Sociological Bases of Education

UNIT – IV SOCIOLOGICAL BASES OF EDUCATION
Dr.M.Deivam
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University)
Gandhigram, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu – 624 302

Contents
Sociology: Meaning, Definition, Characteristics.
Educational Sociology: Concept, Definition,
Importance and Scope. Agencies of Education –
Education for socialization - Social change - Social
mobility - Social stratification. School as a social sub
system. Community schools and colleges -
Education for social justice, democracy and
citizenship.

Meaning of Sociology
• French mathematician and philosopher
Auguste Comte (1798-1857) who coined the
word sociology defined it as “the science of
social phenomena”. Comte observed that
social phenomena were very complex.

Cont.,
• Comte was followed by an English Philosopher
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) who wrote his book “
Principles of Sociology” in 1876. Spencer believed
that the human individual was like the “Cell” and
the society was like an “Organism” composed of
different cells.

Cont.,
• Auguste Comte, he considered as the Father of
Science of Sociology.
• It studies the causes and consequences of changes
in institutions and social organization.
• Sociology is the Scientific Study of human
Society
• Sociology studies the behaviour of human beings in
society. It may, however, be rightly pointed out that other
social sciences, such as Political Science, Economics,
History, etc., do the same.

Origin of Sociology
• Sociology find its origin from Latin word
“Societus” which means “Society”
• Logos- Greek which means study or Science
• Study of Society / Science of Society

Definitions of Sociology
• Morris Ginsberg – Sociology as “ the study of
human interaction and interrelations, their
conditions and consequences”.
• Augusts Comte – Science of Society

Cont.,
• Harry M. Johnson – Sociology is the branch of social
science which deals with the study of social groups.
• Ogburn – Study of social life of man and his relation

Branches of Sociology
• Criminal Sociology
• Educational Sociology
• Industrial Sociology
• Health Sociology
• Occupational Sociology
• Rural Sociology
• Social Stratification
Sociology
• Urban Sociology

Nature and Characteristics
• Sociology is an independent science
• It has its own filed of study, boundary and
method. It is not treated and studied as a
branch of any other sciences. Hence, it is an
independent science.

Cont.,
• Sociology is a Social Science and not a
physical Science
• It deals with human relationship, social
behaviour, social activities etc.,

Cont.,
• It is a Categorical Science
• Sociology is not concern to study the moral or
immoral, right or wrong, good and evil
problems. It studies the general phenomena
of social life for this it is a categorical science
separate from the judgment of any type of
value.

Cont.,
• Pure Science
• Sociology has its theoretical knowledge which is
indispensible for sociologists, scientists and social
worker as well as for anthropologists. Its study does
not interest in any law making or public policies and
their implementation but study examine only the
social aspect of society that what is happening in
the social situation. This study is important for
scientists.

Cont.,
• Sociology is Generalizing not Particular
• There is no specification or limitation in the
study of social system. It tries to find general
law and principles about human interaction
and association.

Cont.,
• It is relatively an abstract science and
not a concrete one
• It is not interested in concrete events. It is more
concerned with the form of human events and their
patterns.

Cont.,
• It is a generalizing and not a particularizing or
individualizing science
• It tries to arrive at generalization on the basis
of its indepth study of some selected events
like human interaction, association; about the
nature, content and structure and structure of
human groups

Importance of Sociology
• Social problems become complex and
complicated. In order to solve these, one
should compulsorily study and understand the
subject of sociology.
• The study of sociology will provide Social
Engineers.

Cont.,
• It helps us to understand society
• It helps us to understand our culture and enriching
culture
• It helps us to restructure the society
• It helps us to understand health care
• It helps us to understand scientific way of
society

Meaning and Concept of Educational
Sociology
• E.George Payne (USA) often called the “Father
of Educational Sociology”.
• Educational Sociology is the science which
describes and explains institutions, groups and
social processes in relation to the educational
system.

Cont.,
• Educational Sociology is the applied side of
sociology which is the study of social
relationships. Social relationships are of
various types and Educational Sociology
covers educational relationship.

Definitions of Educational Sociology
• Ottoway – Educational Sociology start with
assumption that education is an activity which
goes on in a society, and its aims and methods
depend on the nature of the society, in which
take place.

Cont.,
• Dan.W.Dodson – Educational Sociology is
particularly interested in findings out how to
manipulate the educational process to achieve
better personality development.
• Good – Educational Sociology is the scientific
study of how people live in social groups.

Cont.,
• Brown – Educational Sociology is the study of
interaction of the individual and his cultural
environment including other individuals, social
groups and patterns of behaviour.

Aims of studying Educational
Sociology
• Development of social attitudes, feelings and
qualities
• Development of a socially efficient individual
• Improvement in vocational efficiency

Cont.,
• To construct curriculum according to fulfill the
societal needs.
• To acquire knowledge about school work and
the work of teachers in relation to society and
social progress.

