Topic 5:Change and Planning in

Educational Systems and Social Mobility

SUSANNA HONG POAY LIN (MP 132052) CHONG KAH YIAN (MP 131347) NUR JAMILAH BINTE OSMAN (MP132068) NURFADZILLAH ISMAIL (MPP 141039) YASOTHA ARUMUGAM (MPP141176)

The Dynamics of Change

5 components of dynamics of change (Smith, 2008)

Change causes inevitable resistance.

Change disrupts our

routines.

Change challenges our assumptions.

Change is stressful.

Change requires much, with little time.

1. Change causes inevitable resistance

Responses to proposed change

REFUSAL

to change direction

RELUCTANCE

to change direction

PASSION

to bring about change

2. Change disrupts our routines

What if you were told that if you did not change, you would die? 90% of the individuals who received that “change or die” warning did not change

“Even though they know they have a very bad disease and they know they should change their lifestyle, for whatever reason, they can’t”

(Deutschman, 2005)

3. Change challenges our assumptions

Assumption is defined as “a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof” (The Concise Oxford American Dictionary, 2006).

Are educational decisions and practices based on assumptions? Absolutely.

4. Change is stressful

“Who moved my cheese?”

Johnson (1998) recognized how change produces stress, using the metaphor of two mice and two “littlepeople” and their experiences in a maze.

There is a disruption to feeding patterns: The cheese disappeared; it had been moved.

Sniff and Scurry (two mice) quickly moved on to find out where the new cheese was, but Hem and Haw (“littlepeople”), were astonished.

“No one had warned them. It wasn’t right. It was not the way things were supposed to be.”

Finally, Haw realized that “we keep doing the same things over and over again and wonder why things don’t get better”.

These two “littlepeople” were seriously stressed and had much difficulty embracing change.

5. Change requires much, with little time

Bringing about school change has been described as trying to change a flat tire when the car is in motion.

“Teachers were not just trying to implement single innovations, one at a time. They were facing multiple and multifaceted changes to their practice… moreover, this set of changes could not be addressed in isolation from other aspects of their work in their schools.”

Conclusion

Machiavelli (1992): “It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry

out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate

a new order of things”.

Perspectives on Change

Sociological perspectives on social change fall into the functionalist and conflict

approaches. Both views together offer a more complete understanding of social change than

either view by itself (Vago, 2004).

(Barken, 2011)

The Functionalist Understanding

• Based on insights developed by different generations of sociologists.

• Early sociologists likened change in society to change in biological organisms. They said that societies evolved just as organisms do,

tiny, simple forms

much larger and more complex structures

As societies grow and evolve

Many new roles develop

Not everyone has the time or skill to perform every role.

People thus start to specialize their roles and a division of labor begins.

When societies are small and simple

There are few roles to performJust about everyone can perform all

of these roles

The Functionalist Understanding

Equilibrium model of social change (Talcott Parsons, 1966)

Society is always in a

natural state of

equilibrium (a state of

equal balance among

opposing forces).

Gradual change is

both necessary

and desirable.

Gradual change typically

stems from such things

as population growth,

technological advances,

and interaction with other

societies that brings new

ways of thinking and

acting

However, any sudden

social change disrupts this equilibrium.

To prevent this from

happening, other parts of society

must make appropriate adjustments if one part of society sees too sudden a

change.

The Functionalist Understanding

• Critics:

1. The change from simple to complex societies has been very positive.

In fact, as we have seen, this change has also proven costly in many ways. It might well have weakened social bonds, and it has certainly imperiled human existence.

2. Sudden social change is highly undesirable.

Such change may in fact be needed to correct inequality and other deficiencies in the status quo.

The Functionalist Understanding

Conflict Theory

• It views sudden social change in the form of protest or revolution as both desirable and necessary to reduce or eliminate social inequality and to address other social ills.

• Critics:

1. It exaggerates the extent of social inequality.

2. It sometimes overemphasizes economic conflict while neglecting conflict rooted in race and ethnicity, gender, religion, and other sources.

3. Its Marxian version also erred in predicting that capitalist societies would inevitably undergo a socialist-communist revolution.

Functional Theory v.s. Conflict Theory

Functional Theory Conflict

Generally good and sudden social change is undesirable

Assumption ofStatus Quo

Generally bad

A positive development that helped make modern

society possible

View on Industrialization

Exploited workers and thus increased social inequality (following the views of Karl

Marx)

The result of certain natural forces (population growth and composition,culture and technology,the natural environment

& social conflict)* Social change is

unplanned even though it happens anyway

Views on Social Change

Often stems from efforts by social movements to

bring about fundamental changes in the social,

economic, and political systems

* “planned,” or at least intended

Introduction to Social Mobility

What is Social Mobility?

