that have great influence on the classroom practices. This paper delves into these factors and how they influence the classroom practices. Social Influences on Classroom Practices While in the classroom environment, students develop relationships over time through interactions with one another. These relationships more often than not are shaped by the need to accomplish common goals. Usually, social forces (social influences) emerge in this process and whose consequences either facilitate or impede learning. According to Hirschy and Wilson (2002), these social influences are categorized into role relationships, social status, and structural inequalities. Sociologists often look at how these influences affect people in the classroom in a social setting (Hirschy & Wilson, 2002). Social Status Mehan (1998) describes social status in a classroom context as to include the gender, race, age, and social class of the students and the tutor (Hirschy & Wilson, 2002). For instance, students coming from poor family set-ups may often find challenges adjusting to college life compared to their higher status counterparts. According to Gardner, Dean and McKaig (1989), the college environment often reflects the social relationships at different levels i.e. upper-level, middle-level and low level. It is often the case that although students from low-level or disadvantaged backgrounds can grasp tacit rules quickly, they still have a sense of being outsiders. Role Relationships Social influence of role relationships usually come out clearly when assessing the interaction patterns that occur between the tutor and learners and among student peers. Usually in every class, the rules and norms have a huge bearing on the interactions among class participants. According to Hirschy and Wilson (2002), the various norms of discourse determining the patterns of participation. These are those who take part and those who do not. Moreover, it depends on whether one has the drive to disagree with the instructor and other students. In addition, it shows how best to handle conflicts; the types of questions that are acceptable, and how to act appropriately in the classroom. Structural Inequalities Students often hold an unequal position of power and this, according to Gamaron (2001) often brings a negative influence on a student’s development of responsibility and autonomy. Traditionally, Gamaron (2001) says the instructors hold an asymmetrical power that allows them not only to design the syllabus in the classroom, give assignments to students and conduct an evaluation of the students. Usually, the ways faculties share their authorities, to a large extent, influences the way students learn through pedagogical strategies, and this can ultimately have an impact on the class environment. For instance, Canada and Pringle (1995) say the tutors, following the authorities vested in them, can make decisions on how to structure the class participant’s interactions by reinforcing some behaviors and shunning others. As such, classroom conditions provide a framework where the faculty can easily interact with students not only on an individual basis, but also as a group. In addition, research also shows that student peers also play a major role in the social influence on the norms of the classroom. According to Ballantine (2001), this occurs depending on the way the some students opt to interact and how they prevent facilitate their classmates’ involvement. In a nutshell, it can then be argued that mutually the faculty and the features of the lecture hall setting have a huge role in influencing student education (Hirschy & Wilson, 2002). The Nature and Scope of Influence The nature and scope of effect of the social influence factors solely depend on the type of interaction that occurs (Bickhard). According to Canada and Pringle (1995), two forms of interactions exist i.e. student-faculty interaction and student-student interaction. Student-faculty interaction It has been variously shown that classroom interaction and its effects on learning relate to intellectual skill development. Hirschy and Wilson (2002) describe students’ perceptions of their instructor as having a huge influence on the amount of efforts the students devote to their class work. For instance, students who associate their instructor with gender equity often experience a raised sense of responsibility for their learning. In some cases, however, the classroom environment may bring deleterious effects on the part of students. For example, Hirschy and Wilson (2002) say academic dishonesty is often the case of less personalized classes; less task-oriented and less cohesive. In this case, therefore, it may be argued that the scope of influence is dictated solely by how much the interaction between the instructor and the student takes place. Student-Student Interaction It has been observed that peer interactions, just like faculty-student interactions, in one way, or another facilitate learning. For example, in courses that usually involve group collaborations, learning may be enhanced or sometimes be limited. According to Canada and Pringle (1995), the feeling of being at ease with fellow peers contributes to asking a question as opposed to when asking the instructor. Political Influences on Classroom Practices Politics plays a huge role in shaping classroom practices. In particular, politics determines and defines goals of the class activities, content, learning experiences and strategies in education. According to Ball (1990), politics influences funding of students, hiring of education personnel, curriculum development, entry into education systems and examination systems. Funding of Students Politics has a great influence especially on the funding of the