Importance issues of study in Educational
Sociology
• Interrelation of education and sociology
• Education as an instrument of social progress.
• Place of school in society
• Place of teacher in society

Cont.,
• Mutual relations of students and teachers
• School and the community
• School and its relations with social institutions
• Promotion of social feeling in the students

Cont.,
• Curriculum and needs of the society
• Equalisation of educational opportunities
• Role of the mass media in education and
social progress
• Use of group and co-operative methods of
teaching

Scope of Educational Sociology
• It includes the relation of education to various
social forces, particularly culture.
• It includes how culture is handed over to
coming generations through agencies like the
school, the home, the religious organizations,
the play-groups etc.

Cont.,
• It includes how socialisation, especially of the
child takes place as a result of social
interaction.
• It includes the role of these agencies in the
educational process: the school, the press, the
radio, the T.V and the cinema.

Cont.,
• It includes education as a mean of social change
and social control.
• It deals with the impact of sociological thinking on
the meaning, aims, functions of education, the
curricular including co-curricular activities, social
organization and methodology of teaching.

Educational Sociology
Sociology of Education
• According to Prof. William Taylor of the
Faculty of Education, University of Bristol,
Educational Sociology is usually an activity of
educators and sociology of education is an
activity of sociologists.

Sociology and Educational Sociology
• Educational Sociology is a branch of Sociology.
While sociology is the study of ‘human
relationship’. Educational Sociology is
concerned with human relations in
educational setting.

MEANING OF EDUCATIONAL AGENCY
• An agency of education is a specialized
institution or organization that directly or
indirectly exercises an educational influence
on the child.
The family/ home, school, community, and the
media are called the agencies of education,
which directly or indirectly influence for shaping
personality of the child.

Definition
• According to Bhatia (1994), ‘Society has
developed a number of specialized
institutions to carry out the functions of
education. These institutions are known as
Agencies of Education’. Among the agencies,
some may be the formal agencies of
education whereas others informal agencies.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES
It exercises some educational influence on
individual.
It is directly or indirectly concern with the
education of youngsters.
It include both formal as well as informal social
institutions.
It concerned with the transmission of cultural and
social heritage of the society.
It include both specialized as well as non-
specialized institutions.

1. THE FAMILY
• The family is the oldest, basic and fundamental
unit of human society . It is regarded as the
primary agent of education . The basic purpose
of the family is to provide a loving safe
environment for children.
• Home, therefore, plays a very important role in
laying the foundation of the child’s personality in
terms of physical, emotional, social, moral and
cognitive aspects.

Educational functions of the family
1. It provide early physical training
2. It teaches the child about the culture, tradition, and
customs of the society
3. It acculturates the child
4. It helps in character formation
5. It supports mental development
6. It imparts spiritual and moral education
7. It prepares ground for future learning
8. It identifies the interest and motivation of the child and
accordingly provides opportunities to them
9. developing a balanced personality in all aspects of human
living.

SCHOOL
• School in the modern time is indispensible and has
become an important formal agency of education.
• The word ‘School’ has been derived from the Greek
word ‘Skhole’ that means leisure.
• In Ancient times, India had the Gurukula system of
• education where students were accepted as
Shishayas and stayed with the guru in ashrams/
gurukuls.
• The guru understand the psychology of the child
and impart entire knowledge available including
moral education, language, religious books,
Philosophy, Mathematics, metaphysics etc.

Cont.,
• The School is an agency of education and also as a
miniature of the society.
• Socialization and acculturation are also important
functions of the School.
• It works for socializing the young generation.
• Students not only learn from the academic curriculum
prepared by teachers and School administrators, they
• also learn social rules and expectations from
interactions with others.

Educational Functions of School
• Transmitting Traditional Culture
• Teaching Basic Skills and Vocational Education
• The School is expected to imbibe values in the
children. In school curriculum, moral science is
taught as a subject. The stories of national heroes
are also
• part of the curriculum.
• Life Skills Education: self-awareness, effective
communication, creative thinking, critical thinking,
• problem solving ability, coping with stress, coping
with emotions etc.

Cont.,
• Increased Functional Literacy: 3R (Reading, Writing
and Arithmetic)
• Sex and Family Education: the school to provide sex
and family education as part of curriculum
• Learning to live together: The School actually
allows children to mingle and interact

2. THE PEER GROUP
• A peer group is a group of individuals having more
or less same age and status . It is a group of friends
that a certain person will try to impress to get their
bond, social status, and interest.

Educational role of the peer group
1. It socializes the individual
2. It helps to develop balanced personality
3. It facilitate mental development
4. It favours physical development
5. It inculcate social values
6. It develops leadership qualities
7. It foster talents and creative abilities
8. It acculturates

3.THE COMMUNITY
• The term community refers to a group of people
living together in an area having common ways of
working and common ideals to achieve.
• Community is an informal and active agency of
education which casts lasting influence on the
educational development of the individual.

Educational role of community
1. Provide educational facilities to children through
institutions.
2. Formulate aims and objectives of education.
3. Socializes the child.
4. Helps for cultural development.
5. It encourages the vocational development of the
learner.
6. They encourages and co-ordinates the educational
efforts of various parallel agencies .

