Social interaction

1. SOCIALIZATION PROCESS,
SOCIAL MOBILITY AND
SOCIAL CHANGE
Prepared by Joan Murungi

2. Lecture Outline
 By the end of this learners will be able to:
 define socialization;
 list and explain the types & modes of
socialization;
 name the socializing agents in society ; and
 illustrate the roles each of the agent play in the
socialization process.
 Social mobility and educational change

3. What is Socialization?
 Socialization is the process by which an individuals
acquires knowledge, skills, and techniques which
enable them fit in society.
 individuals learn techniques to be responsible
members society or their group.
How?
 social arrangements must be in place to ensure that
roles are learnt meaning that situations must be
defined and clarified to the learners.

4. Cont’d
 Socialization is a life long process of learning
that happens at different stages, beginning at
birth and ending at death.
 takes place in stages; each stage is marked by
different roles learnt from childhood through
adolescence to adulthood.
 Socialization requires time to be successful e.g. a
new born baby requires time to cope with life in
the family; a new comer in the school requires
time to adjust to school life.

5. Types of Socialization
 Formal socialization
Formal Socialization is a
more structured form of
learning which takes place in
a classroom.
 A teacher imparts skills,
values, ideas, morals and
roles into the learners.
 The content of teaching is
controlled by the curriculum
regulated by a time-table.
 Teaching is closely monitored
and supervised by those in
authority to ensure it is being
done as planned.
 Informal socialization
Informal Socialization is
a process where
individuals learn skills,
morals, values, ideas
and habits of the
society through
interaction with other
people.
 Learning takes place in
a family, peer group
and community
socialization.

6. Cont’d
 In order to ensure that
socialization takes
place both negative
and positive sanctions
are used.
 Negative sanctions
are punishments while
positive sanctions
are rewards, e.g.
praises given to
students who give
correct answer in the
classroom
 individuals learn the
way of life from family
members, peer group or
community through
interactions.
 Informal socialization is
also known as
interpersonal
socialization.

7. Modes of Socialization
 For Formal and informal modes of socialization to
take place there must be people to do that
socialization.
 There must be two groups of people; “socializers”
(those who transmit the culture) and “Socialees”
(those to be socialized)
 Socializers include; parents, teachers, friends,
religious people/preachers and leaders.
 Socialees include; children, youth groups of people
the society .

8. Agents of Socialization
 Socialization is process carried out by several
institutions namely;
- the family,
- the school,
- the religious institutions,
- peer groups,
- mass media and the
- Community.

9. Family as a socialization
 A family: first socializing
institution the child comes
into contact with.
 A family has a hierarchy
of authority in which
home matters are
addressed. Each family
has specific values and
attitudes which are passed
on to their young.
 The child will learn that
there are members of the
family ( mother, father,
sisters, brothers and
relatives) for social survival
and physical needs.
 this determines the
child’s intellectual,
physical and
personality
development.
 in the family a child
learns obedience,
behavior, gender roles
responsibility, language
& religion etc.

10. The School
 A School is the second
institution where a child
continues the socialization
process.
 A School has its own locality and
is organized in an administrative
system headed by the head
teacher.
 has its tradition, customs, motto,
uniform and rules which bind it as
a society. the school motto help
learners to identify themselves
with the school
 Has a clear division of labor and
responsibility. Members of the
school learn to recognize
hierarchy of authority through
school rules,
 Through teaching (role modeling)
learners learn to behave in a
society with respect, good
manners, obedience etc.
 Learners understand they have a
role to play in school society and
carry out their duties.
 Children learn to appreciate and
accept those who are better or
worse than them especially in
academic excellence. This
enables them accept their
weakness and strengths in wider
society.

11. The peer group.
 Learners in a class or
school form small groups
based on friendship
usually composed of
learners of almost the
same age , sex and
interest.
 In the groups
socialization takes place
freely as learners in the
same group share lots of
information.
 Groups are usually
composed of single sex
pupils who identify
themselves with various
gender roles.
 These groups help
individuals to accept other
members of the family with
different views and values.
 They anticipate adult role
through role play

12. Religious organization
 Most families identify
themselves with
different religious faiths
therefore , children are
introduced to religion
from an early age.
 Every religious faith
have their beliefs,
values and practices
which they expect their
members to uphold.
 some religious faith
have a dress code for
their members.
 They have moral
codes which guide
people in their
relationship.
 Social responsibility is
taught e.g. love for one
another, care for the
poor and the sick etc

13. Mass media
 Due to rapid technological
development; the world has
become a global village.
 Young people are increasingly
exposed to way of life of other
countries through the mass media
e.g. through newspapers, television
internet, social media applications
and outlets communication gadgets
etc.
 Through entertainment
young people may copy the
way of dressing, walking ,
talking from media
personalities they identify
with.
 The influence of foreign
media has had great effect
in Africa where culture tends
to change sometimes to
some bad negative behavior
or conduct.
 Parents and teachers need to
monitor what young children
are exposed to in order to
avoid negative influences.

