Unit–3

SOCIALIZATION

Written by:
Ms. Shaheen Ashraf Tahir Khali
Reviewed by:
Dr. Muhammad Tanveer Afzal
 CONTENTS
S.No Description Page No

Introduction .................................................................................................................55
Objectives................................................................................................................................................ 55
3.1 Meaning of Socialization .................................................................................................... 56
3.2 Socialization Process ...................................................................................57
3.3 Types of Socialization .................................................................................59
3.4 Stages of Socialization ........................................................................................................ 61
3.5 Agents of Socialization ....................................................................................................... 63
3.6 Role of School in Socialization ........................................................................................... 67
3.7 Teacher as a Role Model ............................................................................69
3.8 Summary ......................................................................................................73
3.9 Self Assessment Questions..........................................................................73
3.10 Suggested Readings.....................................................................................74
 INTRODUCTION
Socialization is not a new process and concept. It is an antique and primitive process
and concept. It is predominately an unconscious process by which a newborn child
learns the values, beliefs, rules and regulations of society or internalizes the culture in
which it is born. Socialization, in fact, includes learning of three important processes:
(1) cognitive; (2) affective, and (3) evaluative. In other words, socialization includes the
knowledge of how things are caused and the establishment of emotional links with the
rest of the members of the society. Socialization, therefore, equips an individual in
such a way that he can performhis duties in his society. The agents of socialization
vary from society to society. However, in most of the cases, it is the family which is a
major socializing agent, that is, the nearest kinsmen are the first and the most important
agents of socialization. The other groups which are socializing units in a society vary
according to the complexity. Thus, in modern complex society, the important socializing
agents are educational institutions, while in primitive societies, clans and lineages play
a more important role. Socialization is extremely important thing for all individuals
because no one can live in seclusion and social interactionis very crucial and inevitable.
All human beings are social animals and survival in loneliness and separation is not
pragmatic and practical. There is no fixed time regarding the beginning and the end of
this process. However, some sociologists formulated different stages of socialization as
childhood, adolescence, adulthood and age sixty five and beyond. Moreover agencies
of socialization are also mentioned as family, school, peers, religion, government,
media, work, ethicbackground, clubs/social groups etc. All the stages and agencies of
socialization are discussed in detail in this unit. The role of teacher is very crucial in
this regard. The teacher can be a role model in this context of socialization. Therefore,
this unit mainly focus on the socializing agents and specifically the teacher.

OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you will be able to:
1. Define and understand socialization.
2. Knowledge of socialization process.
3. Awareness of types of socialization.
4. Understand different stages of socialization.
5. Identify the functions of different agencies in socialization.
6. Figure out the role and responsibilities of teacher in the socialization.
 3.1 Meaning of Socialization
The meaning of the term socialization varies from content to content andcommunity
to community. Therefore some of the definitions are presented below:
1. Socialization is the process whereby individuals are made aware of behaviours that are
expected of them with regards to the norms, beliefs, attitudes, and values of the society in
which they live.
2. Socialization is the means by which human infants begin to acquire the skills necessary to
perform as a functioning member of their society, and is the most influential learning
process one can experience.
3. Socialization refers to the ways in which people learn to conform to their society's norms,
values, and roles.
4. Socialization is a gradual process of learning. The newborn child is not taught all the things
about social life at once. It proceeds from simplicity to complexity. During the early stages
of life (infancy and childhood) socialization takes place within the 'simple' limited social
world. Gradually this social world becomes broader and broader and the child is confronted
with several things to learn and to adjust.
5. Socialization – the process by which an individual learns how to interact with others and
becomes a member of society. Socialization is a complex, lifelong process. We are all
products of our social experience.
6. Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others. We begin
learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social
learning all through life (unless some mental or physical disability slows or stops the
learning process). Sometimes the learning is fun, as when we learn a new sport, art or
musical technique from a friend we like. At other times, social learning is painful, as when
we learn not to drive too fast by receiving a large fine for speeding.
7. Socialization is the process by which human beings as material organisms living with other
material organisms must learn to pattern their behaviour, and adapt it to the ways of acting
that are considered appropriate to that society in which they live. Basically, it's how you
learn how to act.
8. Process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, language, social skills, and value to
conform to the norms and roles required for integration into a group or community. It is
a combination of both self-imposed (because the individual wants to conform) and
externally-imposed rules, and the expectations of the others. In an organizational setting,
socialization refers to the process through which a new employee' learns the ropes,' by
becoming sensitive to the formal and informal power structure and the explicit and implicit
rules of behaviour. See also organizational culture and orientation.
9. The general process of acquiring culture is referred to as socialization. During
socialization, we learn the language of the culture we are born into as well as the roles we
are to play in life.
10. Socialization is a general term for many different ways and processes by which children
come to be able to function as members of their social community. It is in part a process of
learning and in part a process of being taught, but modern views of socialization also stress
the active role of children in making sense of their social world, and constructing their own
ways of being part of their social group. There are also strong predispositions, visible even
in very young infants, to engage and interact with other people in preference to all the other
objects in the world. Infants seem to be born as social beings.
11. Socialization is also a long, drawn-out process and in some respects can continue
throughout our whole lifetime: for example when adults find themselves interacting with
people from unfamiliar cultures. Even when we join a new social group in our own culture there may be
a need to adjust to new ways of behaving.
12. Socialization, the process whereby an individual learns to adjust to a group (or society) and
behave in a manner approved by the group (or society). According to most social scientists,
socialization essentially represents the whole process of learning throughout the life course
and is a central influence on the behaviour, beliefs, and actions of adults as well as of
children.