4. THE MASS MEDIA
• The media used for the masses to
communicate something are called as mass
media .
• They are sources of and news such as
newspapers, magazines, radio, television,
cinema, and internet that reach and influence
large number of people.

Educational functions of mass media
1. Television can serve a powerful medium for
imparting education through educational
broadcasting.
2. The world wide web make interaction between
the teacher and the taught sitting in remote
places.
3. Helps in intellectual, social, emotional, and
aesthetic development.
4. Helps children to enrich their imagination, ignites
their creativity, encourage them to think
divergently .

5. Helps to transmitting cultural values from one
generation to another.
6. Helps to develop social and political values like
feeling of brotherhood, oneness, cooperation,
democratic values etc.
7. Newspapers plays their educational function by
providing up-to-date information about many
areas and also by intimating information about the
opportunities of education

Introduction
• Man is not only social but also cultural.
• It is the culture that provides opportunities for
man to develop the personality.
• Development of personality is not automatic
process.
• Every society prescribes its own ways and means
of giving social training to its new born members
so that they may develop their own personality.
• This social training is called ‘Socialisation’.

Cont.,
• The process of socialisation is conditioned by culture.
• Since every society has its own culture the ways of
the process of socialisation also differ from society
to society.
• Further, the same culture and the same ways of
socialisation may have diverse effects on the
development of the personality of the members of
the same society.
• Socialization is a process of moulding a human
infant to a member of society to which he/she
belongs.

Meaning of Socialization
• The process of learning to internalize the
values and norms, food habits, dressing style
into its self or the mode of learning to live in
society is called the process of socialization.
• Socialization is basically the learning of
socially desired values, norms and roles by
the members of a particular group or society.

Definitions of Socialization
W.H. Ogburn says “Socialization is a process by which
the individual learns to conform to the norms of
the group”.
Bogardus define “Socialization as the process of
working together, of developing group
responsibility, of being guided by welfare needs of
others”.
Green says “Socialization is the process which the
child acquires a cultural content, along with
selfhood and personality”.
Peter Worsley explains socialization as the process of
“transmission of culture, the process whereby men
learn the rules and practices of social groups”.

Characteristics
i) It is a life long process.
ii) It helps in the inculcation of principles, values
and symbols of a social system.
iii) It enables a person to enact certain roles.
iv) The roles that one enacts are in accordance with
what he has learnt from the process.
v) The roles a person enacts are the expressions of
his social nature.

Cont.,
vi. The development of the social nature enables
the person to participate in social life.
vii. The nature of what one communicates in
society is determined by the influence of one's
interaction with the society.
viii. Most human behaviour is learned, not
instinctive. The capacity of the child to learn
and to internalize is called the plasticity of
human nature.

Importance of Socialization
• Socialisation converts man, the biological
being into the social being.
•Socialisation contributes to the
development of personality.
• Helps to become disciplined.
• Helps to enact different roles.
• Provides the knowledge of skills.

Cont.,
• Helps to develop right aspiration in life.
• Contributes to the stability of the social
order.
• Helps to reduce social distance.
• Provides scope for building the bright
future.
• Helps the transmission of culture.

Stages of
Socialization
The oral
stage
The anal
stage
The oedipal
stage
Adolescence

• At the first stage the infant builds up fairly
definite expectations about feeding time, and he
learns to signal his pressing needs for care.
During this stage, the infant is not involved in the
family as a whole. He is involved only in the
subsystem consisting of himself and his mother.
• The anal stage of socialization covers the period
between first and third year of child's life. Toilet
training is the main focus of this stage. During
this stage the child internalizes two roles- his her
own and that of his her mother, now clearly
separate. The child receives love and care and
gives love in return.

The third stage extends from about the fourth
year to puberty. During this stage the child
becomes a member of the family as a whole.
The child identifies itself with the social role
ascribed to him/her on the basis of his/her sex.
The fourth stage begins roughly at puberty. At
this stage young boy or girl wants to be freed
from the control of parents. The 'crisis' of this
period is precisely the strain produced by much
greater demands for independence. By the time
the individual attains maturity major part of
socialization is over, though it continues for
whole of the life.

Types of Socialization
• All types of socialization may be classified into two
broad groups, viz. primary socialization and
secondary socialization.
• This division is based on the primary and secondary
needs of individuals. The basic physical needs such
as thirst, hunger etc. are called primary needs while
secondary needs are those which emerge to meet
primary needs e.g. the need for learning skills to
earn livelihood.
• Family satisfies the basic needs of human beings,
therefore, it is called primary institution where as a
school is a secondary social institution because it
meets the derived needs of the children.
•

Cont.,
• The parents are primary socializing agents of the child
whereas the school teachers are the secondary
socializing agents.
• Inculcation of norms and values within the family is
called primary socialization while the process of
imbibing norms, values and behavioural patterns of
school may be called secondary socialization.
• Primary socialization takes place in infancy and
childhood. This is the most crucial stage of socialization
as the child learns basic behaviour pattern at this stage.
Generally secondary socialization starts from the later
stage of childhood and goes up to maturity. However
the process of socialization never stops in life.

