4. Intended Learning Outcome
At the end of the Chapter, the
students must be able to
explain three social science
theories and their implications
to education.
5. INTRODUCTION
Sociologist today employ three primary theoritical
perspectives: the functionalist perspective, the
conflict perspective, and the symbolic
interactionist perspective. These perspective offer
sociologists theoritical paradigms for explaining
how society influences people, and how people
influence society. Each perspective uniquely,
conceptualizes society, social forces, and human
behavior.
9. STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
Herbert Spencer, the proponent
of Structural-functional view
society as "a system of
interconnected parts each with a
unique function. The parts have
to work together for stability and
balance of society.
10. STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
Society is compared to the human
body with different but interrelated
parts performing different functions.
Just as the human body has many
parts, society has different but
interrelated components such as the
family, state, the school, the Church,
mass media, economics.
11. STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
These must coordinate and
collaborate for society to function
well. If one part of the human body
does not function well, the whole
body is affected. In the same way,
when one component of society does
not do its part, society will not
function well. The overall health of the
organism (society) depends upon the
health of each structure.
12. STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
In a high-tech world, educational institution
must teach adults the new skills to relate to
the tech-savvy young and the world and to
be more effective in the workplace. With
more women in the workplace, policies
against sexual harassment and
discrimination were formulated. The
Cybercrime Act of 2012 came about to
address legal issues concerning online
interactions and the Internet in the
Philippines.
13. STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
Functionalist theory of education focus
on how education serves the need of
society through the developments of
skills encouraging social cohesion. The
role of schools is to prepare students
for participation in the institutions of
society. Education is concerned with
transmission of core values first social
control.
14. STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
Education is concerned with
socializing people by bringing
together people from different
backgrounds, the functionalist
theory is focus on social stability
and solidarity, functionalists see
education as a beneficial
contribution to an ordered society.
15. Functionalism does not encourage
people to take active role in changing
their social environment, even when
such change may benefit them. Instead,
functionalism sees active social change
as undesirable because the various
parts of society will compensate
naturally, for any problems that may
arise.
STRUCTURAL-
FUNCTIONAL THEORY
17. The purposes of schooling according to the
functionalist are:
1) Intellectual purposes- acquisition of cognitive
skills, inquiry skills.
2) Political purposes educate future citizens;
promote patriotism; promote assimilation of
immigrants; ensure order, public civility, and
conformity to laws.
18. 3) Economic purposes prepare students for
later work role: select and train the labor force
needed by society
4) Social purposes- promote a sense of social
and moral responsibility; serve as a site for
the solution or resolution of social problems;
supplement the efforts of other institutions of
socialization such as the family and the
church.
19. An examination of the present
curricula in basic and in tertiary
education shows that these 4
functions are given attention to.
20. Functionalism is a theory of society
that focuses on the structures that
create the society and on how the
society is able to remain stable.
Functionalists are for stability and a
state of equilibrium in society.
TAKE AWAYS
21. TAKE AWAYS
To maintain this state of stability,
various institution are expected to
do their part.
For the functionalists, change is
necessary only when things get
unstable.
22. SUMMARY
Structural-functional theory is a
sociological perspective that views
society as a complex system made up of
various interconnected parts. It analyzes
the functions and structures of different
social institutions, such as family,
education, and government, and the roles
they play in maintaining social order and
stability.
23. SUMMARY
According to this theory, these
institutions function together to meet
the needs of society and ensure its
cohesion. It emphasizes the importance of
social integration, consensus, and
cooperation in maintaining social
equilibrium. Additionally, it examines
how social structures and patterns
contribute to social stability and
change.
25. CONFLICT THEORY
CONFLICT THEORY
• There are always two opposing sides
in a conflict situation. People take sides
between maintaining the status quo
and introducing change then arrive at
an agreement.
• Conflict theory welcomes conflict for
that is the way to the establishment of
a new society. Conflict theorists find
potential conflict between any groups
where inequality exists: racial, gender,
religious, political economic, and so on.
26. Conflict theorists note that
unequal groups usually have
conflicting values and
agendas, causing them to
compete against one
another. This constant
competition between groups
forms the basis for the ever-
changing nature of society.
27. HOW PROPONENTS OF CONFLICT
THEORY REGARD EDUCATION
HOW PROPONENTS OF CONFLICT
THEORY REGARD EDUCATION
• Education is not truly a social benefit or
opportunity as seen by the functionalists. Rather,
education is a powerful means of maintaining
power structures and creating a docile work
force for capitalism.
• The purpose of education is to maintain social
inequality and to preserve the power of those
who dominate society and teach those in the
working class to accept their position as a lower
class worker of society.
• Conflict theorists call this the hidden
curriculum".
30. • The symbolic interaction
perspective Also called
symbolic interactionism, is a
major framework of
sociological theory. This
perspective relies on the
symbolic meaning that people
develop and rely upon in the
process of social interaction.
DEFINITION
31. • Symbolic interaction theory
analyzes society by addressing
the subjective meanings that
people impose on objects,
events, and behaviors.
Subjective meanings are given
primacy because it is believe
that people behave based on
what they believe and not just
on what is objectively true.
DEFINITION
32. • Symbolic interactionism looks
at individual and group
meaning- making, focusing on
human action instead of large-
scale social structures.
DEFINITION
33. GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
• Pioneered the development of symbolic
interaction perspective
• He is the one who argued that "people's
selves are social products, but that these
selves are also purposive and creative."
34. THE THREE BASIC PREMISES
Herbert Blumer (1969) set out three basic premises of
the perspective:
"Humans act toward things on the basis of the
meanings they ascribe to those things."
"The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises
out of, the social interaction that one has with others
and the society."
35. "These meanings are handled
in, and modified through, an
interpretative process used by
the person in dealir- with the
things he/she encounters."
36. THE FIRST PREMISE:
"Humans act toward things on the basis of the
meanings they ascribe to those things."
• includes everything that a human being may note
in their world, including physical objects, actions
and concepts. Essentially, individuals behave
towards objects and others based on the personal
meanings that the individuals has already given
these items.
37. THE SECOND PREMISE:
"The meaning of such things is derived from, or
arises out of, the social interaction that one has
with others and the society."
• arises out of, the social interaction that one has
with other humans. People interact with each
other by interpreting or defining each other's
actions instead of merely reacting to each other's
actions.
38. THE THIRD PREMISE:
"These meanings are handled in, and modified through,
an interpretative process used by the person in dealing
with the things he/she encounters."
• We naturally talk to ourselves in order to sort out the
meaning of a difficult situation. But first, we need
language. Before we can think, we must be able to
interact symbolically. emphasis on symbols, negotiated
meaning, and social construction of society brought on
attention to the roles people play.
39. KEY POINTS
Symbolic interaction has roots in
phenomenology, emphasizes the which
subjective meaning of reality.
Symbolic interactionists study meaning
and communication; they tend they
tend to use qualitative methods.
Symbolic interactionism has been criticized
for failing to take into account large-scale
macro social structures and forces.
Symbolic interactionism proposes a
social theory of the self, or a looking
glass self.
