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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF EDUCATION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Differentiate the various social science theories.
2. Explain the relationship of the various social theories the conflict,
consensus, functionalism and interactionist theories and educational systems.
3. Discuss how the various social theories affect the functions of school.
Introduction
Sociology, the scientific study of human social behavior. As the study of humans in
their collective aspect, sociology is concerned with all group activities: economic, social,
political, and religious. Sociologists see education as one major institutions that constitutes
society. While theories guide research and policy formulation in the sociology of education,
they also provide logical explanations for why things happen the way they do. These
theories help sociologists understand educational systems.
Consensus and Conflict Theory
Consensus is a general or widespread agreement among all members of a particular
society. Conflict is a clash between ideas and principles and people. Dahrendorf (1968 )
Ritzer (2000).

Consensus Theory
Shared norms

and

values

Conflict Theory
as
Emphasize the dominance of some

fundamental to society
Focus on social order, stability and

social regulation.
Social change occurs in slow and

orderly fashion
Examine value integration in society.
Absence of conflict is seen as the

social groups
See social order as manipulation and

control by dominant groups

Social change occurs rapidly and in
disorderly fashion as subordinate

groups overthrow dominant group

Examine conflicts of interest and

equilibrium sets on a society based

coercion that holds society together

on

Can be COVERT or OVERT

Focus on the heterogeneous nature

general

or

widespread

agreement among all members of a

particular society.

of

society

and

the

differential

distribution of political and social

power.

What is the impact of conflict theory in thePhilippine educationsystem?

Schools contribute to the unequal distribution of people into jobs in society.

Powerful members-best positions
Less powerful groups(minority, ethnic, racial,women) - lowest rank

What is the role of education in assuming the conflict theory?

Education plays in maintaining the prestige, power, and economic and social
position of the dominant group in society.

Status cultures refer to groups in society with similar interests and positions in the
status hierarchy.

Schools teach and maintain particular status cultures

Schools are homogenous in their student bodies.
Education system trains individuals in specialties to fill needed positions or
prepare cultivated individuals. (Max Weber).

How do people or an organization settle a conflict?

Conflict theory assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of

conflict or tensions between competing group.

Conflicts need not be violent; it can take the form of labor negotiations, party
politics, competition between religious groups.

The
conflict
model
is
concerned with
the stresses and
conflicts
that
emerge
in
society because
of
competition
over
scarce
resources.
It
focuses on the
inequalities that
are
built
into
social structures
rather than on
those
that
emerge because
of
personal

Social structures produce patterns of

inequality in the distribution of scarce
resources

Conflict

Reorganization and
Change

Figure 1. The Conflict Model

(Source: Sociology and Anthropology, Javier et. Al., 2000)

The conflict theorists are interested in how societys institutions-the family,

government, religion, education, and the media-may help to maintain the privileges of some
groups and keep others in subservient position. Emphasis on social change and
redistribution of resources makes conflict theories more radical and activist (Schaefer,
2003).
Conflict theory grew out of the work of Karl Marx and focuses on the struggle of
social classes to maintain dominance and power in social systems. It is a theory or

collection of theories which places emphasis on conflict in human society (Jary and Jary
2000:105).
Conflict theory focuses on the struggle of social classes to maintain dominance and
power in social systems.
The consensus theory is a sociological perspective or collection of theories, in
which social order and stability/social regulation form the base of emphasis. It is concerned
with the maintenance or continuation of social order of society, in relation to accepted
norms, values, rules, and regulations of society.
Dahrendorf recognizes that society cannot exist without both conflict and consensus,
which are pre-requisites for each other. Thus, we cannot have conflict unless there is some
prior consensus.

The consensus and conflict sociological theories are reflected in the works of
certain dominant social theorists such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber
and other prominent social theorists such as Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton, Louis
Althusser & Ralph Dahrendorf and Herbert Mead & Herbert Blumer.

Structural Functionalism.
Structural Functionalism states that society is made up of various institutions that
work together in cooperation. Parsons structural functionalism has four functional
imperatives also known as AGIL scheme.