Education and Socialization
• Education is a social process, which prepares
individuals to lead a meaningful and dignified life.
• Together with other social forces it plays an important
role in shaping the structure of society.
• Through education society imparts its knowledge,
skill, values and behavioural patterns to its younger
generations. Thereby ensuring self preservation and
continuity.
• In this sense education is a process of socialization. At
the same time changes in society mould the education
system itself and it acquires complexity.
• Education in this sense is a process, which prepares the
members of the society to adapt to the constantly
changing conditions of a society

Education and Socialization
a) Education is a social process, and
b) Education is a process of socialization.

Education is a social process
i) Education occurs in a society and therefore
influenced by the society in which it takes
place.
ii) The social milieu itself educates.
iii) School is one of the important social
institutions that educate. Its role is
influenced by that of others.
iv) Education has a social role and is involved in
moulding the future society.

Education is a Process of Socialization
i) Education takes place through social
interaction.
ii) It is much more than mere instruction.
iii) People receive a certain degree of education
even if they never enter a school.
iv) Formal education is socialization with a
deliberate purpose and in a desired
direction.

Agencies of Socialization
• Family
• School
• Peer group
• Mass media

Meaning of Social Change
• Social change implies change in the social
structure and functions of the various units
which from society.
• Social structure includes social institutions like
the family, the marriage system, caste
system, educational institutions, customs,
manners, literacy forms, language, dress, and
food habits etc.

Definitions of Social Change
• Kingslay Davis: By social change it is meant only
such alterations as occur in social organization,
that is, structure and functions of society.
• Gillin and Gillin: Social changes are variations
from the accepted modes of life; whether due
to alteration in geographical conditions, in
cultural equipment or composition of the
population, etc.
• Jenson. “Social change may be defined as
modification in the ways of doing and thinking
of people.”

Nature and Characteristics of social change
• Social change may be sudden, slow or rapid.
• All aspects or elements of the social structure
may not change
• Each aspect of social change may not change
with same intensity.
• Social change may mean discarding some old
things or elements.

Cont.,
• Social change may mean additions of new
things or elements
• Social change may be brought through non-
violent or violent.
• Social change may be for the good for the
society or otherwise.

Features of social change
1. Universality. Change is universal law, an eternal
law and invariable law of nature. Social changes
are necessary and inevitable. Social changes
take place in all societies of the world,
therefore, social change is universal in
character.
2. Continuity. Social change is continuous
process. It does not take place at one point of
time only. It takes place all the time at all the
places. However, we can predict some direction
of change.

Cont.,
3. Variation. Social change is relative in time, and
according to a specific period of time, its rate
may be high or low. The rate and quantum of
change varies from one society to another
depending upon the prevailing conditions.
4. Criteria of larger population. Only those
changes are considered as social change that
affects larger population. Social change is
accepted as such only when the majority of
individuals in a society accepts it in their life,
behavior and beliefs.

Cont.,
5. Independence. Social change is independent
of the desire and will of the people of society.
6. Forces. Social change is caused due to internal
and external factors (forces).
7. Planned as well as unplanned. There was a
time when changes were unplanned and
undirected. But in the modern time changes
can be planned to achieve the goals of the
society.
8. Structural or functional. Any change in the
social structure or its function is social change.

Causes of Social Change
• Climate and weather causes of social change
• Demographic causes of social change
• Economic causes of social change
• Educational causes of social change
• Industrialisation causes of social change
• Legislation as a cause of social change
• Natural causes of social change

Cont.,
• Philosophical causes of social change
• Political causes of social change
• Religious causes of social change
• Urbanisation causes of social change
• Westernisation causes of social change
• Scientific and Technological causes of social
change.

Effects of Social Change
• Climatic factors led to the disappearance of
the Indus Valley. The entire civilisation
collapsed and new civilisation came up.
• Lack of occupational opportunities in the
villages led to migration of people to town.
Several slums in the towns changed the life
style of the people.
• Natural factors like earth quakes, droughts
and floods etc. may people render homeless
and force the people to change their life
style.

Limitations
• Social change is complex in nature.
• Social change brings social isolation in certain
cases.
• Social change brings uncertainties.
• Social change in certain situations brings
conflict with it.
• Sometimes, it may lead to social disintegration,
and
• It is difficult to predict the outcome of social
change

ROLE OF EDUCATION IN SOCIAL CHANGE
1. Assistance in changing attitudes. Education helps to
change the attitudes of people in favor of modern ways
of life and develops attitudes, which can fight prejudice,
superstitions and traditional beliefs.
2. Assistance in creating desire for change. Education
creates a desire for change in a society, which is pre-
requisite for any kind of change to come.
3. Assistance in adopting social change. Whenever some
social change occurs, it is easily adopted by some people
while others find it difficult to adjust themselves to this
change. It is the function of education to assist people in
adopting good changes.

