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Social Institution In Education

Thesis
There has been criticism of Structural functionalism. Structural functionalism is a general theory in sociology. The concept that students do not shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate conflicts with one of the main objectives of a public school education: the inculcation of fundamental values necessary to the maintenance of a democratic political system. Much of the research and many of the policies about commercial media in schools reflect adult assumptions about how young people learn, rather than provide empirical research about how young people actually interact with commercial texts while in school. These issues have a strong impact in educational institutions.
Functionalism
We can gain some insight into these questions by examining Kohlberg’s theory of moral development and its application in his just Community model for schools. Specifically, in developing his just Community model, Kohlberg drew upon social theory that was strongly influenced by sociologists such as Emile Durkheim and Robert Dreeben. There are many similarities between elements of Kohlberg’s theories and those of Durkheim and Dreeben, which are now characterized as being part of the structural-functionalist school of sociological thought. Kohlberg's strong link to strucutural-functionalism is best exemplified by his reliance on a universalistic conception of justice and a desire to promote social interaction that leads to equilibrium in society. While these ideas carry many positive connotations, criticism of the structural-functional school reveals the rigidity in such ideas and the ways they may support the status quo in society. Because Kohlberg relies so heavily on structural-functionalism, his theories are vulnerable to the same types of criticism.
By exposing the structural-functionalist roots of Kohlberg’s theory, this essay raises concerns about the application of Kohlberg’s ideas in the classroom. Kohlberg focuses on individual development, a universal...