Sociological Theories of Conflict, Functionalism and Interactionism for Educational Institutions - Essay Example

Sociological Theories of Conflict, Functionalism and Interactionism and the of Education Roll No: Teacher: 13th April 2009 University Sociological Theories of Conflict, Functionalism and Interactionism and the Institution of Education Social theories such as Functionalism, Interactionism and Conflict Theory affect the social institution of education largely. This paper will evaluate the impact of Functionalism, Interactionism and Conflict Theory on the institution of education. Education plays a crucial part in a society and no one can deny the effectiveness of education in a society. Because of attainment of education, the people in a society are termed as civilized and developed. Functionalism is a social theory according to which, the social institutions of a society are interconnected to one another and also to the individuals. Like an organism, a society is also a function. The society and the social institutions are dependent on each other (Oakes 2005). Education has a major role in developing a society. The society becomes functionality on the basis of the social institutions functioning in it. Education is crucial for the society and the children of a society are to be socialized by means of the social institution of education because by attaining education, they become aware of the norms and values of a society (Collins 1971). According to the Functionalism, education is acquired in order to broaden the experiences of people pertaining socialization. Due to the acquirement of education, the children are prepared for their future roles as adults. The people are able to maintain social solidarity on the basis of the education that they get (Collins 1971). Therefore, according to the Functionalism as a theory of sociology, education is very crucial, as it is a part of social system and the whole function. As the body of an individual is incomplete without the functioning of any one organ, similarly, without education, the functionality of a society as a whole will be affected. Interactionism is concerned about social interaction. Interactionists pay maximum importance to the individual’s role in society and his/her acts. According to the theory of Interactionism, education is vital for a society because it supports the students in figuring the meaning of life and themselves in terms of society (Merton 1957). Schools are very vital in creating the personalities of students, so, the educational system is really participative in enabling students to adopt different categories of roles in their future lives. The students who are encouraged in their school life perform better in their professional lives as well but those students who are regarded as ineligible to perform well, are not able to perform well even in their adult lives (Merton 1957). If undemocratic attitude is conducted in an educational setting, the students do not learn for democratic attitude but the undemocratic one. Therefore, the teaching and educational system as a whole is very significant for shaping the students’ vision of their future lives. They become a better part of society if they are able to interact well at their school lives. The interaction and understanding that is developed at a student level emphasizes at adult level as well (Oakes 2005). Conflict Theory deals with the influence or control, that one group or individual can have on society as a whole. Conflict theory is concerned more about class differences. In terms of education as a social institution, conflict theory is fully applicable. A school system or an educational system can be seen as a microcosm of the whole society. As the society has classes, similarly, the schools have classes. The students of a school that come from wealthier families are at advantage because they get additional skills and educational support as compared to those coming from financially weak families (Collins 1971). The students of richer families get extra courses out of school for their better bringing up while those from weaker classes of society do not get such facilitations. Students from high-class families get better chances of attainment of education than students from lower classes (Oakes 2005). Due to these differences, there are contrasts between the knowledge and expertise attained by the students. Therefore, a class system can be seen explicitly in educational systems that affects the students a lot in terms of their adoption of future careers. Conflict theory is fully applicable on education as a social system because it sees education as an institution, where class differences can be seen without any hindrance (Collins 1971). Interactionism is quite different as compared to Functionalism and Conflict Theory. Functionalism regards education as a social function, conflict theory regards education as a further establishment of classes of a society and Interactionism sees education as a way through which, an individual is able to know himself and the world around him. All the three of the social theories look education according to their criteria but all of them regard education as an important social institution that keeps the capability of affecting the lives and personalities of the people of a society. Teachers, students, parents, administrators and educational personnel are a part of the educational system. All of the people attached to the institution of education regard education as a crucial function of society. The theory of Functionalism defines education as a function of society that must be there in order to socialize people (Collins 1971). People view the theory of Functionalism as affective and fully applicable because it categorizes education as a part of society, which is essential for socializing people. The theory of Interactionism is also right at its own place. People learn to interact because of education. They learn about themselves and the meaning of society and the world around them (Merton 1957). However, whatever they learn, they have their own meanings related to their existence. Interactionism gives a little significance to class system. This theory also affects people as it keeps the notion of self-understanding and personality development (Oakes 2005). Conflict Theory regards education as a representation of competing social classes (Collins 1971). Some can consider this theory true but many can criticize it in terms of its effectiveness. The teachers can have their opinions that students are dealt equally without regarding their association to any class system. In addition, the teachers and administration can depict that they allow equal opportunities and facilitations for all students. Parents can be disturbed in accordance to their children’s future careers. The individuals are affected because of the theories of Functionalism, Interactionism and Conflict Theory, as they regard themselves as a part of the social institution of education. By considering themselves a part of the social system, they can regard themselves at disadvantage in some cases where they are not getting their due rights. The theories of Functionalism, Interactionism and Conflict Theory bring in social changes. Functionalism can be regarded as to bring in social change in terms of advancement technologies to make the function of education better so that the society as a whole can improve in terms of its performance and reputation. Similarly, Interactionism as a social theory can be considered to bring in a social change in educational system as the modes and types of increasing interaction between people. With global interaction, people are not only interacting with people of one society only but with many others, therefore, the social circle has enlarged largely. Conflict Theory can bring in a social change in educational system as various opportunities of betterment can be offered through which, the differences between classes can be minimized and the children can be offered equal facilitations for their future careers (Merton 1957). The society as a whole is affected because of the theories of Functionalism, Interactionism and Conflict theory. By considering the disadvantageousness of certain aspects of the theories, the authorities try to figure out solutions that can be advantageous for the residents of a society. For example, in conflict theory, the competing classes are considered active in an educational system; the authorities can minimize the gap between classes by offering extra courses for all students without considering the class of the students. The society will be affected in this manner, as all students will get opportunities to adopt the careers of their choice without the restriction of their association to any class. With better interaction and understanding opportunities, Interactionism can affect the educational system of a society due to which, society as a whole can be affected. For example with the introduction of internet usage at schools, the students can interact with people that are resided in faraway places and so, there is a new method of interacting with people. In addition, because of enhanced interaction to people related to other societies, the students could have different ideas and thoughts regarding a situation that they can share. So, it is quite clear that the theories of sociology affect the social institution of education to a great extent and also affect society by its impact on education. References Collins, R. (1971). Functional and conflict theories of educational stratification. American Sociological Review, pp. 1002-1019. Merton, Robert. (1957). Social Theory and Social Structure. Revised and enlarged. London: The Free Press of Glencoe. Oakes, J. (2005). Keeping track: How schools structure inequality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Read More