4. Overcoming resistance to change. Certain
factors create resistance in the way of accepting
social change. Education helps in overcoming
resistance. The importance of social change is
convincingly explained to the people through
the process of education. Education helps
people in removing blind faith and prejudice
and accepting something new.
5. Analysis in change. Education invests the
individuals with the capacity to use his
intelligence, to distinguish between the right
and wrong and to establish certain ideals.

6. Emergence of new changes. Education initiates,
guides and controls movements for social
reform. The flood of social reform movements
that was witnessed at the turn of the century was
due to modern education.
7. Leadership in social change. Education in India
must be able to create appropriate leadership at
every level if social changes conducive to
democracy are to be introduced. Able leaders
can be produced only through education.
8. National integration. Education can prove very
useful in bringing about national integration,
which is the basis for unity among people, social
change and ultimately the basis for strong and
united country.

9. National development. Education is the fundamental
basis of national development. National development
is the all-round development of the different facets of
the nation, i.e., economic, political, scientific, and
social as well as of the individuals. Therefore,
education is the powerful instrument of economic,
political, cultural, scientific and social change.
10. Economic prosperity. Education is the most
important factor in achieving rapid economic
development and technological progress and in
creating a social order founded on the value of
freedom, social justice and equal opportunity. It
develops physical and human resources for all sectors
of economy and ultimately brings a desired change in
the society.

Origin of Social Mobility
• Russian-born American sociologist and political
activist Pitirim Sorokin first introduced the
concept of social mobility in his book “Social and
Cultural Mobility.” He states that there is no
society that is completely open (such as the class
system) and no society that is completely closed
(like the caste system in India).

SOCIAL MOBILITY
Individuals are normally recognized in society through
statuses they occupied and roles they enact.
Not only society is dynamic but also the individuals are
dynamic. Social mobility mean move from lower position
to the higher position, secure previous job from an
inferior one.
„Thus people in society continue to move up and down
the status scale, this movement is called social mobility‟.
The study of social mobility is an important aspect of
social stratification.

Definition:
Wallace and Wallace:
“Social mobility refers to the movement of a person or person‟s
from one social status to another”.
W.P Scott:
“Social mobility refers to the movement of an individual or
group from one social position, class or social stratum to
another”.
Sociology Dictionary:
Thus it is clear that social mobility mean movement of an
individual or group form one social position or status to
another.
e.g. Poor people may become rich, the bank peon may become
bank officers, farmers may become ministers, and a petty
businessman may become a bankrupt and so on.
Lipset and Bendix define the term 'social mobility' as the process by
which individuals move from one position to another in the
society. Thus social mobility signifies the .movement or shifting of
individuals or groups in the ranking structure of the society.

Individual & Group Mobility:
Mobility can take place at the individuals as well as
group level. It may take place at the level of
individuals, groups, societies.
Individual Mobility:
When individuals get into seats of political position.
They are said to have achieved individual mobility.
Group Mobility:
Like individuals even groups also attain high social
mobility. The Jews as a community in America and
Parsis as a group in India. e.g. have been able to attain
a relatively high position in their respective societies.

Types of
Social
Mobility
Horizontal
Social
Mobility
Vertical Social
Mobility

Types of social mobility:
Sorokin has distinguished between two types of social mobility mainly
i. vertical social mobility. ii. Horizontal social mobility.
This typology is normally followed by the other sociologist also.
Vertical social mobility:
Vertical social mobility refers to the movement of an individual or people
or groups from one status to another. it involves change in class,
occupations or power positions. e.g. movement from poor class to
middle class. From occupation laborer to the bank clerk.

Horizontal social mobility:
Horizontal mobility is change in position without the
change in status. It indicates a change in position
with in the range of the same position or status.
“It is movement from one status to its equivalent”.
e.g. a college graduate within a degree of chemistry
working in Govt. research chemical institute and after
a year he find that the work seems dull repetitive, with
no improvement in sight then he become a professor
in chemistry at a nearby university
e.g. An engineer working in factory may resign job and
join another factory as an engineer and may work in
more or less the same capacity or join an engineering
college and start working as professor.

.
Forms of
Vertical Mobility
Upward
Mobility
Downward
Mobility
Inter-
generational
Mobility
Intra-
generational
Mobility

Upward Mobility:
This type of mobility denotes social ascendance.
It denotes the said movement from a lower
social position or status to a higher social
position or status. It reflects social
improvements. e.g. a retail businessman who
earns lot of profit may become a whole sale
businessman.
In the same manner the son of a mason through
educational attainments may become a university
professor. Both are two examples of upward
mobility indicates an improvement or ascendance
in the status of the concerned persons.

Downward Mobility:
This type of mobility denotes “social
descendance” or “social failure” on the part
of individual or group. Sometimes
individuals who fail to maintain their
social, political or economic positions, and
lose their statuses.
Often they stand to lose their position e.g.
big businessmen who have invested huge
money in business but face heavy loss.
People in high officers might be denoted
due to their corrupt practices and so on.

