UNIT 2

School as a Social System

What is Social System?

 In sociology, a social system is the patterned network of relationships

constituting a coherent whole that exist between individuals, groups, and
institutions.

 Whenever we are going in different context of the society. It is crucial to

have a structured pattern network among ourselves in society. The
social system is all about studying the patterned network of
relationships which exists between groups of people, individuals, and
even in organizations.

School as a Social System

 The school is one of the social organizations founded by the society to meet
the educational needs and to maintain the educational activities. (Hunt, 1972
as cited by Turkkahraman, 2015)

 The school is a part of the social system, as an institution the school

aims to bring wisdom and skills to each other, as we know in the
Western Philippines University we learned because we interacted with
our fellows by giving our participation in every events inside the school
premises and actively participating in different social organization so as
the matter of fact Western Philippines University is called school as a
social system.

5 reasons for a school to be considered as a social system

 it has a social structure as a result of social interaction with in the school

 Inside the school as a social there are people who are responsible who
contribute towards the school goal's, just like here in WPU there are
Students, Teacher, Facilitators and Staff are actively sharing their
responsibility for developing life-long learners
 It has personnel who contribute towards the school goals
 A school must have a formal infrastructure so that, when an individual
or groups are gathered here they'll get a better interaction because of
the ambiance of the facilities.

 It is represented and bound by a strong social relationship

 In every school, there are always an organization to stand as an

effective tools to make students being socialize, and with the help of
that it can create a strong bound relationship with each other

 It has personnel who contribute towards the school goals.

 Whenever the school create any programs or events, make sure that
everyone who can participate in because one of the characteristic of
school as a social system is everyone must bound by feeling of
belongingness.

 It possesses its own culture

 Every school had a different school goal, it's stand as a standard or an

framework for making the school quality among others, and a school
also must possessed in inclusivity because every student have different
culture and it can lead to discrimination because of a cultural
diversification.
 A. Key Elements of School as a Social System

1. Structure
 Formal organizations such as school have structures composed of
bureaucratic expectations and roles, hierarchy of offices and positions, rules
and regulations, and specializations.

 Formal organizations like schools typically have structured systems in

place to ensure smooth operation. Here's a breakdown of the
components mentioned:

1. Bureaucratic Expectations and Roles

- In a school, there are different roles such as teachers,
administrators, staff, etc., each with specific duties and
expectations.

2. Hierarchy of Offices and Positions

- Schools, like many organizations, have a hierarchical structure with
levels of authority. For example, Principals overseeing assistant
principals who's in turn to oversee department heads and teachers.

3. Rules and Regulations

- For example, here in our department we have rules and regulations
like wearing complete uniforms and also attendance.

4. Specializations
- Within a school, there are individuals with specialized skills and
knowledge in various areas. For example, teachers specializing
their subjects.
  Overall, these components work together to establish a framework
within which the organization operates, ensuring clarity of roles,
accountability, and adherence to established norms and procedures.

2. Individual
 A key unit in any social system regardless of position, people bring with them
individual’s needs, beliefs, and a cognitive understanding of the job. Cognition
is the individual’s use of mental representations to understand the job in
terms of perception, knowledge, and expected behavior.

 Individuals are the very important key element of a school as a social

system because these individuals has a big role in the function of school
as a social system. It is important that these individuals are aware
about their role and they need to be responsible on doing their job. It is
also important that these individuals have unity, respect with each
other and active participation in every activity in the school.

3. Culture
 Provides members key elements of school as a social system with a
commitment to beliefs and values beyond themselves and when culture is
strong, so is their identification with the group and the influence of the group.

 Culture refers to the collective beliefs, values, interactions, and

practices that shape every aspect of how a school functions.It
distinguishes one school from another and influences how people
interact within it. When culture is strong, their is an identification with
the group and the influence of the group.

 Why culture matters in school? First, it serves as a trademark because

one school can recognize to the other. Second, a positive culture fosters
student engagement, motivation, and a sense of belonging. When
 students feel connected to their school’s culture, they perform better
academically and socially. Also, a strong culture encourages active
participation from parents and the local community. Parents feel more
comfortable engaging with a school that shares their values.
 Teachers has a big role in school culture, they have a lot of time to
interact with the learners in each day. Therefore, teachers should be
aware and be conscious to their words and actions because they are the
one who has a big influence to the learners

4. Politics
 Informal power relations that develop spontaneously. Political dimension
spawns the informal power relations that emerge, often to resist other system
of legitimate control. It is legitimate because it is behavior usually designed to
benefit the individual or group at the expense of the organization.

 Politics informal power relations that develop spontaneously.

Political system is a system of informal authority relationships that
seem to resist other systems of control. Individuals that operate within
the confines of the structure, culture and individual systems usually
contribute to the needs of the organization. Politics inevitably appear in
organizations. Politics emerges from the interaction of authority and
power within an organization There are three sources of power in an
organization. Formal power originates from the structural system, the
cultural system produces informal power, and individuals have the
power of expertise. Politics is the way of how some individuals use their
influence for their interests. They often use their power at backstage to
profit their private affairs at the expense of the organization. It is
illegitimate because it is not stemmed from any formal authority,
therefore it does not have to be in accordance with accepted standards
of the organization. Hence, it is immune to the sanctions of formal
authority- Also, from the social behavior perspective, politics utilizes
the absolute use of individualistic needs, and thus ignores the
 organizational role expectations. Consequently, it benefits individual
interests.

5. Technical Core: Teaching and Learning

 The teaching-learning process is the technical core of schools.

 Teaching-learning
- It refers to the interaction between teachers and students that
facilitates the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and understanding.

