Social Dimensions of

Education: An Introduction
Presented by: Mr. Richmond S. Yap,RGC,RPm,MA
Director/College Guidance Head
Guidance, Counseling, Testing and Placement
Licensed Values Education Teacher
Objectives:
1. differentiate the various social science
theories

2. explain the relationship of social theories

the conflict, consensus, functionalism and
interactionist theories and educational
system

3. discuss how the social theories affect the

functions of schools
Personal Readings on the
Topic
Group
1 : THE FOUR PILLARS OF
EDUCATION

DIVIDE
THE TOPIC TO ALL
MEMBERS

CASEDISCUSSION RELATED TO
THE TOPIC
Key points to remember:
Education as one of the major institutions
Theories guide research, logical explanation

and policy formulation

Theories in social science help sociologist

understands the educational system

Political science graduates must have

critical thinking particularly in balancing
judgment on different situations of people in
the changing society
Key points to remember: Consensus and
Conflict Theory
Originated from Ralph Dahrendorf

Consensus Theory Conflict Theory

Originated from Parsons, Merton, Karl Marx (Social classes;

Mead, Blumer, Althusser etc. bourgeoisie vs. proletariat)

Shared norms, values, social Dominance of some social

order based on tacit (understood) groups, manipulation and control;
agreements power, unequal distribution,
disputes

Stability , Social regulations, Radical, activist, privileges of

maintain social order, norms, some groups, social change and
values, accepted and followed reorganization of society
CASE FOR DISCUSSION
TITLE: KURTINA SA BINTANA NG BUS,
PINAG AWAYAN
STORY: (VERBAL REPORTING)
VIRAL VIDEO

SOURCE: ABS-CBN NEWS- TV PATROL,

NOVEMBER 9, 2016
Key points to remember: Consensus and
Conflict Theory
Originated from Ralph Dahrendorf

Max Weber argues that schools teach and

maintain particular status cultures-similar
interest and positions in the status
hierarchy
Homogeneous in student bodies
Training individuals in specialties to prepare

cultivated individuals who stand above

others
Educational Elite leading Family Status
Role of education in maintaining prestige,

power, economic and social positions

Key points to remember:
Structural Functionalism
Originated from Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton and Followers

4 Functional Imperatives for all action

systems-behavioral organism that handles
adaptation to transformation
1. Adaptation-external situational ,

environment and its need

2. Goal Attainment-well defined primary goal

3. Integration-regulate the interrelationship of

its component parts, manage the adaptation

and goal
4. Latency-pattern maintenance, renew both

motivation and cultural patterns to sustain

motivation
Key points to remember:
Structural Functionalism
Originated from Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton and Followers

Cultural System (providing Social System ( copes with

actors with the norms and integration function by
values) controlling)

Action System(behavioral Personality System (performs

organism) goal-attainment)
Key points to remember:
Structural Functionalism
Originated from Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton and Followers

Interdependence-dependent to other
parts
Self-maintaining order-manageable
Equilibrium-balanced state-best adapted
Ordered process -standard procedure with
boundaries to its environment
Allocation and integration -maintain
balance
Control of tendencies -potential
disruption begins at micro level with
interaction between ego and alter ego
(individuality/self-image)
Key points to remember:
Structural Functionalism
Originated from Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton and Followers

Functional Requisites - structured to

operate compatibly
To survive, the social system:

Must have requisite

Must meet significant proportion
Must elicit adequate participation from its
members
Must have at least minimum of control over
potentially disruptive behavior
Conflict must be controlled
Requires language to survive
Key points to remember:
Interactionist Theories
Originated from George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley

Attempt to make the commonplace

strange by turning heads on everyday
taken for granted behaviors of students and
teachers

Commented that functionalist and conflict

theories are very abstract where analysis
helps understand big picture of education

Interpretable snapshot of what schools are

like on an everyday level
Key points to remember:
Interactionist Theories
Originated from George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley

Symbolic Interactionism -views self as

socially constructed in relation to social forces
and structures and the product of ongoing
negotiations of meanings.

Social self - human agency mediated by

symbols language - depends on language
behavior (vital importance in its own right)

All interaction during socialization refine our

ability to think leading to decide if and how to
fit their activities to others
Key points to remember:
Interactionist Theories
Originated from George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley

Principles of Symbolic Interactionism

1. capacity of human beings to think
2. capacity to think shaped by social
interaction
3. social interactions lead people to think
because of symbols and meanings
4. symbols and meanings allow people to
carry distinctively human action
5.People are able to modify, alter meanings,
examine courses of action, assess
advantages and make up interaction in
groups
Key points to remember:
Interactionist Theories
Originated from George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley

Non-Symbolic Interactionism (Blumer)-

does not involve thinking
Different objects - different meanings to
different individuals

Cooley - Looking glass self -we see

ourselves as others see us