Inter-generational Mobility:
It refers to a change in the status of family members
from one generation to the next. e.g. a plumber‟s son
become the Nazim of their community. Bus
conductor‟s son becomes the chief minister of a
status.
Intra-generational Mobility:
A change in social status which occurs within a
person‟s adult career “Wallace & Wallace” e.g. a
lecturer in a pre-university college becoming a
professor at the university after his doctoral degree.
A person working as a supervisor in a factory
becoming its Assistant Manager after getting
promotion.

Features
1. It is a social and economic categorization of
individuals within a societal framework.
2. It is based on Caste, Class, and Status & Power of
a Community or Section of People within the
framework of a society.
3. Social Stratification exists because of natural
differences in peoples abilities.

Cont.,
4. Due to Social Stratification societies tend to
be stable and are held together through
consensus.
5. It lessens conflicts & provides structure.
6. Social Stratification is a natural & voluntary
separation according to race, social &
economic status.

Causes of Social Stratification:
Inequality – Inequality exists because of natural differences
in people’s abilities.
Conflict – Stratification occurs due to conflict between
different classes, with the upper classes using superior power to take
a larger share of the social resources.
Power – Power influences one’s definition of self and the
importance of ideas in defining social situations.
Wealth – Difference in the wealth is also one of the causes of
social stratification.
Instability – Instability in the society being the cause of
social stratification enhances stability and induces members of the
society to work hard.

Caste System
1 •oc
2 •OBC
3 • sc
4 •ST

Economic System
Rich
Middle
Poor

STRATIFICATION AND EQUALITY EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITY
1. Primary Education: Primary education should seek
to satisfy the basic needs of all people. There should
not be any differentiation of curricula at this stage.
Equality of educational opportunities at the primary
stage requires provision of free and compulsory
education for all children without any
discrimination.
2. Secondary Education: Individual differences among
boys and girls are more prominent at the secondary
stage diversified curricula should be introduced to
cater to the needs, interests and capabilities of
students

Cont.,
3. Higher Professional Education: At the stage of
higher education and professional education
emphasis should be placed on individual capacity
or merit and maintenance of quality and
standard.
4. Compensatory Education: Disadvantaged
children have an unstimulating environment.
They attend primary schools without prerequisite
learning which are necessary for successful
completion of primary education.

Common School System:
Equalization of educational opportunity necessitates adoption
of a common school system-both at the primary and secondary
stages. It will be a system-
1. Which will be open to all children without any
discrimination?
2. Where admission will be based on talent.
3. Which will maintain adequate facilities and
reasonably good
standards?
4. Where no tuition fee will be charged.
5. Which will meet the needs and aspirations of the
middle and lower classes.

Concept of a System
• Let us try to understand what is meant by a
system. For this, let us take the example of a
scooter. As you know, the scooter has different
parts, viz. brake, steering, gear, battery, etc.
• All these parts have their own specific functions
and unless all function properly the scooter
cannot function.
• These different parts of the scooter viz. brake,
steering etc. are all its components. If any part
does not function, the other parts are also
affected and the scooter cannot function.

Cont.,
• This means that the components are inter-
related and inter-dependent, functioning
towards the scooters effective operation.
• With these characteristics, the scooter becomes
a system. So, a system has a number of
components functioning together in an
interrelated and inter-dependent manner
towards the attainment of certain functions of
the system as a whole.

Society as a System
• Man lives in a more or less organised cluster of people
which is called society.
• Applying the concept of system as described in the
earlier section, society can be considered a system,
with a set of goals to achieve, different components
(sections) with distinct functions, working towards
these common goals of the society.

Cont.,
• For example, a society has a certain set of
components working towards the goal of
managing funds for the welfare of the people,
another set for taking care of the health of the
people, another set for education of the people
and another for employment of the people, and
so on and so forth. Unless all these different
sections of the society work in a coordinated
fashion effectively, the goal of the society i.e.
successful perpetuation of the society cannot be
achieved.

Cont.,
• Hence successful functioning of each section is
determinant for maintaining and continuing
any society. Thus one can say, that different
components of a society like economic
system, political system, transport and
communication system, education system etc.
work in inter-related and inter-dependent
manner towards achieving the goals of the
societal system.

School as a Social Sub System
• In a societal system, education as a sub-system
fulfills part of the functions of the society viz.
getting the young ones ready for the adult roles
that they have to play, thus maintaining society
over time.
• Education works in close interrelationship with
other sub-systems, say family, economy or state.
• For example, policies of the state influence the
functioning of the system of education in any
country.

Cont.,
• Funds provided by the system of economy
largely decide the structure and functioning of
the system of education. Similarly, the family
background of the students of a school
influences the education system.
• It is the educational system that provides the
necessary human resources for the other sub-
systems. Thus we can say that education is a
sub-system of society and that it works in close
inter-relation with other subsystems of society

Cont.,
• Educational institutions impart knowledge of a
variety of types and train people in various
skills so that they can fill the manifold adult
roles in society, that these institutions are
endowed with the responsibility of creating
and expanding knowledge, and also that
education contributes towards socialization.
• Society as a larger system, education is a sub-
system of society.