14. Education and Socio mobility
 What is socio-
mobility in
Education?
 Social mobility is the
movement of
individuals, families
or households
within or across
social strata in the
society due to
change in social
status.
 Types of Mobility
 vertical mobility,
 horizontal mobility
 ascriptive mobility

15. Debates on the role of Socio
mobility
 Although the role of
education has been taken to
promote social mobility on
the contrary some
sociologists argue against it
as a ‘blocking’ agent
reinforcing the present social
status quo e.g.
in America parents from
rich/wealth families will make
efforts to ensure their
children’s success while
 children from poor and
minority neighborhood will
be less academically
prepared ( Haveman
& Smeeding; 2006)
 As richer children get
better education, they are
likely to move higher levels
of education which in turn
bring them much higher
rewards in the labor
market(Servaas Van Der
BERG, social mobility and
education, 2013)
 On contrary; high income
inequality is due higher
fertility rates in poor
families

16. Cont’d
Society full
of a few
rich but
expensive
& many
poor low
quality
schools
Education
system
tends to
favor those
who attend
the high cost
schools
Power and
privileges are
concentrated at
the top of the
academic level
 Society is divided into a
small class of wealthy
people and a large class of
people who are poor, living
mainly in rural areas.
 formal education rather than
promoting social mobility in
society in general,
perpetuates social
inequalities.
 Instead of education
creating wealth for people
who do not have it; it widens
the gap between those who
possess the wealth and
those who do not have it.

17. Vertical Mobility
 people move from
one socio class to
another; from the
lower to the middle or
middle to upper class
e.g;
 the movement from
peasant society to an
elite society or to a
professional class like
a teacher, a doctor or
an accountant.
 movement by
qualifications e.g.
from gets a B.Ed to
M.ed; to PhD; a
reflection of school
performance.

18. horizontal & downward mobility
 horizontal mobility refers
to the movement within
the same class i.e,
- changing from one
position to another
- changing jobs without
changing occupational
status or social status or
moving between the
same social groups
-no upward or downward
movement in the social
status e.g. from teacher-
class tutor
 downward mobility is
where individuals move
from a higher to a lower
class or social
immobility e.g;
movement from a head
teacher to a class
teacher although it is
always resisted by those
individuals affected.

19. ascriptive mobility
 Mobility by ascription is
one that is occupied by an
individual by right of birth.
 being born a member of
the royal family in the
traditional society or some
gender ascription where
for instance boys are given
priority in the family.
 Initially in the traditional
settings, boys stood better
chances to attend schools
than girls(girls schools
were introduced 40 years
after boys schools).
 However today, there is an
increasing gender
sensitization spearheaded by
government which advocates
for equal rights among boys
and girls in a family.

20. Education & Social Change.
 Social change refers to
change in structural
components such as,
status, roles and
membership patterns
within society.
 Social change targets
to improve status and
roles of the society.
 the rate at which social
change occurs vary
from society to society.
 Education as a tool of
social change does not
function in a vacuum, it
interacts with other
factors such as political
or economical and
other factors to effect
change.
 Schools exist not
merely to reflect and
mediate the cultural
inheritance of a society;
they exist to assist in
the promotion of social
change and reform.

21. Cont’d
 Education should make
people able to live
within the changing
society. And as such,
teaching methods
cannot remain rigid,
absolute and static.
 When teaching is
dynamic that’s when
education makes
society respond to the
changing environment
by its the curriculum
 It encourages rightful
innovation and helps to
direct change when
other factors like
Political and Economic
are favorable.
 Education does not just
go a long with change
but helps to evaluate
change.

22. Conclusion
 education must be sensitive to the social
changes happening in our environment such
that learners do not inherit culture but a unique
content of contemporary culture for the
foreseeable future through the curricula.

23. Readings
 Essential Reading
1. Musagrave, P.W.
(1989), Sociology of
Education, New
York : Methuen
1979.
2. Ezew, E. (1989),
Sociology of
Education, London
and Lagos:
Longman.
 Recommended
Reading
3. Morrish, I. (1955),
The Sociology of
Education: An
Introduction, London:
George Allen &
Unwin.

24. Thank you!