Activity:
Discuss with your coursemate about the concept of socialization and identify its role in
learning process. Summarize how the concept vary from individual to individual.

3.2 Socialization Process

Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others. We begin
learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social
learning all through life (unless some mental or physical disability slows or stops the
learning process). Sometimes the learning is fun, as when we learn a new sport, art or
musical technique from a friend we like. At other times, social learning is painful, as
when we learn not to drive too fast by receiving a large fine for speeding.

Natural socialization occurs when infants and youngsters explore, play and discover the
social world around them. Planned socialization occurs when other people take actions
designed to teach or train others -- from infancy on. Natural socialization is easily seen
when looking at the young of almost any mammalian species (and some birds). Planned
socialization is mostly a human phenomenon; and all through history, people have
been making plans for teaching or training
others. Both natural and planned socialization can have good and bad features: Itis
wise to learn the best features of both natural and planned socialization and weave them
into our lives.

Positive socialization is the type of social learning that is based on pleasurableand

exciting experiences. We tend to like the people who fill our social learning processes
with positive motivation, loving care, and rewarding opportunities. Negative
socialization occurs when others use punishment, harsh criticisms or anger to try to
"teach us a lesson;" and often we come to dislike both negative socialization and the
people who impose it on us.

There are all types of mixes of positive and negative socialization; and the more positive
social learning experiences we have, the happier we tend to be -- especially if we learn
useful information that helps us to cope up well with the challenges of life. A high ratio
of negative to positive socialization can make a person unhappy, defeated or pessimistic
about life. One of the goals of Soc 142 is to show people how to increase the ratio of
positive to negative in the socialization they receive from others -- and that they give
to others.

Socialization coupled with valuable information about life and the skills needed to live
well, can be a powerful tool for promoting human development. We all have an
enormous human potential, and we all could develop a large portion of it if we had the
encouragement that comes from positive socialization and the wisdom that comes from
valuable information about living. Information about both natural and planned
socialization can be especially useful.

Our prior socialization helps explain a gigantic chunk of who we are at present -- what
we think and feel, where we plan to go in life. But we are not limited by the things given
to us by our prior social learning experiences; we can take all our remaining days and
steer our future social learning in directions that we value. The more that we know
about the socialization process, the more effective we can be in directing our future
learning in the ways that will help us most.

Because we were not able to select our parents, we were not able to control much of the
first 10 or 20 years of our socialization. However, most people learn to influence their
own socialization as they gain experience in life. It takes special skills to steer and direct
our own socialization, and many of us pick up some of those skills naturally as we go
through life. Having a course on socialization can help us understand which skills are
most effective in guiding our socialization toward the goals we most value.
It is important to know that we all come into life with a variety of psychology systems
that foster self-actualization and favor the development of our human potential. These
are the biosocial mechanisms that underlie natural socialization. We can see and study
natural socialization by examining the socialization of primates and other mammals.
Once we under the natural biosocial processes, we can try to build strategies of self-
actualization that are compatible with the natural biosocial mechanisms we are born
with to make self-development as easy and rewarding as possible.

Activity:
Differentiate between positive and negative role of socialization in teaching learning process.

3.3 Types of Socialization

These are the main types of socialization:

1. Primary Socialization:
Primary socialization occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values, and actions
appropriate to individuals as members of a particular culture. For example, if a child
saw his/her mother expressing a discriminatory opinion about a minority group, then
that child may think this behaviour is acceptable, and could continue to have this opinion
about minority groups.

2. Secondary Socialization:
Secondary socialization refers to the process of learning that what is appropriate
behaviour as a member of a smaller group within the larger society. It is usually
associated with teenagers and adults, and involves smaller changes than those occurring
in primary socialization; e.g., entering a new profession or relocating to a new
environment.

3. Developmental Socialization:
Developmental socialization is the process of learning behaviour in a social institution
or developing your social skills.

4. Anticipatory Socialization:
Anticipatory socialization refers to the processes of socialization in which a person
"rehearses" for future positions, occupations, and social relationships.

5. Resocialization:
Resocialization refers to the process of discarding former behaviour patterns and
accepting new ones as part of a transition in one's life. This occurs throughout the human
life cycle (Schaefer & Lamm, 1992: 113).
Resocialization can be an intense experience, with the individual experiencing a sharp
break with their past, and needing to learn and be exposed to radically different norms
and values. An example might be the experience of a young man or woman leaving
home to join the military, or areligious convert internalizing the beliefs and rituals of a
new faith. An extreme example would be the process by which a transsexual learns to
function socially in a dramatically altered gender role.

