Assess the usefulness of an Interactionists perspective on education.

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Assignment 1 Sociology

Assess the usefulness of an Interactionists perspective on education.

Education provides us with academic knowledge and social skills. The formal academic education we receive gives us the qualifications necessary to prepare us for our working lives and integration into society. Industrialisation changed societies view on education, it realised for Britain to succeed in economy it had to have an educated work force. Sociologists use a variety of methods to evaluate education for example, IQ tests (which increases the longer pupils spend in education and tends to have a more complex language, therefore aimed at upper and middle classes).  Sat’s, (where children are tested to see if the teachers have been teaching the curriculum).  Ofsted, the school inspectors appointed by the council to inspect and regulate the education system within individual learning facilities. League tables and long term studies such as ‘Child of our time’, which followed children born in 2000 in different parts of the country with differing backgrounds. (Class hand outs) (sixthsence.osfc) (www.the student room). This essay will be discussing interactionism and the 4 main sub theories within it - labelling, selfulfilling prophesy, language, subcultures and the effects they have on education.

George Mead (1934) had a theory that we develop who we are by the influence of the ‘significant’ others around us, such as our parents, teachers, religious leaders and friends. It is believed this theory plays a significant role when looking at issues of class, gender and ethnicity in education. (Heinemann, Sociology) (Browne, Sociology). Interactionist theorists do not focus heavily on relationships between the formal education system and the economy, but their theories do suggest that the formal education systems are not organised meritocratically and this theory does help to undermine the other theories such as functionalists and Marxist of the relationship between formal education and the economy. The micro scale research of the interactionist can sometimes ignore government policy, for example, the introduction of curriculum 2000 and funding. Greater funding would mean more teachers to fewer students and therefore a better learning environment for all, which is important to the Marxist and functionalists.  Marxist and Functionalist theories look at society on a MACRO scale, also known as structural theories.  Their theories look at how education affects a whole society and not just certain people in it. (Gardner,2004; Pilkington et al, 2004, sixthsence.osfc).

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Interactionism is concerned with the interaction between individuals. Interactionists believe action is meaningful to those involved and action requires interpretation and definition of situation and self. Interactionists look at society on a MICRO scale, the interaction and independence between people. Theirs is a more subjective theory, an action theory. Interactionists do not look at what education does for society as a whole, but at one class in a school, how the teachers and pupils treat each other and how this affects exam results. To gain their knowledge they use qualitative research methods like unstructured interviews or participant observation.

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