 Technical core
- The center or the primary function and purpose of every
educational institutions.
- Serves as a foundation of every educational system, guiding both
teachers and students.

 All other activities are secondary to the basic mission of teaching and learning,
which shapes the administrative decisions in schools.

 Administrative decisions
- This are made by school such as a hiring of staff, curriculum design,
scheduling, policy development; etc.
- This kind of decisions must be well formulated as it is essential for
school functioning as well as it contributes on creating a positive
and productive learning environment for students and staff.

 It is important to understand that all other school activities such as

extracurricular activities and administrative task also playing vital role
in shaping students for holistic development.
 Learning occurs when there is stable change in an individual’s knowledge or
behavior.

 True learning goes beyond the acquisition of information. Here

involves a lasting transformation in an individual understanding, skills,
attitudes, or behavior.

 It is important to remember that the technical core of every school must be

good, as it will affect in offering a good quality of education that everyone
deserves.
 Teachers must also inculcate in their mind and heart that they must do well
their responsibilities as a teacher, because they have an important part in
every schools’ technical core which is the teaching-learning process.

6. Environment
 The social environment is the product of the interactions between the teachers
and the pupils in school situations. It implies a measure of the quality and
quantity of the cognitive, creative, and social support that has been available
to the subjects during school life in terms of teacher-pupil interaction.
 Perkin (1951) concludes that the major aspect of the classroom climate is the
quality of interaction between teacher and pupils.

 The quantity and quality of the interactions between students and

teachers contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere and culture
within a school. These interactions influence student's cognitive
development, creativity, and social skills impacting their overall
educational experience and well-being. It emphasis the importance of
fostering positive relationships and effective communication to create
an enriching learning environment.

 Teachers and administrators play a crucial role in developing a positive social

climate in every corner of the school. A good social environment helps
 inculcate various social values, democratic ideas, and feelings. It helps in
bridging the gap between school and society by bringing schools closer to
society and vice versa.

 Teachers and administrators not only focus on academic but also in

creating a supportive and inclusive environment where students can
learn and grow socially. By instilling respect, values, cooperation, and
empathy, they help students to become more rounded individuals who
are prepared to contribute positively to community.

 Through the promotion of social values and democratic ideas, school

become more closely aligned with societal expectations, while students,
in turn, carry these values into their interactions outside of school,
thereby strengthening the connection between the school and society as
a whole.

7. Outcomes
 The products of the organizations that is educated students. Performance
outcomes are indicators of goal accomplishment.

 The good outcome when an institution's product is to educate students

is that they can confidently say that they have accomplished their goal.

8. Feedback Loops
 Informs individual how bureaucratic structure and the informal organization
view their behavior.

 Internal
The relative level of goal achievement serves as an indicator of
the need to adjust one of the elements of the transformation
process.
  External
Different constituencies in the community evaluate the school’s
products.

 Feedback loops serve as a standard to ensure the smooth operation of

an institution. When feedback is not favorable, it can prompt changes
or adjustments in the processes of students to improve and achieve the
goals of the school.
B. The School as a Community

School

 It is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and

learning environment for the teaching of students under the direction of
teacher.

 It is a place where children are educated.

Community

 Is a social unit with commonality such as norms, religion, values, customs, or

identity.

 Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area

or in virtual space through communication platforms.

Community can be defined as multidimensional within:

a. Location

- where it is, the influence of the environment and systems of control.

 Location refers to the physical surroundings where something is

situated. In terms of influence, it affects how things operate and the
control systems in place.
  For example: why do land owners build boarding houses near the
school? Of course, they benefit from it. Like what I have said it is the
influence.

b. Structure

- the administrative elements and guidance that determine equality of

provision.

 Structure in an organization refers to its administrative setup and

guidelines. In terms of equality of provision, it ensures that resources
and opportunities are distributed fairly and consistently to everyone
involved.
 For example, in a school setting, structure might include policies and
procedures for allocating funds, assigning teachers, and implementing
programs to ensure that all students have access to quality education
regardless of their background or circumstances.

c. Process

- the management of people and development of a shared understanding of

beliefs and values.

 The "process" involves managing people and fostering a collective

understanding of beliefs and values. It's about guiding individuals
through tasks and activities while ensuring alignment with the
organization's principles.
 For example, in our department before the organizations proceed to
specific activities, they will conduct a meeting first and plan the activity
before proceeding in a specific task.

 School as a community refers to that school is not just a place for learning, but
also a social environment where students, teachers, administrators, and
parents come together to create a supportive and inclusive community.
  It is a one purpose and guided by common values and culture, which include
the teachers, administrators, students, staff/personnel and stakeholders. As a
community, the school is guided by the following elements.

 Vision
 Values
 Leadership
 Culture
 Overall, school as a community emphasizes the importance of creating a
positive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and
supported.

References

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_system

 https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Environment-The-Importance-Of-Social-
Environment-In-FCJYLT826

 https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/compostela-valley-stage-college/
the-community-school-culture-and-organizational-leadership/cagadas-ped-
10-key-elements-of-school-as-a-social-system/23704662

 https://www.scribd.com/document/498702374/The-Teacher-and-the-
Community-School-Culture-and-Organizational-Leadership-Soledad-R-
Taguibao

 https://www.scribd.com/document/497958064/Module-2-
f6e30e8947c82a7fc7e4acfae2f6dea4

Members

Loraine Anne Patilan Shelton Monterde Rica May Dago

Princess Nicole Mendoza Merven Bagtong April Kate Guingona
Janna Em Perez Nikki Lyn Bercasio