A concept which is used in the sociological

investigation of inequality.

It refers to the movement of individuals between different levels of the social hierarchy.

R.Bendix (1959) believed that mobility was

essential for the stabilityof modern industrial

society.

Social Mobility

Social Mobility

INTRAgenerational

Mobility

INTERgenerational

Mobility

Intragenerational Mobility: Compares the positions attained by the same individual atdifferent moments in the course of his or her work of life.

Intergenerational Mobility: Compares the present position of individuals with those oftheir parents.

DO NOT GET CONFUSED!

• Q: Is social mobility similar to social movement?

• A: Social mobility is NOT similar to social movement.

•Social movement is a sustained, organised collective effortthat focuses on some aspect of social change. For example,they promote racial justice or advocate a particular belief.

Causes of Social Mobility

Causes

For a better living standard

Aiming for higher

education

Economic purpose

Development of education and media

The role of education in Social Mobility

Schools should be engines for social mobility, helping children achieve much more than they could have ever

imagined (Gove, 2010)

Educational institutions play a significant role in

reducing or maintaining social inequalities (Lanelli

and Paterson, 2005).

In modern societies, education has become an increasingly

important factor in determining which jobs people enter and

in determining their social class position (Lanelli & Paterson,

2005).

Formal education provides the training necessary for the

more highly skilled jobs (Neelsen, 1975).

Effects of Social Mobility

Effects of social mobility

Enjoying a better living standard

Freedom

Expansion of better ideas

Replacing obsolete custom

TYPES OF SOCIAL MOBILITY

Horizontal Mobility

Vertical Mobility

Upward Mobility

Downward Mobility

Inter-generational Mobility

Intra-generational Mobility

Structural Mobility

Horizontal Mobility

• A change in position at the same sociallevel but they remain at their same levelwithin the social hierarchy.

• The stage where people change theirposition with in the range of the sameposition or status.

• Much more common than verticalmobility.

• Examples:

1) A nurse who leaves one hospital to takea position as a nurse at anotherhospital.

2) A degree holder worked in governmentsector. After a year, he found that thework appeared dull repetitive, with noimprovement in sight. Then, he becomea lecturer at a nearby college.

Vertical Mobility

• Movement of an individual, people,or groups from one social level toanother.

• The stage where people change theirjob-related position, social class, orpower positions.

• Examples:

1) Movement from poor class tomiddle class.

2) Movement from a labor to anoffice clerk.

Upward Mobility

• The movement of an individual orgroups from a lower social positionor status to a higher social positionor status (social ascendance).

• Reflects social improvements.

• Examples:

1) A retail businessman who earns lotof profit may become a whole salebusinessman.

2) The son of a brick mason, througheducational attainments maybecome a university professor.

Downward Mobility

• The movement of an individual or groupsfrom a higher position or status to a lowersocial position or status (socialdescendance / social failure).

• Reflects the failure to maintain social,political, or economic positions, and losetheir statuses.

• Often stand to lose position.

• Examples:

1) Big businessmen, who have investedhuge money in business but face heavyloss.

2) People in high officers might bedenoted due to their corrupt practicesand so on.

Intragenerational Mobility

• A change in an individual's socialstatus, especially in the workforcethrough some achievement over arelatively short amount of time.

• Examples:

1) A lecturer in a pre-universitycollege becoming a professor atthe university after his doctoraldegree.

2) A person working as a supervisorin a factory becoming AssistantManager after getting promotion.

Intergenerational Mobility

• Social position that changes over multiplegenerations e.g. family members.

• “A measure of the equality of lifeopportunities, reflecting the extent towhich parents influence the success oftheir children in later life or, on theflipside, the extent to which individualscan make it by virtue of their own talents,motivation and luck.”

(Blanden J et. Al. 2005)

• Examples:

1) Bus conductor’s son becomes the chiefminister of a status.

2) A plumber’s son become the leader oftheir community.

• Involves vertical mobility but its movement is brought about by a majordisorder.

• Industrialization, increases in education, and postindustrialcomputerization have allowed people to improve their social status andfind higher‐level jobs.

• The change in stratification hierarchy.

• The vertical movement of a specific group, class, or occupation relativeto others in the stratification system.

• Example: These are the days of computers and information technology.Hence, computer engineers, technicians, and information technologistsreceive greater respect which was previously reserved for scientists andadvocates.

School as an Agent of Social Change

School As an Agent of Social Change

Context Capacity

Conversations

Context

Culture Environment

Messages

Capacity

Capacity

Plan Asses

Work in teams

Conversations

Conversations

Vision Progress