6. Organizational Socialization
Organizational socialization is the process whereby an employee learns the knowledge
and skills necessary to assume his or her organizational role.[27] As newcomers
become socialized, they learn about the organization and its history, values, jargon,
culture, and procedures. This acquired knowledge about new employees' future work
environment affects the way they are able to apply their skills and abilities to their jobs.
How actively engaged the employees are in pursuing knowledge affects their
socialization process. They also learn about their work group, the specific people they
work with on a daily basis, their own role in the organization, the skills needed to do
their job, and both formal procedures and informal norms. Socialization functions as a
control system in that newcomers learn to internalize and obey organizational values
and practices.

7. Group Socialization
Group socialization is the theory that an individual's peer groups, rather thanparental
figures, influences his or her personality and behaviour in adulthood. Adolescents spend
more time with peers than with parents. Therefore, peer groups have stronger
correlations with personality development than parental figures do. For example, twin
brothers, whose genetic makeup are identical, will differ in personality because they
have different groups of friends, not necessarily because their parents raised them
differently.

8. Gender Socialization
Gender role has an important place in Socialization as Henslin (1999:76) emphasized
“an important part of socialization is the learning of culturally defined gender roles.”
Gender socialization refers to the learning of behaviour and attitudes considered
appropriate for a given sex. Boys learn to be boys and girls learn to be girls. This
"learning" happens by way of many different agents of socialization. The family is
certainly important in reinforcing gender roles, but so are one’s friends, school, work
and the mass
media. Gender roles are reinforced through "countless subtle and not so subtle ways"
(1999:76).
As parents are present in a child's life from the beginning, their influence ina child's
early socialization is very important, especially in regards to gender roles. Sociologists
have identified four ways in which parents socialize gender roles in their children:
Shaping gender related attributes through toysand activities, differing their interaction
with children based on the sex ofthe child, serving as primary gender models, and
communicating gender ideals and expectations.

9. Racial socialization
Racial socialization has been defined as "the developmental processes by which children
acquire the behaviours, perceptions, values, and attitudes of an ethnic group, and come
to see themselves and others as members of the group". The existing literature
conceptualizes racial socialization as having multiple dimensions. Researchers have
identified five dimensions that commonly appear in the racial socialization literature:
cultural socialization, preparation for bias, promotion of mistrust, egalitarianism,
and other. Cultural socialization refers to parenting practices that teach children about
their racial history or heritage and is sometimes referred to as pride development.
Preparation for bias refers to parenting practices focused on preparing children to be
aware of, and cope up with, discrimination. Promotion of mistrust refers to the parenting
practices of socializing children to be vary of people from other races. Egalitarianism
refers to socializing children with the belief that all people are equal and should be
treated with a common humanity.

Activity:
Visit some schools of your area and conduct an interview of at least 10 teachers and ask
the teachers as how they try to socialize their students.

3.4 Stages of Socialization

There are four basic stages in the socialization process: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and
age sixty-five and over. During each of these stages of life, people typically begin to learn and
to develop important and useful skills; these skills continue to evolve, carrying over and
preparing each of us for the next stages of life. Very early on, organized institutions and specific
groups of people help us through these four stages. These agents of socialization include family,
school, peers, media, religion and theworkplace. Without experiencing the essential stages of
socialization and interacting withthe agents of socialization, a person's growth and opportunity
become stunted.

Childhood is the most important stage of socialization. The first thing that humans go through
in life is called primary socialization, in which children develop personality,
motor skills, reasoning, language and most importantly, self-concept. A little later in childhood,
they are introduced to roles, values and norms. Primary socialization is the building block for
socialization throughout the rest of one's life. Without learning and developing these skills early
on, a person is not likely to develop them and therefore, will not have the tools to become an
active member of society. During the childhood stage,the family acts as the most important
agent of socialization. The family provides a nurturing environment that is instrumental in
normal cognitive, emotional and physical development. Interaction with one's family allows a
person to develop language, to learn and refine simple motor skills - such as shoe tying and
eating - as well as to share emotional care and understanding. After the child masters some of
the simple life skills, the parents begin to teach the meanings of right and wrong, obedience and
conformity; ultimately, our parents teach and give us the foundation for the future of our lives.

It becomes clear that without both the childhood development stage and itsaccompanying
familial involvement, children would be entirely unprepared to survivealone, to interact
with others and to move any further toward the next stage, adolescence.Adolescence is the
next stage in the socialization process; it continues the developmentof childhood lessons
while, at the same time, setting us up for the socialization that willoccur during adulthood.
During adolescence, the biggest development is taking onindependence from one's parents.
This dramatic change is noted as anticipatorysocialization, during which adolescents learn
about and prepare for roles that they maytake on later in life, in the stage of adulthood.
Prevalent examples of anticipatory andadolescent socialization depend on the role of two
agents of socialization, schools andpeers. One of the most important things - that families
try to set their children up forduring the childhood stage - is the social challenges of
school. Beyond teaching generalknowledge, schools teach and reinforce society's culture,
values, norms and ideals. Forexample, although more freedom of choice has opened up
in recent years, girls aregenerally swayed toward taking home economics while boys
usually gravitate towardtechnology or shop. In many middle schools throughout the country,
this reinforced someof the gender norms that were likely learned during childhood and
also, seemed toanticipate that girls would be housewives while men while went out into the
workforce.Even beyond typical subjects and societal norms, schools teach children about
followingrules, obeying authority and finally, they are instrumental in introducing us to our
peers. Our peers have a big role in the process of socialization, particularly during the stages
ofadolescence and early adulthood. It is natural for a person to search for acceptance; andso,
when one finds a group of people with whom they can identify, they tend to conformto the
norms associated with that group. Conforming is also known as giving in to peerpressure,
which can lead a person to do a number of things to fit in including, dressing ina certain
style, using drugs and participating in extracurricular activities. While fittinginto a desired
group may be very important to the adolescent individual, this may causeconflict with their
family, who helped to shape their personality earlier in life. This,among other conflicts,
exemplifies the difficulties of adolescence, particularly withfinding oneself and separating
from one's parents.
The third stage in the socialization process is Adulthood. At this stage, people are likely to be
fully prepared for what they will face in life, given their anticipatory experiences during the
previous two stages. Although anticipatory socialization exists to prepare usfor what will most
likely be our future role in society, we must go one step further and enter into the "real world."
We will most likely get a job forcing us to go past anticipatory socialization and through
professional socialization. This process prepares us for a job by providing the knowledge and
cultural background to be successful in our respective work environment.