education system. Students come from different families with unequal financial capabilities. It is with this view that the federal government has put in place the education fund available for such needy students. Despite the funds being in place, it is often the case that the funds are never enough mostly due to the escalating cost of living. According to Cohen and Spillane (1992), the effect of such funding in the classroom is that it tends to segregate students into two groups i.e. government sponsored and non-government sponsored students. Hiring of Personnel Politics, in many cases, is the main determinant on the hiring process of teachers for schools. Politics influences not only the allocation of teachers per institution, but also their salaries. Tinder (1991) observes that while the hiring process is often competitive, politics plays a huge role especially in the appointment of top educational leadership. On classroom practices, politics has to a large extent, led to the disparity often experienced in the number of students per teacher. It is the case that some institutions have fewer teachers/instructors making individual attention to each student difficult. Consequently, this affects the value of education offered in the classroom. Curriculum Development Politics has for years and still continues to dictate what should be taught in schools. Diverse political actors are always involved in the advance of the school curriculum. Vanfossen, Jones and Spade (1987) say most curricula are organized around at least two levels of objectives i.e. the very general or broad goals and then to more specific activities. The government often brings the political actors together with other bureaucratic. DeMitchell and Fossey (1997) say although a cabinet, in many cases, has a single person bestowed with the responsibility for education, many political leaders may present their views. The involvement of the political leaders becomes even clearer when the curriculum decisions have to go through a political vetting process; here they are likely to undergo all sorts of political influences including preferences for individuals. In a nutshell, political influence has a bearing on what is taught in class. Entry into Education and Examination Systems Gaining entry into the education system and the kind of examination offered in various institutions is often the result of political influence. According to Cohen and Spillane (1992), politicians legislate the education policy that governs all matters education including what is expected of instructors and students. The political actors pass laws indicating the minimum requirement of the examinations administered to students and the requirements for gaining entry into the education system. The Nature and Scope of Influence The nature of political influence on class practices is that it depends on the central government. According to Tinder (1991), political decisions are often pushed by the central government to ensure quality education by ensuring efficient use of resources. In addition, the type of government in power helps shape the nature of political influence on education. The amount of funds set aside by the government for educational purposes determines the scope of influence of politics. This is because, in the absence of adequate funds, little can be done with regards to providing for needy students and curriculum development. In a nutshell, the scope of political influence is largely determined the focus and priorities of the government of the day. Social verses Political Influences There is a close relationship between social and political influences on classroom practices. For instance, the social status goes hand in hand with the funding of students. In class, students come from various backgrounds; some from rich families and others from poor families. In an attempt to breach disparity that occurs between these two classes of students, Gamaron (2001) says the government came up with a program to fund needy students. This is to guarantee that all learners can access education irrespective of their financial or social status. The role of relationships also relates closely to funding of students. While the main aim is to support disadvantaged students, Gamaron (2001) says it also helps bring a sense of equality among students and consequently improve the relationship that occurs among students. It can be argued that political influences more or less serve to complement the social influences on classroom practices. In a nutshell, it can be observed that the social and political influences on classroom practices closely relate to one another. As such, striking a balance between the two can boost the classroom practices. References Ball. S. (1990). Politics and policy making in education: Explorations in policy sociology. London: Routledge. Ballantine, J. H. (2001). The sociology of education: a systematic analysis (5th edn) Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall. Bickhard, M. H. (n.d.). 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S.A. & Wilson E.M., (2002). ‘The Sociology of the Classroom and Its Influence on Student Learning,’ Peabody Journal of Education 77(3): 85-100. Judith L.P., (2007). ‘Understanding Authority in Classroom: A Review of Theology, Ideology, and Research.’ Review of Educational Research, 77(1): 4-27. Mehan H. (1998). ‘The Study of Social Interaction in Educational Settings: Accomplishments and Unresolved Issues,’ Human Development, 41(4):245– 269. Tinder, G. (1991). Political thinking: The perennial questions (5th ed.). New York: HarperCollins. Vanfossen, B. E., Jones, J. D., & Spade, J. Z. (1987). ‘Curriculum tracking and status maintenance.’ Sociology of Education, 60(2): 104–122. Read More