Sociology of Education

CHILD AND ADULT SOCIALIZATION The essence of this essay is to compare and contrast child and adult socialization. According to the Oxford Dictionary (1924:789) it says, “Socialization is a principle that individual liberty should be completely subordinated to the interests of the community with the deductions that can be drawn from it. The child’s first exposure to the world occurs within the family, which is the primary agent of socialization some essential developments occur through close interaction with a small number of people, none of whom the child has selected within the family. The child learns to think and speak, internalize norms, beliefs and values, develop a capacity for intimate and relationships and form some basic attitudes. According to Robbert W. Greene (2008:121) he notes that, the impact of the family reaches far beyond its direct effects on the child. Our family’s social class shapes what we think of ourselves and how others treat us, even far into adulthood. In School, children are under the care and supervision of adults who are not relatives. For the first time many of the child’s relationship with other people are impersonal. Rewards and punishments are based on performance rather than affection. Although the mother may cherish any picture that her child creates, a teacher evaluates her student’s more objective standards. Slowly children are taught to be less dependent emotionally on their parents. The school creates feeling of loyalty and allegiance to something beyond the family. The socialization process in school involves more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Underlying the formal goals of the school is the hidden curriculum which teaches children discipline, order, cooperation and conformity characteristics required for success in the adult world of work. School also teaches children as well as adults how we experience time in the real world. According to Education critic John Holt (1995), “Life in schools run by the clock, as it is in the working world. A bell signals when children must move to the next scheduled event, whether or not they understand what they been working on and whether or not they are ready to switch to a different subject. Getting through a present number of activities within a given period of time often becomes more important than learning”. The above statement can be supported by Robbert, W. Greene (2008:122). The family and the school are both areas of socialization organized and operated by adults. The child’s peer group composed of individuals of roughly the same age and interests is the only area of socialization that is not controlled primarily by adults. Children usually belong to several peer groups. A child may belong to play groups in the neighborhood, a clique at school, after school club or sports team. In the peer group, young people have an opportunity to engage in give-and-take relationships. Children experience conflict, competition and cooperation in such groups. The peer group also gives children experience in self-direction. They can begin to make their own decisions, experiment with new ways of thinking and behaving and engage in activities that involve self-expression. Robbert, W. Green (2008:123). Adult socialization refers to process of learning what appropriate behavior to individuals and members of one culture. Adult socialization is divided into two categories. For work – as a young person in growing up, they have ambitions about future careers or life. The lifestyle or career is influenced by a person’s social background. For marriage – The age group that is found n colleges is termed to be in the autumn period. During this stage opposite sex attraction is very characteristic. If one does not find a partner they develop feeling of isolation or rejection. With the adult socialization there is a period called the middle life crisis. Middle life crisis is the process of self evaluation, in most men it occurs between 35-40. In women it may come earlier than this. It is when a person realizes that he or she has not achieved the basic decisions and which are usually wrong ones. Mass media are means of communication designed to reach the population. They include such things as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies, books, the internet, tapes and discs. Many popular images presented in the mass media are highly distorted. The mass media display role models for children to imitate. Learning role models help to integrate the young into society. The mass media, by their content alone, teach many of ways of the society. This is evident in the behavior we take for granted, the duties of the detective, waitress or sheriff and relationship between nurses and doctors. Such settings and relationships are portrayed time and all teach however misleading norms, status, position and institutional functions. A newborn cild is not yet a social being. It becomes one through socialization, being taught all the things he or she needs to know to function as a member of a specific society. Although much of this learning takes place in the first two or three years of life, socialization continues throughout life. The above statement can be supported by Margaret Peil (1977:47). According to Fontana, D (1995:132) he noted that, “initially the pre-school child has no concept to God. The child’s relies in his or her parents. However, in a religious home, and environment the child will gradually discover that there are powers much greater than those of his or her parents.” The wonders of the creation (and the Creator) can then be brought home to the child. Initially the child will build up his or her own image of God and His wonders. The child’s religious beliefs will be somewhat similar to his or her belief in magic and giants. The child will be very egocentric in his or her relationship with God. Everything will center around the self. However, relating to everything to the self is quite normal for a young person who is still struggling to understand his or her world and who is still amazed and astonished by the things he or she finds. With the correct aid and support in the religious home, the child will soon learn that everything he or she does is not for his or her own sake but for the glory of God. Relationships with self; it is only after the child has built up relationships with objects and things and especially relationships in the family circle that a fairly well-defined self identity develops; the child discovers himself or herself. Initially it is the child’s body that acts as an agent between himself or herself and the world. It tells the child whether it is hot or cold, while the senses enable him or her to get to know something about the world. The child’s body determines how he or she will be seen by others, as a boy or a girl, as fair or dark, etc. That is, the child comes to know himself, even by a certain name. subsequently, the child’s self identity is shaped by the extent to which his or her need to be loved and esteemed, to belong, to be understood, to be given the opportunity to achieve, etc are met. Being accepted by parents, family members and peers brings self acceptance, and self acceptance gives rise to self esteem. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fowler, F.G. (1924) Oxford Dictionary, London: Ely house. Margaret Peil (1977). An Introduction to Sociology. London: Longman Group Ltd. Robbert, W.Greene (2008). Sociology and You. USA: McGraw-Hill, Columbus. Fontana, D. (1995). Psychology for Teachers. London: MacMillan.