The workplace is the final ordinal agent of socialization. Most people spend a large portion of
everyday at work for many years. People are socialized by their workplace in different ways
depending on their occupation. For example socialization as a construction worker is much
different from the professional socialization one would encounter as a businessman. A simple
difference can be seen in the dress code of each job. They are drastically different, with the
construction worker wearing jeans and a t-shirt while the businessman is expected to wear a suit.

The fourth and final stage of socialization is referred to as age sixty-five and beyond. In our
society, many people enter the world of retirement around the age of sixty-five; entering into
retirement can also be called a role exit or referred to as leaving an important social role. This
stage of socialization is much less important to the individual, as it does not really set them up
for the next stage of their life and in most cases, retirees take up hobbies just to occupy their
time.

Activity:
Diffrentiate between adulthood and Adolescence with the help of relevant examples.

3.5 Agents of Socialization

Agencies of socialization are categorized into two as primary and secondary. Primary
agents familiarize a child to the society and family is a crucial primary agent of
socialization. Secondary agents or agencies familiarize a child to an organized place or
institution and it is more systematic than primary agents of socialization. The best
example is none other than the school wherein there is a particular set of rules and
regulations to be followed. Family, school, peer groups, mass media, education
institutions, work places, religion and politics are key agents of socialization.

Family
Family is the most important and crucial institution of socializing a child. Soon after the
birth, a child has to be with the mother and the child learns particular behavioural
patterns from her. Of course, this is a crucial experience in his/herlife. Subsequently
he/she learns to interact with other members/individuals in the family. Activities such
as sucking milk, smiling, carefulness and tottering are
important in primary socialization. The infant gets fulfilled all physical and
psychological needs within the family itself.

Child rearing practices such as nutrition, sleeping and use of toilets are to be trained at
home. However, all these practices keep changing from society to society. In Asian
countries these practices are experienced with simplicity and relaxation on the contrary
rigid practices are followed in western countries since in western countries such as
Britain, France, Germany, etc, the mother does not bewith the child for a long period of
time. However, Asian mother stays with the child for a long period in comparison to
western mother.

In addition to child rearing practices, rewarding, threatening, punishing,bargaining and

pleading help to socialize a particular child. Intention of all these methods is to make
the child conformed to the society.

As far as sociologists are concerned, early childhood experiences affect the personality
development. Both love and affection of parents strongly influence the development of
his personality. At the same time, lack of warmth, love and affection form an
affectionless figure or personality. When a particular individual has both over-affection,
he becomes an unbalanced character. The individual who has the excessive love and
affection is not self-confident while who is rejectedcan be harmful to the society.
School
The school is another important and crucial agent of socialization. The child who has
been with the family for years extends his relationship with the outer society through
school. The child receives his school education from six to eighteenyears. The
school is known as a micro system and it is an institution where learning takes place and
individuals develop. The school provides the intellectual and social experiences from
which individuals develop knowledge, skills, customs, beliefs, interest, and attitudes
that characterize them and shape their abilities to perform adult roles.

However, provision of good members to the society is the objective of education.

Subject knowledge which is being taught by a set of teachers is exclusively a new
experience.
However, just after the admission to the school emotional bond and relationship thechild
had with the family and its members keeps reducing. The child is able to develop his
skills through the new environment. At the same time he has the abilityto identify the
school as a place where his ideas and activities are appreciated and admired. The
rewards he receives as appreciation, commendation, etc, may influence over the
formation of his personality.
Imitation affects the formation of the personality of an individual. The child has the
opportunity to associates closely with the teacher in subject oriented activities and in
extra curricular activities. He is motivated to imitate his teachers. The personality of the
child is formed by following and imitating not only external characteristics of teachers
such as accent, behaviour, handwriting, etc, but also their ideas and
opinions as well.

Peer Groups
A peer group is a social group consisting of people who are equal in such respects as
age, education, or social class. Friendship groups and age grades are alsoknown
as peer groups. In course of child's growth, he is motivated to be with the friends of his
age. It is mainly prominent from teen ages to adulthood.

