Socialization And Its Impact on Children learning And Development
Socialization And Its Impact on Children’s learning And Development
Introduction
School, family, religion, mass media and public opinion play a significant role in the aspect of socialization and education process. Humanity proceeds through life stages in a manner under direct control and influence (Saracho, 2007). Most of the action in our daily life and the immediate impacts of such actions are mostly based on a series of rational, logical selective decisions and are filtered through choice. Although it reflects on a reasonable perspective in which an individual life is assessed, it is much far from reality (Saracho, 2007). This is especially in education where the sociological perspective indicates otherwise. Socialization enables the creation of channels through which the society learns to associate and related to its core elements especially in education.
The socialization process is one of the most significant impacts on education. Forces generated from an immediate process of decision making guides the society (Roopnarine, 2002). Through socialization process, social forces beyond our control channel the society through all walks of life. In its truest outline, the primary purpose of education should be the promotion of socialization. Socialization involves an act of spreading and inheriting customs, standards and ideologies through providing individuals with the skills necessary in contributing to the society. Socialization has, therefore, established a platform through which cultural and social continuity is attained (Calvert & Wilson, 2011). With a society seeking to maximize its benefits and achieve its potential, the significant aim of socialization through the aspect of education develops individuals effectively in people with the ability to contribute ideas and wealth in the society (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Socialization has the power to facilitate in broadening of one’s perspective and awareness. Awareness and the perspective have the chances of enhancing the multiculturalism and lessen cases of xenophobic attitudes (Damon et al, 2006).
Aspects of socialization
Socialization aims at enhancing the aspect of personality in a learning environment. Socialization creates a platform through which personality of learners is shaped and molded. Through a socialization process, children learn the approved ways of social life. The process also provides a reliable scoop for the children to build up individuality (Andersen & Taylor, 2006). Children become disciplined through committing to the process as a social learning. The case of social learning significantly involves learning of social behavior rules. It involves the ideals, values, objectives and aims of education life and the means of attaining such elements. Socialization disciplines children and assists them in leading a life with social expectations (Andersen & Taylor, 2006).
The socialization process assists children in enacting different roles. This is since every role in the society is woven around vital norms that associate with different attitudes. The socialization process assists children develop appropriate attitudes, especially in learning environments and to enact specific roles. Socialization also provides knowledge of skills to children (Andersen & Taylor, 2006). This is since it is one of the ways of training children in the specific skills required in leading a normal life. Such skills assist children in playing educational, religious, political, professional and economic roles in later life. In most of the primitive society, imparting skills to children in specific occupations were one of the significant aspects of socialization (McLachlan et al, 2013).
The socialization process assists in developing right aspiration in children’s life. Every child may have own ambitions, aspirations and desires in life (O’Dell, 2010). However, such factors may not be in regular consonance with the most basic social interests. Through the socialization process, the children learn the aspect of developing the aspirations complimentary to the societal interests. Socialization assists children channelize energy in order to realize their aspirations. Socialization also contributes to the stabilization of children social order (O’Dell, 2010). It is through socialization that new generations are trained in relation to the ideals, goals and expectations of the society. It ensures there is continuity of the society, cultural ideals. It also provides a platform for new generations to adhere to the cultural traditions, hence contribute to social order stability (O’Dell, 2010).
The process of socialization assists in the reduction of social distance and provides scope for establishing a brighter future for children. Socialization enables the reduction in social distance through involving proper guidance and training for children especially during their early years (Grusec & Hastings, 2008). As a powerful instrument in changing the destiny of children, the process enables the society to produce children of which expectations can undergo significant alterations. An improvement of the socialization process can offer children greater possibilities for altering their future nature to fit the society progress.
Agents of the socialization process involve groups that can influence children, emotions, self-concept, behavior and attitudes. The significant agents of the socialization process include peers, family, school, public opinion, mass media and religion/spirituality (Denzin, 2007). The family is responsible for determining the attitudes of children towards establishing their future career goals. The school forms, the agency with the responsibility in socializing groups of children, especially in specific values and skills in the society. Peer groups are part of the cycle through which children within a specific faction to share social characteristics (Denzin, 2007). These agents have realistic goals and different ideas in influencing the progress of children in a learning environment. The agents are significant during the formative years of children and can also take effect into elderly years. The impacts of the agents vary significantly from child to child in relation to their social life circumstances (Denzin, 2007).
The idea that every child enters school having a similar opportunity to foster success is not one of the valid assumptions. In theory, the idea is acceptable. Most of the external agents as forces have a profound effect on children. The aspect of socialization as a process creates a system which is inherently unequal through empirical measures of equality. Such inequality has short-term and long-term inferences for child’s academic success (Tassoni, 2005). In cases of open-class economic systems offering opportunity, equality and fostering disparities between the society social classes, issues addressed include:
How the education system is able to provide a level playing field that a society desires
The roles school play, including other agents of the socialization process in ensuring there is opportunity for every child right from the elementary stage through to college years
If the aspect of socialization can assist in addressing a long-standing success gap confronting the public school system in the American society
Family is the first educator and the significant agent the socialization process. It plays a vital role in transmitting fundamental values to nurture and encourage learning in children. It is evident that children from a household with both parents having college degree have a higher probability of achieving academic success and professional/personal success. The opposite of the aforementioned cases is also applicable (Marryshow et al, 2005). Children from a household where parents lack a college education are likely to experience a difficult time in achieving personal, academic and professional success. The socialization process framework works significantly in the two cases.
