Social Educational Thoeries

Running head : educational theories

Social Educational Theories

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Education plays a major role in any society . But the specifics involved in this role are still subject to debate . That is , the methods of teaching , the strategies of handling students , the style of managing schools , and the goals and standards of the educational system have been the subject of deliberation and reflection among educators psychologists and social theorists . Educational systems have also changed numerous times throughout history and such changes are often the results of the

emergence of social theories that influence the decisions of policy makers . In this research , four social theories will be examined : functionalism , Marxism , interpretivism , and post-modernism These four social theories will be compared and their strengths and weaknesses will be discussed . In doing so , this will to what extent do these social theories explain the function of education in American society and how do these theories compare with the realist theory

What is functionalism ? Functionalism is believed to have been developed by several philosophers in the nineteenth century but it was only during the early part of the twentieth century , the 1930s , did this social theory take official form in the United States through the work of Talcott Parsons . Unlike the earlier social theories that treat society as one vaguely defined system , functionalism boasts of focusing on the parts of the system and how these parts interact and influence each other . The parts have needs that the other parts can meet and this is why the parts exist in a state of cooperation . The system is then considered to be in equilibrium . However , the functionalists also recognize the changing nature of this system and that the parts adjust to these changes towards a new equilibrium (Parsons , 1951

Strengths and weaknesses . In the field of education , the major strengths of functionalism lies on the emphasis of interdependence and a path of evolutionary change that is not dramatic or chaotic . This is because the functionalists shun conflict and believed that any conflict can be avoided because each individual is influenced by the society 's norms . If an individual scorns these norms , there would be consequences such as social disapproval or even imprisonment . Unfortunately , despite the discouraging presence of these consequences , and based on the history of the world , the history of the American society , and of American education , conflict seemed to be significantly present . This made the tenets of functionalism napve and incomplete . Within the classroom , a functionalist teacher may induce the students to behave in an equilibrium-producing manner by emphasizing the classroom norms and the consequences that are given if such norms are ignored . Some of the consequences might be time-out , lower grades , suspension , and other sanctions . Again , similar to the greater society , the classroom society may have a few students who are not deterred by the consequences . This is not because the student intends to create conflict but because there might be some needs of the students that were not...