The socialization that takes place with peers is different from those of the family and
school. Similar tastes, likes, dislikes and ideas influence of the formation of such groups.
Those who like sports and music get together and form into groups is such an example.
In peer groups, the child acquires a greater understanding in respect of conforming to
laws and regulations. The child who does not conform tostandard laws and regulations
is rejected with ease from his group. Not being able to abide by the rules and regulations
of the sports team and being unable to obey theorder of its leader may
be subjected to ejection.

According to ideas and activities of the members certain controlling methods such as
commending, accepting, punishing or rejecting are operative within a group. Children
who are disobedient to their children may be subjected to ideas and control of such
groups. Peer groups are important as a place where in an individual could discuss
certain issues, problems and matters which cannot be
discussed with their adults in the family or school. Owing to movement with peers, a
particular individual is able to solve certain problems. Socialization takes place by
imitating the individuals who are appreciated by the peer group as well. Things such as
accent, fashions, hair styles, ways of behaviour, etc, are often imitated.

In peer groups, there may be certain notions that are mismatched with the normsof the
adults. It can be a reason for creating conflicts between the two groups.Now and
then there are situations in which such groups formed can be mismatched with the
society and culture. A friendship group abusing intoxicants or drugs is a group which is
incompatible with the culture of the society. The socialization takes place by peer groups
may strongly affect the formation of the personality of an individual.

Mass Media
Theorists, like Parsons, and textbook authors, like Ely Chinoy (1960), and Harry
M. Johnson (1961), recognized that socialization didn't stop when childhood ended.
They realized that socialization continued on into adulthood, but they treated it as a form
of specialized education.

Johnson (1961), for example, wrote about the importance of inculcating members of the
US Coastguard with a set of values so as to respond to commands and actin unison
without question. Some scholars accused theorists of socialization of notrecognizing the
importance of the mass media which, by the middle of the twentieth century, was
becoming more significant as a social force. There was concern about the link between
television and the education and socialization of children, a concern that continues
today, but when it came to adults, the mass media were regarded merely as sources of
information and entertainment, rather than molders of personality.

Some sociologists and theorists of culture have recognized the power of mass
communication as a socialization device. Dennis McQuail recognizes the argument: …
the media can teach norms and values by way of symbolic reward and punishment for
different kinds of behaviour as represented by the media. An alternative view is that it
is a learning process whereby we all learn how to behavein certain situations, and with
the expectations which go with a given role orstatus in society. Thus, the media are
continually offering pictures of life and models of behaviour in advance of actual
experience. (McQuail 2005: 494)

However, the most important agent of socialization for the development of the childis the
mass media. The Mass Media are the different processes that facilitate communication
between the sender of a message and the receiver of that message. It
plays an important role in the socialization of children. In fact, there are many typesof
media; these include newspapers, magazines, radio, films, CDs, Internet, and television.
These kinds of media, especially television, affect children's and adult's behaviour in
different ways.
Having the mass media as one of our major agents of socialization could be very hardon
our society today. When watching different TV shows seeing all those actors andactresses
with these great figures hurt many people in the society today. In other wayswatching TV
could be a good thing when an actor or actress is on TV in different shows or music it
could bring many good things like being a role model for an adolescent teenager who
wants someone to looks up too. Having these agents is a great guideline for people who
want to start with a great start with their children orwants to be a good communicator.

The average family in the United States has at least one television turned on for at least
seven hours a day. Television is the biggest mass media in a country and has positive
and negative aspects. There are some programs which are very helpful with lots of
information for the children. For example; on channel thirty-three, there is a good
program called "Dora, the Explorer". Children can learn to speak Spanish and also do
things such as singing, standing up and pronouncing words in English. On the same
channel, there is also a program called "Blue's Clues". In this program, children learn
how to think, sing and discover clues. When children watch these programs, they are
not the same people anymore because they can become more knowledgeable. These
programs are very good because they change children's minds and make the children
different from what they were before.

However, there are also television programs that affect children negatively which have
too much violence, and unfortunately children love it. Children should not see these
kinds of programs because children tend to imitate the fighters. In addition, there are
some movies that have a lot of violence and unwanted words and children love these
kinds of movies. Children like and learn how to use knives, guns and explosives
because they watch it on TV. Sometimes childrentake the role of their superheroes in
real life because they see their favorite actors using these weapons. For example; when
children watch the actor stealing a car on TV, they learn from it and they also want to
steal because they want to be like their superheroes.

Other agencies of socialization

People are also influenced by other agencies of socialization as well. The other most
predominant agent amongst them is religion. Religion or religious conviction forms
social and cultural patterns for individuals. The manner the Muslims dress is not the
way for other religious groups. Any religion inculcates
moral values such as love and compassion for others. Religions do not permit anyone to
engage in adultery and theft and robberies. Also, scouts, youth organizations, the
military and employment settings are some agents of socialization. In some countries
the military training is even given to ordinary youths recruited for some other
professions since it helps to produce individuals with discipline.

3.6 Role of School in Socialization

School is an important part of the society. It is known as social organization because it
is the school which provides an exposure to students and it prepares the students to
occupy social roles according to their capacities after receiving the school. School is
considered as a second home for students because it is a school wherein students pass
most of the time of his day and this is utilized in form of learning. Every student learns
about social life, social norms and social believes etc and he will be produced as a social
being. So in the process of socialization school plays a very significant role. Its functions
are as under.

