Is a person raised by the school alone? In this lesson, we examine the concept of the social institution and the mutual relationship between education and other social institutions such as the family, religion, the economy and politics. We discuss the characteristics and functions of the family, the contributions of education to the economy and the two political functions of the education system, with examples from everyday life.
What will you learn in this episode?
- Define the concept of the social institution and the main social institutions
- List the characteristics of the family and its functions in social life
- Explain the historical development of the relationship between religion and education
- Explain the relationship between education and the economy and the contributions of education to the economy
- Explain the two-way relationship between education and politics and the two political functions of education
Summary of this episode
What is a social institution?
Organized and regular forms of social interaction that emerge and develop around certain common goals and interests are called social institutions. The family, the economy, religion, politics and education are foremost among these institutions. The social structure we live in is made up of these institutions. Because harmony among institutions largely means harmony in society, the interaction between them is important. Education, too, influences other institutions and is influenced by them.
The family and education
The family is one of the most fundamental and oldest of all social institutions and is the first educational environment the individual is part of from birth. The family is the smallest unit in society, based on marriage and kinship and formed by the relationships among spouses, children and siblings. Although it varies from society to society, it is a universal social group found in every society.
The family is like a stage on which human relationships are displayed. Individuals first learn positive qualities such as agreement, compromise, loyalty and cooperation, as well as negative ones such as disagreement and conflict, by experiencing and observing them in the family. The main characteristics of the family are as follows: it provides a basic environment for the individual's socialization and personality development, it is a small-scale model of society, it meets the need for love and rests on an emotional foundation, and it has its own internal rules to be followed.
The functions of the family in social life can be listed as follows: ensuring the continuity of generations (biological function), organizing the division of labor within the family (economic function), protecting its members from material and emotional harm (protective function), creating an environment of love, respect, solidarity and tolerance (psychological function), spending leisure time together, giving its members religious knowledge, sharing the family's status with all its members, and giving the child knowledge about life and reinforcing what is learned at school (educational function).
In the family environment, individuals learn by taking their parents as models. Society is strengthened by the bonds families create; the stronger these bonds, the more solid society becomes. For example, in a family where everyone can speak at the dinner table, opinions are listened to with respect and decisions are made together, individuals learn to respect others' views, to offer criticism and to make decisions. Until children start school, traditions and customs are largely learned in the family, and many studies show that conditions in the family positively affect school success.
Religion and education
Religion is the set of rules that governs people's relationship with what they regard as sacred. Through its rules, values and principles, it seeks to reduce disorder in social life and, by establishing patterns of behavior, to relieve individuals of anxiety and tension. From a sociological perspective, the functions of religion in society can be listed as follows: helping individuals achieve self-discipline by following rules, fostering unity and solidarity among individuals, preserving society's heritage and passing it on to future generations by maintaining traditions, and giving individuals a sense of security.
The relationship between religion and education has changed over time. In early societies, religion and education were intertwined; ceremonies and prayers made up an important part of instruction. In the Ottoman State, because religious and state affairs were conducted together, educational institutions were also under the influence of religion. With Westernization and military reform movements, the first secular schools were opened, and the fundamental separation of education from religion was achieved with the Law on the Unification of Education (Tevhid-i Tedrisat) of 3 March 1924.
The economy and education
The economy is the whole of the ways in which people produce in order to live and share what they produce, together with the relationships arising from these activities. The education system trains the qualified workforce the economy needs and equips the individuals who will make up the labor force with values compatible with the existing economic system. While preparing individuals for life, educational institutions also award diplomas that qualify them for a profession. The technicians, specialists and scientists needed for development are trained through education.
The contributions of education to the economy can be listed as follows: it enables an effective democracy to function, makes it easier to adapt to markets, helps reduce crime rates and related costs, raises awareness of community services through civil society organizations, makes it easier for parents to join the workforce because their children are at school, makes income growth sustainable, provides the knowledge and innovation that form the basis of production, and creates demand. Making use of physical resources requires qualified human resources; for this reason, investment in education is an investment in people and in the country's future. The relationship between education and the economy will be discussed in detail in Unit 6.
Politics and education
Political parties, the government and the state are the main political institutions that influence education and are among those that most affect its development and change. The relationship between education and politics is two-way: a country's political functioning affects the education system, and individuals educated within that system in turn influence how forms of governance are shaped.
The education system is said to have two political functions. The first is to maintain the existing political system. Through courses and activities, educational institutions raise individuals as citizens who contribute to shared values, the constitutional order and national unity. In Türkiye, this function is carried out in line with the general aims of Turkish National Education. The second is to train political leaders. Schools and higher education institutions, as well as political parties and voluntary organizations, contribute to developing the leaders who will govern society. The relationship between education and politics will be discussed in detail in Unit 5.
In short
Education is in constant interaction with social institutions such as the family, religion, the economy and politics. The family is the first educational environment; the economy expects a qualified workforce from education; while politics shapes education, individuals educated through it in turn shape governance. This harmony among institutions means harmony in society.
Key concepts
- Social institution: Organized and regular forms of social interaction that emerge around common goals and interests.
- Family: The smallest unit in society, based on marriage and kinship; the first educational environment.
- Functions of the family: Biological, economic, protective, psychological, leisure, religious, status-conferring and educational functions.
- Religion: The set of rules that governs people's relationship with what they regard as sacred.
- Law on the Unification of Education (Tevhid-i Tedrisat): The law enacted on 3 March 1924 that brought all educational institutions under a single authority.
- Economy: The whole of the ways of producing and sharing what is produced, together with the relationships arising from these activities.
- Political functions of education: Maintaining the existing political system and training political leaders.
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Sources used:
Deveci, H. (2008). Eğitimin sosyal temelleri [Social foundations of education]. In M. Gültekin (Ed.), Eğitim Bilimine Giriş [Introduction to Educational Science] (Unit 2). Eskişehir: Anadolu Üniversitesi Yayınları.
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