Cont.,
• The nature of the relationship between
education and other social institutions is
reciprocal. Education affects other social
institutions and other social institutions also
affect education.

Relationship between School and Society
• School is a special institution, created to serve
specific social needs. It, therefore, not only gets
aims and objectives from society but its contents
and methods are also determined in accordance
with the activities, carried on in society, for which
the school functions.
• But society is dynamic and changes very
frequently. It is, therefore, essential that the
character and nature of education, imparted in
the school, also change according to the needs
and developments of the society.

Cont.,
• A school is not merely a place of formal learning,
but also a place of social learning. It is a social
unit and an integral part of the total organisation
of society.
• In the words of professor K.G. Saiyidain: “A
people’s school must obviously be based on the
people s needs and problems. Its curriculum
should be an epitome of their life. Its method of
work must approximate to theirs. It should reflect
all that is significant and characteristics in the life
of the community in its natural setting. ”

Cont.,
• It is, therefore, that school education is correlated
with the social environment of children. A good
society is the product of a good school system and a
good school system is the product of a good society. So
there must be intimate relationships between the
school and the society.
• It should, however, be noted that in a big country like
India, every community is inter-related with other
communities and is a part of the large community,
known as nation.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL
• A community school is both a place and a set of
partnerships between the school and other community
resources.
• Its integrated focus on academics, health and social
services, youth and community development and
community engagement leads to improved student
learning, stronger families and healthier communities.
• Community schools offer a personalized curriculum
that emphasizes real-world learning and community
problem-solving. Schools become centers of the
community and are open to everyone – all day, every
day, evenings and weekends.

Cont.,
• Community schools bring together many partners to offer
a range of supports and opportunities to children, youth,
families and communities.
• Partners work to achieve these results: Children are ready
to enter school; students attend school consistently;
students are actively involved in learning and their
community; families are increasingly involved with their
children's education; schools are engaged with families and
communities; students succeed academically; students are
healthy - physically, socially, and emotionally;
• students live and learn in a safe, supportive, and stable
environment, and communities are desirable places to live.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE
• A community college is an institution under
India’s higher education system that aims at
providing job-oriented education to students
from local communities.
• It is a system that provides education above
secondary level and below degree level with
different skill-oriented as well as traditional
courses. The duration of the courses typically
range from six months to two years.

Cont.,
• The college offers admission to these courses at an
affordable cost without compromising the quality of
education imparted. This gives opportunities to
students/ learners to move directly to the employment
sector or higher education level.
• The concept of community college has basically
originated from the USA where such institutions have
been in existence for about 100 years. And from there
gradually, community colleges gained prominence and
were set up in different countries across the globe
including India.

Education for social Justice,
Democracy and Citizenship

DEMOCRACY
• DEMOCRACY is derived from two Greek
words ‘DEMOS’ and ‘KRATIA’ which
means People and Power respectively.
• DEMOCRACY – POWER OF THE PEOPLE
• DEMOCRACY – “ the government of the
People, by the People and for the People.

Democracy and Education
• The democracy is a current concept which has
taken different forms like political democracy,
economic democracy, social democracy and
educational democracy.
• Democracy in education is a recent idea and it
is opposite to the continuation of autocratic
and totalitarian practices in the
administration, discipline and supervision of
methods of teaching prevalent in our
educational institutions.

Main features of democratic education
1. Universal and compulsory education. Democratic
education is available to all so that every member
may participate intelligently in social, economic and
political life of the community.
2. Broad-based education. Democratic education is
broad-based. The more democratized the education
is, the more broad it tends to become.
3. Child-centred education. Democratic education is
child-centred. Education is to be given in accordance
with child’s needs, interests, abilities and aptitudes.
Education revolves around the child.

Cont.,
4. Community centred. Democratic education is also
given in accordance with the needs, interests and
problems of the community.
5. Cultural basis of education. Education in democracy
has a cultural basis, of course materialism gets its
due place, but not the sole emphasis. Life is lived for
the sake of noble and spiritual values, like truth,
beauty and goodness.
6. Decentralization in educational organizations.
Democracy means free exchange of views, which is
only possible when power is decentralized.

Cont.,
7. Education for worthy citizenship. Democratic
education develops worthy citizenship which
involves recognition and fulfillment by an
individual of the obligations towards himself
and his fellowmen.
8. Education for leisure, national integration and
international understanding. Democratic
education if useful and effective. It is not
ornamental. Education for leisure, national
integration and international understanding is
also important.

Cont.,
9. Provision of adult education. In democracy,
attention is being paid not only to child
education but also to adult education.
10. Student’s association. In democratic
education, students take interest in activities of
the school to some extent.

