Question:
Discuss the functionalism perspective can be selected for further elaborated discussion?
Answer:
Introduction
Sociology is the science of social behavior, which involves the development, origin, organization, institution and networks. While studying social science and sociology, there are a number of different methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis for developing the social knowledge, change and related education. In this context, sociologists have been provided different sociological perspective for gaining knowledge about the subject. Within these perspectives, the functionalist approach, the conflict theory, and the symbolic interaction are important sociological perspectives (Basirico, Cashion & Eshleman, 2012).
In this essay, the major focus would be the understanding of these three sociological perspectives and the education system related to these perspectives. The essay would be conducted by gaining information from five recent articles related to these three sociological perspectives and the analysis of these perspectives. The essay would help to understand the basis of sociology and social science, thereby helping to gain capability of critical analysis regarding this subject.
Discussion
A number of sociologists have supported the functionalist perspective. According to this theory, there are four positive functions performed in the educational systems, these include, the creation of social solidarity, teaching skills necessary for work, teaching core values and allocation of roles and meritocracy. The works of Emile Durkheim originated the theory. The theorist has the interest in the understanding social order and how the society can remain stable. This theory depicts that, society is not only the sum of its parts, in spite of that; every part of the society is important for the stability of the entire society. The first role of education is creating a social solidarity, with the feeling that, individual is the part of a bigger community (Smith, 2012).
On the other hand, according to the author, the school is a society in miniature, which prepares individuals for life in the bigger social community. The second role is learning specific skills for work, at school, the people gain knowledge about diverse skills required for gaining placement in the complex industrial network. The third role involves, teaching core values. In this context, Basirico, Cashion and Eshleman (2012) claimed that, school plays the role of ‘focal socializing agency’ in the current social structure. It acts as the central player in the secondary socialization process, it is important for the family and bigger society to work for different principles and pupils. The fourth role of education according to functionalism approach is its role in allocation and meritocracy. Education helps people to use their talents in their most appropriate job via application of appropriate knowledge and ensuring that, the most appropriate and talented people are allocated in the most important jobs in the society (Smith, 2012).
Another important sociology perspective is the conflict perspective. In the conflict perspective of education, the educational system and schools are visualized as the tools of the society. Here, the educational system is considered as an integral part of the reinforcement of hierarchical nature of capitalist social communities, thereby maintaining the domination of elite class in the society (De Regt, 2011). According to the conflict theorists, the authoritarian and hierarchical nature of stratification within the capitalist society is perpetuated and reproduced through the teaching of the inferior, subordinate groups, thereby emphasizing the existing class inequality in social stratification and dispiriting different community paradigms. This is mainly done in the hidden curriculum, the inculcation of standards through proper behavior for social culture (Collins, 2007).
The theorists also point out that the capitalist economic system reform should be done first and then the education reform should be focused. In this context, in sociology, the conflict analysis has the ability to interpret the social behavior via the perception that the social behavior is understood and explained as conflict within competing teams or groups. Thus, the believers of this perspective visualize the education system as a society tool, focusing on the socialization of individuals for staying in the class. In spite of visualizing the educational system as the caring institution, the conflict theorists assume that, the purpose of the school or institution to maintain elite class’s domination within the society. The hidden curriculum highlighted in the conflict perspective refers to the appropriate and standard behavior in the society or culture, which are taught in the school (Smith, 2012).
Another important aspect of education theory is symbolic interaction. In terms of education, this sociological theory assumes that interaction between teachers and students assist in developing each set of expectation for the performance of that particular student in disciplined manner (De Regt, 2011). In this kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, the teacher has to pay attention. If the expectation is low, the students find the other outlet for gaining positive feedback or accept that the teacher’s expectations are true, thereby living down his potential to achieve the best performance. There are various researches for testing the validity of the symbolic interaction related approach, but the results found in the research areas, are tough to perform due to ethical and practical reasons (Collins, 2007).
Nevertheless, the symbolic interactionist perspective has some application in classrooms of school for the purpose of the differential tracking system (Sever, 2012).
