Chapter Summary - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Broadly speaking, the concept of education refers to a discipline that trains, develops as well as shape the mental and physical capabilities of a maturing person. The sociologists have divided education into two categories namely formal and informal education. Formal education is planned and it often takes place in a formal learning institution like a school, college or university. On the other hand, informal education is unplanned; it takes place as human beings get into contact with the world around them. In other words, this is a natural way of acquiring knowledge by an individual. The word education is broad and it encompasses a lot of disciplines. However, this particular chapter mainly focuses on a special kind of formal education known as schooling. Basically, schooling refers to a systematic program that is formalised and it takes place in the classroom and it also includes other extracurricular activities such as sports. In this kind of education, an instructor imparts the knowledge and values to the learners and it is designed to produce a certain outcome. This kind of education is widely seen as a liberating force among the people who have successfully accomplished the courses they would be learning. However, some critics have suggested that education can be detrimental since it is used for indoctrination purposes in some instances. Schools perform a wide range of social functions such as transmitting skills to the students so that they can be in a position to adapt to their environment. These skills can be used to develop the societies in which people live. The other function of education is that it facilitates personal growth. Students are taught norms and values that shape them to become good citizens. The other function of education is that it contributes to development of basic applied research. In most cases, research helps people to discover new knowledge in a particular discipline that helps to improve their welfare. Education is also used to integrate people from diverse backgrounds. People with different religious beliefs, culture, ethnic differences as well as values are often integrated through education. This process is commonly referred to as the melting pot. This is very important in every society since it helps to unite people who may have different perceptions about their world view. For instance, the European Union is relying on its education system to unite about 490 million people in the 27 states that constitute the bloc. Education is also used for screening and selecting students for certain career paths. In most cases, people with the best academic skills are selected for important careers. In terms of employment, education is used as a strategy to select people with the right attributes for certain occupations. Another important function of education is that it is used to solve social problems in different communities. People are taught how to relate well with others in their respective communities. People can reconcile their differences through the use of the knowledge they have acquired from schools. It is easy for people to create relationships in a learning environment since they are treated as homogenous. It can also be seen that schools also help people from diverse backgrounds to meet and this can lead to marriages which helps the communities to grow. Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the lives of people in different comm ...Download file to see next pagesRead More