Education's Role in Society: A Sociological Analysis

This essay provides a comprehensive sociological analysis of education, examining its significance in society and the changing dynamics of educational systems. It delves into the historical shift in the purpose of education, from a focus on knowledge acquisition to its role in social stratification. The essay explores key sociological theories, including functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist perspectives, to understand how education functions within society. It highlights the key determinants of educational success, such as student-centeredness, teacher effectiveness, and socioeconomic factors, while also analyzing the impact of sociological patterns like social inequalities and gender disparities on the educational experience. The essay concludes by emphasizing the complex interplay between societal pressures and educational outcomes, and the importance of addressing inequalities to foster a more equitable educational environment. The essay draws upon various academic sources to support its arguments and provide a well-rounded understanding of the topic.

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EDUCATION
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INTRODUCTION
The age old definition of education connotes that education is a procedure which facilitates
learning and gaining knowledge about a particular subject or theme. Education can be
imparted either in a formal environment such as schools or in an informal environment such
as story telling sessions etc. But unfortunately the whole concept and motive behind gaining
education has undergone a drastic change. Earlier people used to get educated so that they are
able to get a good job and lead a successful life. But the present day scenario has made the
entire educational system a place of commercialisation than worship. Education is now a
parameter to judge whether a person is fit to be a part of a particular society along with the
fact that from where a person is gaining education. The schools, colleges all have a great role
to play from the sociological perspective. Earlier education meant learning something new
every day but now the same is no more present. Education today means to get an admission
in school which is well known in the society as a person’s financial position is judged basis
that.
In countries which are technologically advanced, the status nuance is determined basis the
occupation a person does along with the level of education a person has acquired during his
lifetime. Thereby there exists a close link between education and occupation and occupation
being a crucial part as it helps a person earn money and live a good life. Hence it can be
rightly said that education has gained an important place as a determinant of social position
and social stratification (Dua, 2016). The said essay describes the importance of education
from the perspective of the society along with the main determinants of the educational
triumph and the main patterns found within the society that has a long lasting implication on
the method education is experienced.

IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION TO THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Previously, American edification catered to both opinionated and financial requirements,
which spoke about the function of education. However, in the present day, sociologists and
educators argue with regards the function of education. Three main theories represent their
views : the functionalist theory, the conflict theory and the symbolic interactionist theory.
The functionalist theory concentrates upon the methods, that education at all places help to
cater to the requirements of the community. The people who are the followers of the said
theory look at education in its obvious character i.e. imparting of fundamental knowledge and
the skill set to the upcoming generation. The founder of the said theory, Durkheim, found out
that the present role of education is that of socialising the individuals within the mainstream
of the society. This is known as “moral education” which basically lent a hand towards the
formation of a more strong and well bonded social culture which helped bringing together
individuals belonging to the diverse backgrounds. The functionalists connote to the next role
of education which calls for communication of basic values and control socially. They look
towards performing a dual role of education wherein they preserve the culture as well as
bring about various alterations. Thereby even thought eh main role of education is to impart
basic knowledge and skills, at the same time it also helps people to change them. Last but not
the least, the most argumentative function of education as is perceived in the latter half of the
20th century is substitution of the family. Those parents who do not agree to this part of
education, often prefer to not to send their kids to school or put them in such private
institutions which teaches them the values they want to inculcate within their child.
The second theory i.e. the conflict theory, looks upon education as a medium to maintain the
social inequality thereby safeguarding the authority of those who have a hold over the
society. The functions of education followed by them is similar to the functionalists. The

latter looks upon education as an advantageous involvement to a controlled society, whereas
the former views the educational system as a status quo by forcing the lower class to become
their slaves. While the functionalist are of the view that sorting with regards education is
done basis the merit of a student but the conflict theory has a negative approach which thinks
that schools are a way of sorting class and ethnicity. Thus as per the conflict theory,
education is not a social advantage or gain, instead a strong weapon with the help of which
power structures can be kept intact, thereby forming a passive labour force for
entrepreneurship (Harcourt, 2016).
The last theory is restricted to only education wherein the events of the classroom are noticed.
This theory talks about how the level of interaction a student has with his teacher impacts his
performance academically. Thus the said theory nothing has to do directly with the
community in which a person lives but has a great implication upon the society within which
a kid thrives when in school. Thus more a person is interactive by nature, better he is to
perform academically as well (Considine, & Zappala, 2001).
KEY DETERMINANTS OF EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS
Education gained by a student is construed as successful only when the student is being able
to perform academically as well as in his future life. The life of a child as a student is
basically a web of interconnected actions and the experiences one gains during his or her
lifetime. The finding make it clear that student centeredness wherein the students and their
future are the sole thing for an educational institution and how effective and impactful is the
person imparting education are the basic determinants for the success of education for any kid
(Salgado, 2016). Satisfaction of student is not only with regards the curriculum being
followed but it is more centred towards the kind of teachers teaching, the values being
imparted and how the curriculum is being taught to them i.e. whether in a monotonous