The Functionalism Perspective can be Selected for Further Elaborated Discussion
In the article provided by Basirico, Cashion and Eshleman (2012), the critical discussion of the sociological theories of education has been done. In this article, the author has emphasized the fundamental understanding of functionalist theory, the concept of which was raised during the 1950s. The theory was developed by Emile Durkheim, when she was examining the usefulness of society; she found that the social facts serve the general needs of the social organism. The author highlighted that the functionalist approach is described via the application of analogy within society and the human body, here society is a human body and its each organ has a specific function. In the same way, education is the part of society and thus it is like an organ having the specific function (Sever, 2012).
In the article provided by Collins (2007), two theories have been highlighted, the functionalist and conflict theories for increasing schooling required for employment in the superior industrial community. Here, the functionalism theory, which has been highlighted as the technical-function theory states that the educational requirement highlights the requirement of greater skills in the job to bring technological change. Through the analysis of these two theories, it has been revealed that education system supports the conflict theory. The author identified that the expansion of mobility opportunities via the school system is the key dynamic of raising educational requirements in US in spite of autonomous changes in employment structure, according to the functionalist theory (Smith, 2012).
This book “Savage inequalities” by Jonathan Kozol is considered as one of the important books that discusses the disparities in the education system between the schools as well as the classes and the races. This book has shed light on several aspects of the education system in different parts USA and has found that these areas are most of the times overcrowded, unsanitary and the understaffed situation. Therefore, from the several perspectives, this book seems to be highly important at the time of discussing about education (Kozol, 1991).
In this article provided by the student has stated that cross-cultural teaching in the globalized management classroom undertake an appraisal of the cross-cultural as well as international management education. This article has said that it has gone beyond the dominant functionalist perspective and utilizes the postcolonial perspectives in order to identify several issues that are generally ignored in the mainstream pedagogical literature. Apart from that, this particular journal has examined the historical context of origin and the evolution of the management discipline. Apart from that, it has focused on the nature of the body of knowledge, curriculum and pedagogy along with the impact on the students in particular (Joy & Poonamallee, 2013).
This particular research work has shed importance on achieving universal basic education in Nigeria since 1999 and this has especially said that it is highly important to extend the education for the women in the society. The Universal Basic Education Program in Nigeria is free and compulsory. Therefore, it can be easily said that both the men and women in the society are required to be educated and thus this commission consider women as the most stakeholders of this program. Apart from that, the article has said that it is highly important to expand education in several ways such as informal, non-formal as well as the formal setting (Gabriel, 2012).
Conclusion
In this essay, the major focus is the sociological theories and their educational perspective and roles. In this essay, three major sociological theories have been discussed including the functionalist theory, the conflict theory or perspective and the symbolic interaction perspective. The essay discussed the views and assumption related to these three major social perspectives believers or theorists and some of the important features of the sociology schools following these sociology theories. Then within these three perspectives, the functionalism perspective has been selected and elaborated with the help of five recent journal articles related to this topic.
References
Basirico, L., Cashion, B., & Eshleman, J. (2012). Introduction to sociology. Redding, CA: BVT Publishing.
Collins, R. (2007). Functional and Conflict Theories of Educational Stratification. American Sociological Review,, 36(6). Retrieved from http://home.iitk.ac.in/~amman/soc748/randall_collins_functional_and_conflict_theories_of_educational_stratification.pdf
De Regt, A. (2011). Understanding Education. A Sociological Perspective. Comparative Sociology, 10(4), 662-664. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156913311×590709
Gabriel, A. O. I. (2012). Achieving Universal Basic Education in Nigeria since 1999: Woman as Partners. International Journal of Learning and Development, 2(5), 215-226.
Joy, S., & Poonamallee, L. (2013). Cross-cultural teaching in globalized management classrooms: time to move from functionalist to postcolonial approaches?. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 396-413.
Kozol, J. (1991). Savage inequalities. New York: Crown Pub.
Sever, M. (2012). A critical look at the theories of sociology of education. International Journal of Human Science, 9(1). Retrieved from http://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/viewFile/2212/877