Figure 2

The AGIL paradigm is a sociological scheme created by American sociologist Talcott

Parsons in the 1950s. It is a systematic depiction of certain societal functions, which every
society must meet to be able to maintain stable social life.
A: Cognitive symbolization. G: Expressive symbolization. I: Moral-evaluative symbolization.
L: Constitutive symbolization.

Adaptation, or the capacity of society to interact with the environment. This

includes, among other things, gathering resources and producing commodities to social
redistribution.

Goal Attainment, or the capability to set goals for the future and make decisions
accordingly. Political resolutions and societal objectives are part of this necessity.

Integration, or the harmonization of the entire society is a demand that the values
and norms of society are solid and sufficiently convergent. This requires, for example,
the religious system to be fairly consistent, and even in a more basic level, a common
language.

Latency, or latent pattern maintenance, challenges society to maintain the

integrative elements of the integration requirement above. This means institutions like
family and school, which mediate belief systems and values between an older
generation and its successor

Parsons designed AGIL scheme to be used at all levels in this theoretical system.
The behavioral organism in the action system that handles the adaption function by
adjusting to and transforming the external world. The personality system performs
the goal-attainment function by defining system goals and mobilizing resources to
attain them. The social system copes with the integration function by controlling its
component parts. Finally, the cultural system performs the latency function by
providing actors with the norms and values that motivate their action (Ritzer, 2000).

Cultural System

Social System

Action System

Personality System

Figure 3: Structure of the General Action System

Source: Sociological Theory, George Ritzer, 2000)

Parsons found his answer to the problem of order in structural functionalism, which
operates in his view with the following sets of assumptions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Systems have the property of order and interdependence of parts.

Systems tend toward self-maintaining order, equilibrium.
The system may be static or involved in an ordered process of change.
The nature of one part of the system has an impact on the form that the
other parts can take.
5. Systems maintain boundaries with their environments.
6. Allocation and integration are two fundamental processes necessary for a
given state of equilibrium of a system.
7. Systems tend toward self-maintenance involving the maintenance of the
relationships of parts to the whole, control of environmental variations, and
control of tendencies to change the system within.
These assumptions led Parsons to make the analysis of ordered structure of society his
first priority.

FUNCTIONAL REQUISITES OF A SOCIAL SYSTEM

1. Social system must be structured so that they operate compatibly with other
systems.
2. To survive, the social system must have requisite from other systems.
3. The system must meet a significant proportion of the needs of its actors.
4. The system must elicit adequate participation from its members.
5. It must have at least a minimum of control over potentially disruptive
behavior.
6. If conflict becomes sufficiently disruptive, it must be controlled.
7. Finally, a social system requires a languagein order to survive.

The functionalist perspective is primarily concerned with why society assumes a

particular form. It assumes that any society takes its particular form because that form

works well for the society given its particular situation. Societies exist under a wide
range of environmental situations.
Key principles of the functionalist theory byFarley 1990.
1.Interdependency
2.Functions of social structure and culture
3.Consensus and cooperation
4. Equilibrium.
1. Interdependency every part of society is dependent to some extent on the
other parts of the society, so that what happens at one place in society has important
effects elsewhere
2. Functions of Social Structure and Culture. Social Structure refers to the
organization of society, including its institutions, its social positions and distribution of
resources. Culture refers to a set of beliefs, language ,rules, values, and knowledge
held in common by members of a society
3. Consensus and Cooperation societies have a tendency toward consensus;
that is to have certain basic values that nearly everyone in the society agrees upon.
Society tends toward consensus to achieve cooperation
4. Equilibrium is a characteristic of a society when it has achieved the form that
is best adapted to its situation. New technology, a change in climate, or contact with an
outside society are all conditions to which a society might have to adapt. When such
condition occur, social change will take place: society will change just enough to adapt
to the new situation. However, once that adaptation has been made, the society has
attained a new state of balance of equilibrium with its environment, and it will not
change again until some new situation requires further adaptation.
Social structures
provide preset patterns
which evolve to meet
human needs