Recognition of individual’s worth.
Due recognition should be given to the
individuality of the child. We should make him
understand that he is an asset in a democratic
society.
• Following steps may be taken:
a. Universal education should be given.
b. Child-centered education should be given.
c. Curriculum should be diversified.

Development of critical and objective
thinking
Following steps may be taken:
• Education in mother tongue.
• Provision for self-expression activities.
• Dividing students in small groups.
• Dynamic and progressive methods of teaching.

Training for human relationship
• For this purpose following steps may be taken:
a. Encourage group living.
b. Residential schools.
c. Provision for social sciences.

Training for character
• Following steps are suggested for building
character of the pupils:
a. Provide ideal.
b. Examples of great heroes.
c. Biographies of great men.
d. Acquaint with ideals of society.
e. Individual attention.

Vocational efficiency
• . School can take following steps in this
connection:
a. Science education should be an integral part
of school education.
b. Work experience should be an integral part of
school education.
c. Secondary education should be
vocationalised and in higher education
emphasis be placed on agricultural and
technical education.

Democratic educational administration
• Democratic principles should be applied to
every aspect of school administration and
organization such as methods of teaching,
organization of pupil’s activities, timetable
construction etc.

Education for Justice
• Education for Justice is a basic legal knowledge,
in which educational activities at all levels seek
to promote understanding of crime prevention,
peace, justice, human rights, and problems that
can undermine the rule of law.
• Education for justice aims at teaching the next
generation about crime prevention, and to better
understand about the rule of law.
• It promotes peace and encourages students to
actively engage in their communities and future
professions.

Importance of Education for Justice
• The importance of education as a tool for
preventing crime and corruption. It
emphasizes that education for children and
youth is fundamental in promoting a culture
that supports the rule of law, crime prevention
and criminal justice.

Education for Social Justice
• The aim of social justice is to remove inequalities
based on sex, race, caste, power, position and
wealth. Ambedkar wanted to bring about social
justice to all Indian citizens. According to him,
social justice was based upon liberty, equality
and fraternity of all human beings. Social justice
brings equal distribution of social, political and
economic resources and rights to all individuals.

Cont.,
• All over the world, society is differentiated by
hierarchies based on social stratification. The social
patterns are distributed unequally within society.
• In the words of Young and Mack, “In most societies
people classify one another into categories and rank,
these categories ranging from higher to lower. The
process of defining such categories is called social
stratification and the resulting set of these ranked
categories is called the stratification structure”
(Mathur, 1992, p. 268).

Cont.,
• The categories themselves are called strata,
popularly known as classes. In India, the gap
between the rich and the poor, the male and the
female, the worker and the employer are the
basic problems. There can be three types of social
characteristics used in stratification system,
considering the entire spectrum of societies.
These are: (1) biologically grounded factors such
as: age, sex, race and kinship; (2) class
characteristics such as: occupation, wealth and
power; (3) any number of idiosyncratic
characteristics such as: talent and personality.

Cont.,
• But sometimes, stratification serves also as a cohesive
social force. Belief system is a unifying force; the
society becomes more cohesive through the
stratification practiced by it. It may, therefore, be
asserted that stratification can mean both divisiveness
and cohesion. There is an unequal distribution of
property, income and basic services in our society. Still,
there are a number of people who do not get two
meals a day. Women still don’t get equal treatment in
some societies/areas. How can the concept of social
justice fit into such a scenario? It is through education
that the problem of stratification can be solved.

Cont.,
• This is a typical situation in the Indian society. On one
hand, efforts are being made to cut the barriers of
stratification along the caste lines on the other hand;
more stratification on class lines is being inculcated
through a class conscious educational system
• When a person serving at a lower job moves to a job
which provides higher position and status s/he has
altered his/her position in the class structure. The
person can be described as socially mobile when s/he
moves from one social group to another social group.

Cont.,
• When an individual member of the society moves
upward in social or economic hierarchy s/he is said to
have undergone vertical mobility. In horizontal social
mobility, the movement of the individual from one
group to the other is at the same level. There is no
change in the status but only in the affiliation.
• In order to bring social justice, education must play its
role. No doubt, government has launched various
policies for providing equal opportunities to all male
and female belonging to any caste, creed or faith.

Cont.,
• There are various ways which can bring
changes. People achieve progress as a result
of improved ideas and thinking. They have to
learn how to adjust in the society. Education
can inculcate desire for progress and
improvement in the people. Moreover, people
have to learn social loyalties also.

Education for citizenship
The Secondary Education Commission suggested
that in order to develop democratic citizenship.
Education should aim at developing following
qualities:
a. Education should aim at developing capacity for
clear thinking and receptivity of ideas.
b. It should develop clearness in speech and
writing for free discussion, persuasion and
peaceful exchange of ideas.

Cont.,
c. Education should make the individual learn to live
with others. This can be developed through
discipline, cooperation, social sensitiveness and
tolerance.
d. Education should foster the development of a
sense of true patriotism.
e. Education should help in the development of sense
of world citizenship.

Sociological Bases of Education

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