The first and the foremost function of the school is to transmit knowledge and skills to
the younger generation. So in the process of socialization, the younger generation can
utilize the knowledge and skills. They are become aware about social rights, rules,
regulation and social believers so that they live according to their own ideas and
knowledge. They develop thinking skill so recreation lies in their behaviour.

School keeps the moral power of the society, secure and also maintain social heritage
of the society. This social heritage is handed on the following generation by the school.
So it brings awareness in an individual about moral power of society and social heritage.
School protects the historical continuity of society. It performs the function of
acquainting the new generation with ancient myths and legends and maintaining the
patterns of behaviour in the form of traditions and customs. So students become aware
about ancient myths and legends and behaviour thereby they behave in a particular
social way. The school is like a family, a social; institution which socializes the
individual and provides him someexperience in social control therefore, the individual
will learn to accept the kind of social control that is imposed on him in school and will
also demand similar social control from society for this reason, there is a great insistence
in democraticcountries that the atmosphere in the school should be democratic and we
find the democratic climate in school around us which acquaints students with
democratic norms of social control which is very important in the process of
socialization. Thus students learn how to live with democratic norms and how to behave
with each other which help in the process of socialization.
School fosters all round development in personality of students, physical, mental,
emotional and social. School involves all students in different co-curricular activities so
that students develop physically, mentally and socially, for example curricular activities
like Puzzles, games, group discussion, sport related to the curriculum. Which develop
students physically, socially and mentally thinking skills and co–curricular or extra
activities including debate, elocution, competition, drawing etc develop individual
differences and particular skills to students. They also develop social leadership
qualities other political leadership traits etc which indirectly help every individual to be
a social being that mean every individual are socialized by such activities.

The school provides social environment before children by organizing students unions,
social service camp social functions and parents- teacher association etc. So that all the
socially desirable values namely sympathy, co-operation, tolerance,social awakening
and discipline in them so school develops social dealing in all children. School works
under the light of social ideals and develop the child with reference to such ideals and
aims. School encourages children to come in active contact with the libraries and youth
welfare countries organized by the community or Govt.

The miniature school life is brought into active and lively contact with wider world out-
sides that means school provides a conducive climate. The head masters and teachers
allow freedom to the students which make them more responsible. They impart
knowledge of social customs and traditions and develop values of society among
students.

The importance of the school as an agency of socialization can be divided into three
subtopics: the school and society, the classroom, and the teacher. When children begin
school it is usually the first time that they come under the supervision of people who are
not their relatives. It is likely that the school is the first agency that encourages children
to develop loyalties and sentiments that go beyond the family and link them to a wider
social order. The school as an agency of socialization should be recognized as the first
organizer of social relationships (Elkin & Handel, 1978). The classroom is often seen
as a place where the child is easily faced with socializing amongst peers. Since most of
the things that childrendo in the classroom are done in the presence of their peers, they
have to learn howto deal with a more formalized group situation? Parental expectations
and perceptions of their children’s development of both cognitive and motor skills serve
to affect the transition to the school environment (Coates & Wagenaar, 1999).
Humor in the classroom touches on socialization, one of the major functions of schools:
to acculturate knowledgeable, understanding, compassionate, and empathetic new
members to our society (Freda & Pollack, 1997). The teacher also plays an important
role in the social development of the child. If one of the tasks of adolescence is to
achieve a balance between conformity and rebellion, then the role of the teacher is an
important one in assisting children as they attempt that process. When teachers confront
a negative student with humor, they often find that this use of humor is an effective way
to diffuse the student’s anger and hostility. If a teacher and student can laugh together,
they can most likely work together and also plan together.
Activity:
Plan a program in the school for student socialization by role play method.

3.7 Teacher as a Role Model

Schools are one of the first places where kid’s behaviour and future educational successis
shaped. Teachers are carriers of either positive or negative behaviour toward students. The
reason why the first years of school are so critical is because kids learn the base of their
educational life. Teachers must love their career to pass enthusiasm, to assists, andto provide
a warm environment to the students.

Teachers are the second mothers for the students because students spend a lot of timewith
their teachers. At the same time, a real teacher becomes through many years of training and
experiences in the field. The same way, mothers are not born being great mothers but as their
experiences with their kids expand, they become experts on the field.We know that mothers
look the best for their kids and one of their goals is to raise their kids so they can become
professionals and pioneers for the society. Some of the mother’s role toward kids is to give them
care, love, respect, lead, instruct and to try to form a safe and pleasant environment at their
homes. Are these attitudes of the mothers toward their kids related to what the role of the teacher
should be with the students in the classroom? If not, what should be the role of the teachers
then?

A teacher is someone who becomes through many years of training and experiences inthe
field. It is urgent for everyone who is a teacher or is planning to become one to get prepare in
the field the best they can. All teachers who get prepare will know how to set up rules in the
classroom. Those kind of teachers will probably have less problems in their classroom because
they will be able to control the classroom.