Stability, order and

harmony

Maintenance of
society

Figure 4. Structural- Functional Model ( Ritzer, 2000)

Structural Functionalism
In the analysis of living organism, the scientists task is to identify the various
parts (structures) and determine how they work (function).
In sociology, sociologist tries to identify the structure of society and how they
function, hence the name structural functio-nalism.(Javier, et al., 1994)
The component parts of social structure:
Families, Neighbors, Associations, Schools, Churches, Banks, Countries.
Functionalist sociologists stress

interdependence of the social system

View society as a kind of machine
Maintain social order by stressing consensus and agreement
Understand that change is inevitable
Argue that without a common bond to unite groups, society will
disintegrate

Parsons believes that education is a vital part of modern society, a society that
differs considerably from all previous societies.
Schooling performs an important function in the development and maintenance
of a modern, democratic society, especially with regard to equality of opportunity for all
citizens.
Thus, in modern societies education becomes the key institution in a meritocratic
selection process.
Education also plays a significant function in the maintenance of the modern
democratic and technocratic society.
Schools teach work skills and teach students how to learn so they may adapt to
new work roles and requirements.

Interactionist Theories

Interactionist theories are critiques and extensions of the functionalist and conflict
perspectives. This level of analysis helps us to understand education in the big
picture. They attempt to make the common place strange by turning on their heads
everyday taken-for-granted behaviors and interactions in schools.
Symbolic Interactionism views the self as socially constructed in relation to social
forces and social structures and the product of ongoing negotiations of meanings. Thus,
the social self is an active product of human agency rather than a deterministic product
of social structure.
Symbolic Interactionists are not only interested in socialization but also in interaction in
general which is of vital importance in its own right
Interaction is the process in which the ability to think is both developed and expressed.

Principles of Symbolic Interactionism

1.Human beings are endowed with the capacity for thought.
2.The capacity for thought us shaped by social interaction
3.In social interaction, people learn the meanings and the symbols that allow them to
exercise their distinctively human capacity for thought.
4. Meanings and symbols allow people to carry on distinctively human action and
interaction.
5. People are able to modify or alter meanings and symbols that they use inaction and
interaction on the basis of their interpretation of the situation.
6. People are able to make these modifications and alterations because, in part, of their
ability to interact with themselves, which allows them to examine possible courses of
action, assess their relative advantages and disadvantages, and then choose one.
7. The intertwined patterns of action and interaction make up groups and societies

Meads approach to symbolic interaction rested on three basic premises.

1. People act toward the things they encounter on the basis of what those things mean
to them.

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2.We learn what things are by observing how other people respond to them through
social interaction.
3.The result of ongoing interaction we use in dealing with others acquire symbolic
meanings that are shared by the people who belong to the same culture.

The importance of thinking to symbolic interactionists is reflected in their views on

objects. Blumer differentiates among three types of objects:
1.Physical objects- chairs, trees
2.Social objects- student, mother, teacher
3.Abstract objects- idea or a moral principle. Objects are seen simply as things, the
greatest significance is the way they are defined by actors.
Charles Horton Cooley developed a concept that has long been used by symbolic
interactionis tand it is the LOOKING- GLASS-SELF it means that we see ourselves as
others see us We come to develop a self image on the basis o fthe messages we get
from others, as we understand them

Summary:
Schools play a significant role in educating the Filipino citizens . It is our duty as
teachers to really inculcate the value of fairness and honesty to our students. We also
need to teach them how to learn, so they may be able to adapt in any situations/events
that they will be presented. The looking glass-self simply tells us that we must be
cautious in giving remarks to others. Let us all be generous in giving positive comments
and lessen the words that will hurt others

Application:
1. Distinguish between consensus and conflict theories.
2. How are the structural functionalism and symbolic interactionism theories
related to education?
3. Interview a teacher on the influence of the conflict and consensus theories
on his/her work as a teacher. Submit a write-up of the interview.

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REFERENCES
1. Social Dimensions of Education, VioletaA.Vega
2. Social Dimensions of Philippine Education, Dr.Adelaida Bago
3. www.google.com.
4. www.wikipedia.com