Sociological Role of the School Institution

Sociological concepts play an essential role in shaping the life of every human being. Moreover, social institutions like schools significantly shape the normal trajectory of life because, over time, it has become fundamental for every human to undertake education to fit into the social fabric of life. My life has personally been shaped by the school institution and so have the lives of many more students. I will, therefore, am discussing the school institution and highlight the manner in which it has affected my life. Over time, education has significantly shaped my philosophy about life. My attitude in life is founded upon the inherent belief that education ought to prepare students for the challenges of the future and for the life that lies ahead of them. I believe in a world that is secure and free from the threat of terrorism, poverty, and disease. Education must prepare students for participation in an open government society for the people, by the people and with the people. With the advent of technology and innovation and with the rapid progress being made towards information and social media communication, the human race must realize all the millennium goals set out. The laws laid out in the supreme covenant or the constitution make the political landscape better when taken into account.

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Sociology is a broad discipline under which there are various concepts that help to understand the social order of people. Behind these concepts are great thinkers who worked around their thoughts aiming to prove their applicability in society (Mok and Jiang 45). Among the known sociological concepts under this field of study include functionalism, Marxism, feminism, interactionism, as well as postmodernism. Functionalism looks at how society works when institutions are separate and working as part of a whole (Kalenda and Schwartzhoff 3055). Feminism, on its part, is a concept in which the rights of women and gender equality are encouraged with the view of dismantling the prevalent patriarchy in society.

Traditional learning institutions train students using the same paradigms underpinning the fact that all students are different. The conventional purpose of education was to shape the learner's character, growing him or her into the man he or she became. Times have changed, and learning institutions have had to change with it (Abdiraiymova, Duisenova and Shayakhmetov 398). Education still occupies a pivotal place in the life of modern learners because it provides enlightenment, freedom of expression and socialization.

Learning institutions are centers of concentration from where learners begin to understand how to live with each other. Over the past, few years there have been changes in the demographics. The learning experience required to train the adults of the past is traditional from the present day part-time student (Chalfina and Deza 555). Interactionism centers on the fact that an individual has two entities within them which are the body and the mind with these two able to influence each other. As for the concept of postmodernism, it looks at the self-conscious use of all the other concepts while remaining aware of their strengths and criticism. This essay will delve into the sociological concept of functionalism and how it can be applied in real-life situations.

The sociological concept of functionalism seeks to interpret the individual parts of society depending on how each of these parts contributes to the overall stability of society as a whole. This is because the social setup is more than the aggregate of its parts since it opts to focus on the individual parts and how they play an instrumental role in ensuring the functional stability of the social order. The sociological concept of functionalism was proposed by the renowned sociologist Emile Durkheim, who equated society to an organism in which there are different parts that make up a whole (Kalenda and Schwartzhoff 3056). The organism analogy also points towards a situation in which none of the parts can operate alone unless they are combined to form the whole. If any of the parts experience failure or is in a crisis, then it is up to the other body parts to rapidly adapt and fill the void left by the failed part.

Under the sociological concept of functionalism, there is an important process of socialization. In essence, socialization refers to the process through which individuals in society interact with others as well as the institutions within the social setup with the overall objective of learning the norms and values that govern society (Abdiraiymova, Duisenova and Shayakhmetov 400). In other words, the socialization process is instrumental because it helps people to acquire the norms and values of the society in which they live. This process is seen as a neutral one by the proponents and advocates of the sociological concept of functionalism.

The view on the part of the functionalists is disputed and criticized by both the feminists and the Marxists in equal measure. The latter two sociological concepts look at the process of socialization as a means through which the powerful and elite members of society benefit from the ideas they learn through socialization. It is the empowerment of the elite individuals that leads to the maintenance of social classes and the status quo.

I believe there is more to life than bubbling with the correct responses in the same way that learning is more than recalling material taught in class. I think that education ought to incorporate into the learner the spirit of social interaction so that they can learn to connect with the rest of the world. The present world is one of social media interaction and networking.