A teacher carries a big responsibility in her classroom. One reason is that all students depend
on her/him. Everything the teacher says will have an impact on the students. Ifthe teacher
feels joy or feels anger, it will be spread among children because the attitudes of the teacher gets
contagious. If the teacher laughs, students also laugh, why? Because teachers are responsible
for the social behaviour in the classroom. If something goes wrong the only responsible is the
teacher even if it was not their foul.
The teacher must create a warm and protective environment but at the same time that approach
should be professional. If students feel secure in the classroom the result will be shown in the
academic progress. A good start could be a mutual trust with each student. Teaches have the
responsibility to know his/her students in the classroom. Each day, the teachers show one of
their attitudes that the students are unaware. Also, the students do the same in order for the
teacher to get to know them, too. This is a good exercise to do because it benefits the whole
class to break the ice. The first days most of the students are afraid of the teacher because they
do not know how is the teacher’s personality. It will change until the point that the teacher and
students discover to have common hobbies with each other.

Sometimes, the teacher’s caring attitudes could have a long positive or negative influence on
students. Student’s self-esteem could be lift up because it could create ambitions in theirminds for
future academic success. Psychologically, students could be affected if they haveproblems with
their teachers. One of the results could be that students will avoid going to school. As
professional teachers, we do not want any conflict with the students.

Sometimes, the behaviour of students demonstrates that something is not going right. Therefore,
I think teachers must pay attention to any suspicious sings that could bother the student. As
teacher our responsibility is to find out what is going on with the students in the classroom. Kids
deep in their hearts feel that teachers could help them but sometimes they are afraid to ask the
teacher. This issue is very common in the school. The students prefer to talk to their friends
about their problems and sometimes teachers are the last person to find out about the problem.
Sometimes is the teacher’s foul that students do not seek his/her help because sometimes the
teachers do not form a bound of communication. The teachers must let students know how she
feels when students do not trust her, maybe it would help students to change their minds about
telling the teacher his/her problem.

Often, there is a debate about, if a teacher should be a role model for students. Teachers are
being respected by society because they are view as knowledgeable about different subjects of
school. Even if teachers do not like to be point out as being role models, it is certainly think they
are. Teachers have the qualities to be or become role models for students. Why? Because most
teachers respect, love, care, instruct, and guide their students to become a successful person.
Students view teacher as being wise therefore they look up for them. Students know that if they
need something they just need to ask them. Kids learn from every lesson the teacher gives. At
the same time, students should not look to their teacher to copy them but rather to compare and
to see the mistakes to notdo them in our lives. Students should concentrate in doing their work
and being proud of the way they are.

It is essential and crucial for teachers to be prepared because the first years of school are very
important for the students. The future education success of the students depends on their first
years. It’s never late to star abound of a relationship between teacher and students. As human,
sometimes teachers do things that are not correct, however we alwayshave another chance to do
it better. It is believed that teachers need to show respect, caring,
become role models, make a pleasant environment, treat students right, instructs them but not be
totalitarian, and guides them through the road of success. The only who gets the benefits are the
students and sometimes it could be a negative or positive.

A teacher is someone considered as an ideal self or a role model by children. Children

see these role models in their parents and also in teachers. Both have a powerful and
lasting impact on the behaviour and attitudes of children. It is difficultto say when this
influence starts and when it actually stops. What we know is that impressions formed
throughout the school years and last a life time. It is therefore very important that
teachers demonstrate qualities that impress children and they become examples of ideal
self for children.

Teachers have a responsibility to demonstrate highest examples of acceptable

behaviour, be it in class or outside the classroom. In other words teachers must walk the
talk. In classrooms, we impart knowledge to shape young minds, their attitude, their
beliefs, values and their current and future behaviour. Our objective should be to
produce goods citizens well-grounded in Islamic teachings, values, culture and beliefs-
ready to be a member of a responsible society.

We know the lasting, deep and permanent impressions formed by teachers on young
minds. So what are the qualities or attributes that we would like to see in teachers who
are in charge of influencing or modelling our children?

How do we become role models as teachers? There are a number of ways that we can
act as role models. For example, punctuality is something that we all should value. A
teacher who is repeatedly late to classes will find it difficult to convince the students on
the value of this behaviour. Similarly a teacher is who appears ill- prepared will find it
hard to convince the students on the importance of being organized.

To be a successful role model, teachers must demonstrate highest examples in a number

of attributes.

Honesty is a key attribute that excellent teachers possess. Teachers must be honestin all
the interactions and dealings with children. Teachers should never discriminate among
children or play favouritism. These are two highly undesirable behaviours that all
successful teachers must avoid at all times. A teacher who is seen to be discriminatory
or favouring certain children is eroding the motivation and the respect of other children.
Such teachers will find it difficultto discharge their responsibilities and earn the respect
of the children that are in their care.
Another quality that we seek in successful teacher is affection. Being human beings we
all need love and affection. Children are no exception. Hence, teachers must be
affectionate to all the children in their care. It is said that it is the love andaffection that
children get in this stage of their life that makes them lovable and affectionate human
beings later in life.

