Educational sociology is a synthesis of education and sociology.A new branch of sociology called “ Educational sociology “ has developed that deals with the impact of the society on education. First, we should know what is sociology. In simple terms, sociology can be said to be the study of the social system. It is a subject which studies about the totality of human life and activity. The word “ Sociology” has been derived from two words- ‘ socius’ a Latin word, which means “ companion or associate’ and ‘logos’ a Greek word, which means ‘ study of or science’. From this, we can say that sociology is the study of human society as society is a cluster of people who are connected with each other. Educational sociology is the part of sociology that studies the educational impact on the society. The father of Educational psychology George Pyne, who in his book “ Principles of Educational Psychology” discusses the influence of education group life and the influence of group life on education. He also discussed the social influences which play a role in the all-round development of human beings. Educational sociology is neither education nor sociology alone. It utilizes all that has been earned in both the fields but joins that in a new science by applying sociological principles to the whole process of education including subject matter, activities, methods of teaching, social organization, management, evaluation.
Different definitions of Educational Sociology
There is number of definitions regarding educational sociology. The following definitions will help us to understand more about what is educational sociology.
1. According to George Pyne,” Educational sociology is the science which describes and explains institutions, groups, and social processes in relation to the educational system in its evolution and changing function.”
2. According to Brown, “ Educational sociology is the study of the interaction of the individual and each cultural environment, which includes other individuals, social groups, and patterns of behavior.
3. According to Ottoway, “ Educational sociology indicates that education is an activity which goes on in a society and its aim and methods depend on the nature of society in which it takes place.
4. According to Good, “ Educational sociology is the scientific study of how people live in social groups especially including the study of education that is obtained by the living in the social groups and education that is needed by the members to live efficiently in social groups.”
5. According to Snedden,” Educational sociology has as its chief province the scientific determination of educational objective. It constitutes an applied or linking science between the fields of sociology( as a pure science) and social economy ( as the science of all phases of human well being) on the one hand and the practice of education on the other.”
6. According to Dr. Lakhshahira Das,” Educational sociology is a branch of general sociology which deals with issues and problems of social interaction that possess educative value and significance and which could bring about socially desirable ends in peaceful and efficient manner.’’
Nature of Educational Sociology :
Educational sociology is not only theoretical but also practical nature. As a theoretical science, it tries to study about the forces which lead to interaction between the individual and the social group or society. The nature of educational sociology are as follows –
1. Man is a social being and educational sociology recognizes the social nature of man and plans accordingly.
2. Educational sociology helps us to provide a social basis for educational researchers,
3. Educational sociology acts as the bridge between society and education system.
4. Educational sociology determines the individuality of an individual in the society, which is very important.
5. Educational sociology deals with the participation of the individual in different social functions and organizations
6. Educational sociology is a dynamic and ever-changing process.
7. It is the job of educational sociology to find out ways and means as to how to manipulate the educational process to achieve better personal development.
The scope of Educational sociology
The subject matter of educational sociology has the constant and dynamic interaction of the individual and his cultural environment or the basic pattern of life. The scope of Educational sociology includes the following :
1. The social milieu ( A persons social environment) can be broken up into, what George Pyne calls,” Social independencies). These are institutions, social groups, social customs, and conventions. Through these the individual gains and organizes his experiences and these influences the evolution of the educational system because it equips the youth with knowledge and character to function well in the social system.
2. Educational sociology is concerned with the sciences which help to understand its function in its various aspects and not concerned with aspects of any science which do not condition personality development. The personal development of an individual is developed in the family through the process of interaction. The business of educational sociology is to discover the area of interaction within the family and then in the school or elsewhere. Sociology would, however, confine itself to the history of the development of family and its various patters. Sociology deals with social theory and group phenomena, but ignores the educative process and the educational agencies.
3. Educational sociology is also related to educational psychology. Both of them deal with the school as the agency of education. Both of them are applied science and seeks to determine and influence the school’s effect on the individual behavior. But educational sociology is not just limited to that; it also deals with individual’s relation to society. It regards school as a social institution, a part of total social milieu, a form of collective behavior. The curriculum of the educational sociology and teaching methods are organized to prepare the children for participation in social life. The main difference between educational psychology and educational sociology is that the former deals with the process of learning and the later one deals with the problem of personality or behavior.
4. The most significant recent development in psychology has been the increasing recognition of environmental factors in the development of personality development. The line between psychology and sociology is a bit blurry today. Where Biology provides us the data that forms the basis of the individual’s behavior, Sociology studies how the laws of genetics and impulses determine an individual’s interaction with others as an individual or in a group. Educational sociology ultimately seeks to influence this interaction in harmony with social ideas. The main theme of the scope of the educational sociology is a social relationship of all types and how they influence the personality development of the pupils.
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