Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sociological Perspectives
Sociological Perspectives
OF EDUCATION
A theory explains how society or
aspects of society work
theory
Symbolic interactionism theory
The theory proposes that people are actors acting on a stage that is the social world or the human society.
Whatever each person is doing in society is likened to playing or performing a role in a play scene on that stage.
Human beings do not act individually on the social world stage, they interact between each other, reacting to
each other on that stage.
To interact people use symbols. Symbols include both written and spoken language, gestures, art,(drawings,
paintings, carvings), signs, music and drama.
Behaviors keep changing depending the social circumstances or situation people find themselves in. People learn
to modify, limit or change largely following their observations in society. These rules govern how we are
expected to behave and act in different situation and environments.
For human beings to interact and communicate mutually, they must be able to recognize and interpret a
symbol(s) and place the right meaning on a them. People act and react in accordance with what they know and
understand.
Since individuals are faced with such these symbols daily, they must be able to differentiate them so as to
interact and communicate with others mutually.
Every society must have in place a maintained learning process that will enable its members acquire and
recognize the popular symbols of interaction .
Social events and activities are only able to acquire their unique and desired characteristic and value in society
because of the type of symbols and interactions they are given for example a wedding ceremony is an important
social event because people associate it with procreation, children, family etc.
For the education activities to thrive well, the teachers and learners
must socially interact.
This interaction is accomplished by use of symbols, e.g., language,
gesture, tools, rules and regulations which imply and lead to the
aspects of education.
An education/school process should always be based on properly
thought-out symbols which can convey the correct meanings of the
Implications to social life in a particular society. This would guard against the
learners being handicapped in understanding what a teacher is saying.