manner or in an interesting manner wherein the student participation is encouraged while
imparting education to them.
The next determinant for an educational success is the fact that there should not be any
distinction between the social classes of the students as it has a very long lasting as well as
negative implication in the mind of those students who do not belong to a very well to do
family (Akareem, & Hossain, 2016). The educational success may be hampered as a student
who is bright but due to the distinction in the class and cadre in the society, fails to perform
upto the capability and thereby is unable to rise above the normal. Thus the socioeconomic
stature has a key role to play in determining the success of an educational system. Further to
this, ethnicity background, the kind of housing development a person dwells into and the kind
of educational center a student is being sent to (Saleem et.al. 2011). If the school is such
which caters to the high class society but the curriculum is not good then the motive of
ensuring educational success gets defeated. Thus the above key determinants are some of the
most crucial ones which help to define the success in the field of education.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY SOCIOLOGICAL PATTERNS THAT IMPACT
THE WAY EDUCATION IS EXPERIENCES?
As is understood now, there are a variety of sociological patterns that have an implication on
the way education is imparted and skilled. Today, educational institutions are a form of a
small community in itself. Many groups are seen such as a group of boys and girls, a group of
teachers, a group of the other staff members, a group of students who belong to the high
income class and also a group of people belonging to the lower income class. All these
comprise of the sociological patterns which has both negative as well as positive impact on
the way education is experienced.

One of the sociological pattern is that of social inequalities which crops up from the different
class, gender, race and ethnicity and which has a barring impact on the educational
experiences. The completion of a person’s education is related to the social class one belongs
to and it is this pattern which makes a difference in the experience one gains in education.
Students who fall under the category of lower socioeconomic status are in most of the cases
not awarded similar opportunities as kids who belong to the richer class irrespective of their
intelligence or urge to learn and gain knowledge. Thus education is experienced by students
basis their socioeconomic conditions.
The other very crucial sociological pattern that rules the experience students gain while
associating themselves to an educational institution is that of gender inequality or having
schools with coeducational facilities. Even today, males are given preferences over and above
the females. However, this is one area where there has been a remarkable change and schools
give equal importance to both the sex. Last but not the least is the social class discrimination
while giving admissions. Students who belong to the African American, Latino or such lower
income class are given less preference basis their race.
CONCLUSION
Thereby, on a summarising note, it is very evident that education does not pertain to its actual
meaning anymore. The social complexes have crept into the same and conquered the basic
essence behind gaining education. Earlier there used to be no racial or social distinguish done
but today societal perspectives have become so crucial, that the social status has a role to play
right from the admissions till the completion of the education. It not only creates a bigger gap
between the various classes of the society but at the same time discourages an intelligent
student from rising up due to the social disadvantage it faces. Although there has been efforts
to ensure that such a discrimination is eradicated, yet the schools also have become prone to

distinguishing between students and families due to the indirect societal pressures. Lastly, the
three contrasting theories very rightly explains the importance of education from the socio-
logical viewpoint. The functionalist and conflicting theories are somewhat similar but the
former has a positive outlook in comparison to the latter. The last theory details about
education in its true sense which does not discriminate with the class a student belongs to and
adheres to communicating and interacting with the student. It clearly states that more the
interaction a student has with its teachers, the better he or she would perform academically.

REFERENCES:
Akareem,H.S., & Hossain, S.S., (2016), Determinants of education quality: what makes
students’ perception different? Available at
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23265507.2016.1155167 (Accessed 06th
October 2017)
Considine,G., & Zappala,G., (2001), Factors Influencing the Educational performance of
Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds, Available at
https://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/media/SPRCFile/NSPC01_7_Considine_Zappala.pdf
(Accessed 06th October 2017)
Dua,P., (2016), Essay on Education as a Social Stratification, Available at
http://www.shareyouressays.com/87757/essay-on-education-as-a-social-stratification
(Accessed 06th October 2017)
Harcourt,H.M., (2016), Theories of Education, Available at
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/education/theories-of-education
(Accessed 06th October 2017)
Salgado,J., (2016), The Social Determinants of Education, Available at
http://www.adler.edu/blog/the-social-determinants-of-education (Accessed 06th October
2017)
Saleem,F., Naseem,Z., Ibrahim, K., Hussain, A., & Azeem,M., (2011), Determinants of
School Effectiveness : A study at Punjab Level, International Journal of Humanities and
Social Science, vol. 2, no.14, pp. 242-251, Available at
http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_14_Special_Issue_July_2012/28.pdf (Accessed
06th October 2017)