A third quality of a good role model is that teachers should know his or her subject
matter. Children expect teachers to be a source of knowledge and information. This is
an attribute that cannot be under estimated. Children by their nature have a longing for
learning and seek answers for various questions. Teachers should know that children do
not take much time to assess the capacity of a teacher. Hence, the teachers must be
current with their knowledge and information through continuous learning and
development and by being prepared to class. A teacher should never pretend to know
the answer for something he or she does not know. This could be seen as an example of
being dishonest. Teacherswho admit their limitations will also be teaching children the
value of being honest and the importance of accepting human limitations, instead of
simplyjustifying their own actions or behaviour.

A good role model also should respect and be appreciated of the problems that children
go through in their life. Many children bring into classrooms problems that take place
elsewhere. Good teachers should be willing to listen to children’s’ problems and be
willing to offer guidance and help wherever possible. In cases, where a teacher is unable
to provide further support, a teacher should encourage seeking professional help either
in the school or externally. When children know that they can trust and confide in the
teachers, they develop confidence and try to address their problems, instead of keeping
the problems to themselves. This isvery important for the emotional well-being of the
children and makes them motivated learners.

Also, in a technology friendly world a teacher should be a role model for acceptable use
of technological equipment such as mobile phone. Technology tends to break the
traditionally accepted norms and behaviours in society. For instance, playing music on
a bus/ferry loudly is unacceptable as it tends to disturb the privacy of others on the
bus/ferry. Likewise, talking loud or simply using the mobile phone in a certain space
can be a nuisance to the others who use/share the same space, e.g. a hospital ward.

3.7.1 Specific Role of Teacher

1. Teachers are carries of either positive or negative behaviour toward
students.
 2. Teachers must love their career to pass enthusiasm, to assists, and to provide
a warm environment to the students.
3. Teachers are the second mothers ffor the students because students spend a
lot of time with their teachers.
4. A teacher is someone who becomes through many years of training and
experiences in the field.
5. A teacher carries a big responsibility in her classroom. One reason is that all
students depend on her/him.
6. The teacher must create a warm and protective environment but at the same
time professional.
7. Sometimes, the teacher’s caring attitudes could have a long positive or
negative influence on students.
8. Sometimes, the behaviour of students demonstrates that something is not
going right. Therefore, the teachers must pay attention to any suspicious
sings that could bother the student.
9. The teachers must let student know how he/she feels when students do not
trust in her maybe it would help students to change their minds about telling
the teacher his/her problem.
10. A teacher is someone considered as an ideal self or a role model by children.
11. Teachers have a responsibility to demonstrate highest examples of
acceptable behaviour, be it in class or outside the classroom.
12. We know the lasting, deep and permanent impressions formed by teachers
on young minds. So what are the qualities or attributes that we would like to
see in teachers who are incharge of influencing or modeling our children?

Activity:
Discuss with your coursemate about the role of teacher as agent of socialization in community
and analyze their opinions.

3.8 Summary
At last we have the ability to come to a conclusion that the socialization is the persistent
process of familiarizing individuals to the society. Socialization provides an
understanding in respect of society and culture in which the individual lives and also
helps to form his personality. The institutions that make the individuals familiarize to
the society are known as agents of socialization. Amongst them the primary
socialization is done by family influences the formation of individual's personality. In
addition to it, school, peer groups, mass media, religion, work place and politics
influence in forming a particular individual's personality.
3.9 Self-Assessment Questions

1. Define socialization. Why is it important for the human beings to study the
same?
2. Distinguish between different types of socialization.
3. How do different stages of socialization influence the developmental stages
of a child?
4. Discuss in light of the education, how do schools influence the children in
bringing up their socialization process?
5. How do teachers positively act as role models in the society?
3.10 Suggested Readings

1. Bester, G. (2007). Personality development of the adolescent: peer group versus parents. South
African Journal of Education, 27(2), 177-190.

2. Clausen, John A. (ed.) (1968) Socialization and Society, Boston: LittleBrown

and Company.

3. Coates, R. D., & Wagenaar, T. C. (1999, Winter). Race and Children: The dynamics of
early socialization. Education, 120(2), 220-236.

4. Coser, Lewis and Rosenberg, Bernard. (1957). Sociological Theory: A Book of Readings.
(Second ed). New York: The McMillan Company

5. Durkheim, Emile. (1950). The Rules of Sociological Method. New York: The Free Press.

6. Elkin, F., & Handel, G. (1978). The child and society: The process of socialization (3rd ed.).
New York: Random House.

7. Giddens, a., (2006) Sociology, 5th Edition. Polity Press, Cambridge.

8. Haralambos, M., and Holborn, M., (2004) sociology: Themes and Perspective Collins
Education, London.

9. Hughes, D., Rodriguez, J., Smith, E., Johnson, D., Stevenson, H. & Spicer, P. (2006). Parents'
ethnic-racial socialization practices: A review of research and directions for future study.
Developmental Psychology, 42, 5, 747-770.

10. Hurrelmann, Klaus (1989, reissued 2009) Social Structure and Personality
Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

11. Macionis, J, J. & Plummer, K. (1998). Sociology. New York: Prentice Hall.

12. Macionis, John J. "Sociology: 7th Canadian Edition". (Toronto: Pearson, 2011), 120-121

13. Parsons, Talcott and Bales, Robert (1956) Family, Socialization and Interaction Process,
London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

14. Parsons, Talcott and Bales, Robert (1956) Family, Socialization and
Interaction Process, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

15. Robertson, I., Sociology.