My philosophy in life entails acquiring the necessary skills to become competent enough to meet the needs of the world. Understanding that the effects of the increase in world populations include a reduction in the available jobs means future students must be job creators as opposed to job seekers to survive. I believe that teaching ought to be more than spelling out the requirements of the syllabus to the students. Such practices rob the students of the wholesome experience of learning. Learning need not be a process of ingesting knowledge verbatim but a learning experience that learners can apply in their daily lives.

The functionalist concept as espoused in sociology is anchored on the effectiveness of social institutions. This sociological concept firmly believes that society has institutions that work towards benefiting society in general and the individuals in society in particular (Mok and Jiang 46). As already noted, the institutions in society could be drawn from any facet of life that may include the political, educational, religious, or economic sector. Taking the nuclear family as an example, there is no denying the pivotal role that families play in ensuring that they provide a stable environment in which the offspring are brought up.

Higher education must be able to accommodate all kinds of learners in schools. The traditional model of the classroom and education cannot work on present-day learners because of the changes in dynamics. There continue to be rapid changes in the modern models of knowledge advancement (Mok and Jiang 46). Human continues to leverage technology in the delivery of education, delivering more quality using fewer resources. The place of the traditional teacher is under threat and is virtually phased out in some models of learning. The presence of such modern day possibilities like e-learning and computer-assisted education programs are a testimony to the fact that modern-day students do not need teachers for classroom instruction.

The nuclear family unit also ensures that the environment is safe and secure for raising their children while imparting in them the necessary knowledge that is required to interact or socialize with others in society due to the acquired social norms and values. This is also replicated in the educational institutions where the children attend school to learn vital concepts that prepare the learners for working and contributing positively to society. Both of the family unit and the school are crucial institutions that work towards ensuring an advanced economy that works effectively for the benefit of all people in it.

One way through which the functional perspective in sociology has influenced my life is through the concept of work within the framework of an economy as a social institution. As a student, working part-time in the economy has brought about a raft of benefits to my life as highlighted by the functionalism. The institution that is the economy is integral to society because it plays the crucial role of availing goods and services to the markets.

This helps society to progress with an order because individuals like me who are end consumers will get the supply of the items that they need. The economy is also a huge facilitator for people who work. As a part-time working student, the economy has been of immense help in creating a job opportunity from which I can derive a source of income that helps in meeting financial obligations as they arise.

Education continues to play a pivotal role in enlightenment, and sensitization. The fight against illiteracy is one that the human race has fought with a passion. The process of transformation continues to take place every few hundred years led by the west. Time allows societies to organize their work into what they expect to become in preparation for future prosperity. Although the evolution of universities does not threaten to replace the classroom, activates that take place within them are likely to take dramatic turns.

In spite of the increase in the number of distant learning intuitions, learners continue to look for physical spaces to interact with other learners traditionally. No computer application can replace the role of trained personnel in character development for the learner. The three primary missions of education in any part of the world are teaching research, and service to the community. In many universities, the systems of reward place higher emphasis over analysis over the other two pinnacles of education.

The primary mission of education hence remains the advancement of knowledge and information in the future. Mentors and colleagues normally warn new faculties based on tenure against investing a lot of energy in teaching. Such energy is directed towards research and mentoring the students towards the direction; they aspire to go. The revolution in learning is part of a more extensive process of social transformation going on all over the world. The future of education still places it at the center of human civilization.

Overall, education plays an essential role in shaping the world sociological fabric in the present world. Not only does it make people fit into the society in which they live but it also creates opportunities that allow people from the lower social classes to gain enlightenment and climb the higher classes of life. The school institution has significantly shaped the way I understand life and plan my life along with how I make other essential decisions in life.

Works Cited

Abdiraiymova, Gulmira, Sofiya Duisenova and Sayat Shayakhmetov. "Reforming of System of the Higher Education in Kazakhstan." Social and Behavioral Sciences 82.3 (2013): 397-403. doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.282

Chalfina, Aaron and Monica Dezab. "The intergenerational effects of education on delinquency." Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 159.1 (2019): 553-571. doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2017.07.034

Kalenda, Jan and Steve Schwartzhoff. "Cultural Sociology: A New Approach to the Study of the History of Education." Social and Behavioral Sciences 174.1 (2015): 3055-3062. doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1098...