1. Sociological Analysis of Education
Theories of Schooling

2. A Sociological Perspective
Sociology is concerned with the structure of society and the roles people play
Psychology vs. Sociology
Schooling vs. Education
Sociologists study the structure of society and the roles people play within it.
Educational psychologists are concerned with what goes on inside the minds of individual learners, while educational sociologists are interested in everything that happens outside of the minds of individual learners, including how learners interact with each other and the characteristics of the settings in which they interact.
Sociologists distinguish between schooling and education. The term education broadly refers to the process of learning over the span of one’s entire life. Education begins at birth and continues in a wide variety of formal and informal settings. Schooling is the learning that takes place in formal institutions whose specific function is the socialization of specific groups within society. Schooling is another name for socialization in schools.

3. Theoretical Frameworks
Theories are ways of organizing and explaining the world in which we live
Informal “tacit” theories vs. formal theories
Educational theories change over time and (cultural) space.
In its simplest terms that theory is a worldview, a way to organize and explain the world we live in. All human beings use theoretical thought every day. The informal explanations we use to guide our daily lives as well as the hunches we have about why things work as they do are “tacit” or lay theories. they derive from our own cultural background, academic training, life experiences, and individual personality traits.
Theories are interrelated sets of assumptions, concepts, and propositions that explain observed processes or that account for causes the relationships between phenomena.
Theories evolve over time because they’re affected by historical and cultural developments. Theories change because we need more workable or accurate explanations for what we believe to be true. For example, science was guided for centuries by religious and philosophical theories that the sun revolves around the earth, and so all scientific inquiry was organized to support that belief. In time, however, as data amassed demonstrating that the earth revolved around the sun, support grew for a heliocentric view of our planetary system.
Social and cultural beliefs have influenced theories about education. Throughout history people have observed that individuals who have higher levels of education tend to have higher social status, and a number of theories and been developed to explain this observation. At first people believed simply that the wealthy were smarter than capable of more education. Then, belief in the value of education led them to believe that schooling would improve the human condition and help eliminate poverty, disease, and antisocial or immoral behavior. Schools, then, could make people better if not actually wealthier. This belief justified the institution of schools for the poor, compensatory education programs, and a variety of social service practices. Later developments in social theory have changed our beliefs about the role and purpose of education. Now some theorists believe that educational experiences, rather than leading to elimination of poverty and social differences, actually reinforce differences.

4. The Explanatory Function of Theory
What theories would you use to explain the following questions?
Why are some students more successful in school than others?
Why is teaching frequently not respected as a profession?
Why is the public dissatisfied with school in general, but satisfied with their own children’s education?

5. Theories of Schooling Functionalism
Functionalism is a theory of social transmission
Functionalists draw on Evolution in the natural sciences
Living organisms (societies) fulfill basic functions to survive
They develop specialized structures to carry out those functions
The overall health of the organism (society) depends upon the health of each structure
Functionalism has been the prevailing sociological theory throughout the 20th century. Drawing on evolutionary theory in the natural sciences, functionalists argue that society operates much like the human body. Like all living organisms, all societies possess basic functions which they must carry out to survive. like living organisms, they evolve structures to carry out the functions.
For example, the human body is composed of many interdependent organs, each of which carries out a vital function. Every organ must be healthy and must work together to maintain the health of the entire body. If any organ malfunctions, the entire body may die. Similarly, societies, in order to survive, develop specialized structures to carry out vital functions.

6. Theories of Schooling Functionalism Social structures (institutions)
Family
Government
Religion
Economic system
Education
Functions or purposes
Reproduction (recruit or produce new members)
Distribute goods and services
Allocate power
Transmit rules, customs, appropriate behaviors
reproduce themselves, recruit or produce new members, distribute his services, and allocate power.

7. Theories of Schooling Functionalism
Social Transmission is probably the most important function of social institutions.
Family
Religion
Schools
Functionalists claim that if one socializing institution is not fulfilling its function, another will take over that role to retain equilibrium
reproduce themselves, recruit or produce new members, distribute his services, and allocate power.

8. Functionalism & Purposes of Schooling
Intellectual Purposes
Acquisition of cognitive skills
Acquisition of knowledge
Acquisition of inquiry skills
Political Purposes
Educate future citizens
Promote patriotism
Promote assimilation of immigrants
Insure order, public civility and conformity to laws

9. Functionalism & Purposes of Schooling
Economic Purposes
Prepare students for later work roles
Select and train the labor force needed by society
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

10. Conflict Theory A response to Functionalism Too static
Doesn’t account for struggles/clashes among various social groups
Accepts inequalities (social/economic/political) as “normal”

11. Conflict Theory
Like Functionalism, conflict theories are theories of social transmission
Reproduction Theory
Rather than promoting democracy, social mobility and equality, schools reproduce the ideology of the dominant groups in society

12. Types of Reproduction Economic reproduction (Neo-Marxist)
Institutional “superstructures” reproduce the underlying means of production.
Schools are structured like factories and are organized like bureaucracies
Through tracking and testing, students are sorted into class/gender/ based work roles

13. How Does Reproduction Happen?
Structurally
Differentiation is the organizing principle of schools
Space
Time
Roles
Tasks
Rewards

14. How Does Reproduction Happen?
Control of knowledge
Explicit Curriculum- some knowledge is “legitimate” some is not.
“Hidden” Curriculum- “appropriate” values, beliefs and behaviors.

15. Life in Schools

16. Theories of Transmission & Transformation
Transmission Theory (Functionalism)
Transmission Theory
(Reproduction)
Transformation
Theory (Critical Pedagogy)
Each social system, through its structures and institutions, must carry out certain functions to survive
Economics and culture determine the organization of the rest of society
Meaning is constructed through social interaction. Power tends to define social institutions
Equilibrium is normal; disorder/conflict is pathological
Conflict and change are normal/contribute to a system’s health
Actions are dictated by role expectations & personal qualities
Macro Level
Both Macro & Micro
Goal is to understand roles and reach consensus
Goal is to unmask sources of oppression
Goal is emancipation & empowerment

17. How would each theory explain our questions?
Why are some students more successful in school than others?
Why is teaching frequently not respected as a profession?
Why is the public dissatisfied with school in general, but satisfied with their own children’s education?