SOCIAL SCIENCE THEORIES

AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS

TO EDUCATION
RAIZA MINGOY-PADASAS
 Intended Learning Outcomes:
• Explain three social science theories and their
implications to education
Three Social Theories
 Structural-Functional Theory
• Structural-functional theory, also called functionalism, sees society as a structure
with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the
individuals in that society.
• Society is “a system of interconnected parts each with a unique function. The parts
have to work together for stability and balance of society.” (Spencer, n.d.)
• Structural Functionalism is a macro theory that looks at how all structures or
institutions in society work together. Examples of structures or institutions of
society include: education, health care, family, legal system, economy, and religion.
https://revisesociology.com/2016/09/01/functionalism-sociology/#google_vignette
Key Concepts of Structural-Functional Theory
• Society is seen as an integrated whole, where all parts are interconnected.
• Every structure in society works together to play a vital function to maintain stability and
the well-being of its members.
• This theory focuses on the roles people perform and the idea that behavior follows
established norms, which helps to maintain social order.
• Institutions and people are interconnected; when something shifts, either in the institutions
or in the people, the other has to change or compensate to restore the equilibrium.
• It can help to think of it this way: functionalists compare society to the human body; each
part of society serves a function, just like our organs do.
 Illustration:
• In a high tech world, educational institution much teach adults the new skills
to relate to the tech-savvy young and the world and to be more effective in
the workplace.
• With more women in the workplace, policies against sexual harassment and
discrimination were formulated.
• The Cybercrime Act of 2012 came about to address legal issues concerning
online interactions and the internet in the Philippines.
• The functionalist theory of education focuses on how education serves the
need of society through the development of skills encouraging social
cohesion.
• The role of the school is to prepare students for participation in the
institutions of society. Education is concerned with transmission of core
values for social control. Education is concerned with socializing people by
bringing together people from different backgrounds.
 Purposes of Schooling according to
Functionalists
• Intellectual purposes – acquisition of cognitive skills, inquiry skills
• Political purposes – educate future citizens; promote patriotism; promote
assimilation of immigrants; ensure order, public civility and conformity to laws
• 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
 Conflict Theory
• It is a theory first developed by Karl Marx that posits society is in a state
of perpetual conflict because of competition for limited resources.
• It is a sociological perspective that views society as a system characterized
by power dynamics and the inevitable presence of conflict.
• There are always two opposing sides in a conflict situation. People take
sides between maintaining the status quo and introducing change then
arrive at an agreement.
 Conflict Theory
• Conflict theory welcomes conflict for that is the way to the establishment of
a new society.
• Conflict theorists find potential conflict between any groups where inequality
exists.; racial, gender, religious, political, economic and so on.
• Conflict theorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values
and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant
competition between groups forms the basis for the ever-changing nature of
society.
https://www.structural-learning.com/post/conflict-theory
 Illustration
• The factory workers want change – better working
conditions, higher salaries. The factory owners naturally
are opposed to such. The resolution of the conflict,
however, leads to a compromise, a change in the way the
factory is managed where both workers and owners are
happy.
 How Proponents of Conflict Theory
Regard Education
• Education is a powerful means of maintaining power structures and
creating a docile work force for capitalism. The purpose of education
is to maintain social inequality and to preserve the power of those who
dominate society and teach those in the working class to accept their
position as a lower class worker of a society.
• Conflict theorists call this the “hidden” curriculum socializes young
people into obedience and conformity for them to be developed as
docile workers.
 How Proponents of Conflict Theory
Regard Education
• They assert that if schools teach adherence to policies,
obedience to rules, respect for persons including
authorities, punctuality and honesty, civil right it is
because they want to make a workers remain docile,
unquestioning and subservient forever while those in
power remain in power.
 Symbolic Interactionism Theory
• It is social theoretical framework associated with George Herbert Mead
(1863–1931) and Max Weber (1864-1920) which assumes that people
respond to elements of their environments according to the subjective
meanings they attach to those elements, such as meanings being created and
modified through social interaction involving symbolic communication with
other people.
• Also known as symbolic interaction perspective, this theory relies on the
symbolic meaning that people develop and build upon in the process of
social interaction.
https://www.simplypsychology.org/symbolic-interaction-theory.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/symbolic-interaction-theory-3026633
 Three tenets of symbolic interactionist theory:

1. An individual’s action depends on meaning. We act based on the meaning we

give to symbols. Symbols can be actions, objects or words.
2. Different people may give different meanings to the same thing. When
teachers are strict, some students see it as an expression of care. Others may rebel
because they perceive teacher’s behavior as limiting their moves and desires.
3. Meanings change as individual’s interest with one another. After you have
thought well, your first impression of teaching as boring is change to teaching is
exciting.
 Implications to Teaching
• Let us continue to teach for meaning, promoting and creating opportunities for
genuine interaction among our students, teachers, between students and teachers.
• Interaction does not only mean dealing with warm bodies. It includes reading,
listening, viewing. Other people’s views and meanings are conveyed in what they
have written, in speeches and lectures they have delivered.
• Let us use positive symbols – in the form of gestures, words, actions and
appearances – to express our trust, belief in our students’ abilities an affirmation of
their being. In fact, our belief in our students also has positive effect in us. We find
ourselves more prepared in class, more caring, truly professional.
 Implications to Teaching
• Language is a predominant symbol among people. According to the symbolic
interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols and then they act
according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols.
• Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly
interpret the world around them. To ensure mutual understanding, the sender of the
symbol and the receiver of the symbol must give the same meaning to the symbol
or run the risk of misunderstanding.
• Faulty communication can result from differences in the perception of the
same events and symbols.
 Weakness of Symbolic
Interactionism Theory
• Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the
macro level of social interpretation-the “big picture”. In
other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger
issues of society by focusing too closely on the “trees” or
by restricting themselves to small or individual
interactions.
 Takeaways
• Functionalism is a theory of society that focuses on the structures that create the society
and on how that society is able to remain stable.
• Functionalists are for stability and a state of equilibrium in society.
• To maintain this state of stability, various institutions are expected to do their part.
• For the functionalists, change is necessary only when things got unstable.
• Conflict theory welcomes conflict for conflict paves the way to change, to the establishment
of a new society.
• Symbolic-interactionist theory is focused on individuals who act based on meaning which is
based on the individual’s experience. These meanings are not permanent. They change over
time as the individual continues to interact with others and with symbols.
 References:
• Prieto, N.G., Arcangel, C.N., and Corpuz, B.B. (2019). The Teacher and the Community, School Culture and Organizational Leadership
OBE- & PPST-Based. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
• Structural-Functional Theory @ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-introductiontosociology/chapter/structural-functional-
theory/
• Structural Functionalism @
https://lah.elearningontario.ca/CMS/public/exported_courses/HSP3U/exported/HSP3UU04/HSP3UU04/HSP3UU04A01/_ld1.ht
ml#:~:text=This%20theory%20focuses%20on%20the,compensate%20to%20restore%20the%20equilibrium
• Thompson, K. (2023). Functionalism – An Introduction @ https://revisesociology.com/2016/09/01/functionalism-sociology/
• Hayes, A. (2024). Conflict Theory Definition, Founder, and Examples @ https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/conflict-theory.asp
• Main, P. (2023). Conflict Theory @ https://www.structural-learning.com/post/conflict-theory
• Nickerson, C. (2023). Symbolic Interactionism Theory & Examples @ https://www.simplypsychology.org/symbolic-interaction-
theory.html
• Crossman, A. (2020). What Is Symbolic Interactionism? @ https://www.thoughtco.com/symbolic-interaction-theory-3026633
• brainyquote.com