A disparity inherent in such an environment demonstrates the significance of the family as an agent and its vital role as a key value transmitter (Marryshow et al, 2005). The family as an institution in the American society plays the role of primary education system purveyor majorly as a core value despite the educational background. For most of the children, it is a privilege or comes by birth. For some, the case comes through hard work, perseverance, and persistence by facing adverse economic challenges. Despite the experienced possibilities in academic success, significant accomplishments in education still require family as the guiding force (Marryshow et al, 2005).
The school is also one of the vital agents of socialization. It acts as the primary information and knowledge transmitter. It has also been noted to assume most of the functions of the family. School systems play the roles and responsibilities that have been the sphere of a family historically (Garner et al, 2007). This includes areas such as the provision of basic needs including breakfast and lunch, before and after school plans. This has children spend most of their time under the care school staff as opposed to parental care. Values and moral teaching have also become a school system’s responsibility. This is notable as a dramatic shift in the family respective roles as the primary agent of the socialization process, especially with the schools with historic roles to educate. There has also been an abdication and blurring of the family roles in socialization (Handel, 2006).
Most of the parents would at times deny the peer influence increase in the lives of the contemporary children. Although peers are a positive aspect mostly manifested through scouting, sports, faith groups and other related positive influences, sometimes they may be a negative influence. One of the most detrimental manifestations of such a case is the premature teen sexual activities, alcohol and drug use and other proscribed behaviors. In most cases, it is during middle school that a child’s life is affected through peer influence developed in academic achievement areas (Garner et al, 2007). Being chastised and ostracized for smartness is one of the common burdens associated with the minority of the high-achieving students. At such moments of a child socialization process, parents and teachers play an important role (Garner et al, 2007).
Mass media as an agent have a significant effect on the young child’s mind. Following the advent of the advancement in technology, television and internet plays a partnership deal in the role of young minds visual stimulation. Mass media culture emphasizes the sexual promiscuity and satisfaction, glamour, violence, comedic vulgarity and an immediate gratification of children’s needs (Bogler & Somech, 2002). This raises the issue of how parents are able to cope with the mass media influence as an agent of the socialization process aimed at minimizing a learning process and glorifying instant gratification values. Again, adults as peers and family play a vital role in the life of a child in such kind of an environment (Bogler & Somech, 2002).
Religion and spirituality agents in children’s lives are also an important agent. This has been under the minimization of the society at modern times. Such trend with the other agents such as the mass media and peers has the potential to send children astray. A moral compass spirituality and religion are providing for the contemporary generation cannot be ignored in the modern consumer driven and fast-paced society. Religion has played a continued role in cases of identity formation. Religion plays a role as an agent of the socialization process and cannot be overlooked (Malti & Buchmann, 2010). Religion is the major transmitter of the children, societal and personal values. American founding documents contain significant reference to freedom, spirituality, egalitarianism and fairness values. These are considered the primary precepts of most of the religions.
Historical leaders, including Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King have made preferences on spiritual teachings and values to build moral sensibilities of America throughout history (Jorgensen & Savla, 2010). Exclusive of the socializing process, influences, violence, drugs as the powerful external forces teens face, unconstructive peer pressures, sexualized culture and other related dysfunctional factors are more influential. The society, especially parents, should be aware of the religion stabilizing influences on children’s lives. They should also realize that religion as an element in child development is not a more polarizing issue as it is more vital as a building block in the socialization process (Jorgensen & Savla, 2010).
As children mature through socialization, volunteer groups and work become some of the significant elements in the course of evolution. Through education and part-time employment, most of the children and young adults experience the process of acquiring ideas on the expectations of other people outside school and family context (Dumont, 2010). The significance of hard work is part of the value in preparation for the future highlighted in a school environment. Volunteer groups including sports, faith-based groups, scouting and school clubs also play a vital role in the socialization process through placing children in most of the positive peer environments (Dumont, 2010).
Through the preschool years, as the level of child interactions with others improves, they begin cultivating an understanding that there are mutual feelings involved. This is possible through the socialization process. During such moments, children learn how to show compassion and empathize with their fellow children (Dumont, 2010). This is one of the most significant stages in the process of socialization that have profound effects on the development of children.
Conclusion
The socialization process plays a significant role in the learning and development of children. School, peers, family, religion, volunteer groups, and the mass media play a pivotal role in education as a collective process. Parents and teachers in a learning environment should recognize that such agents of the socialization process maximize the education role in the lives of children. Learning and development through the socialization process should function literals to enable children contribute to the society through reaching their highest potential.
The socialization process creates a platform for children to acquire skills that give them the opportunities for success outside classroom. Such skills create independent individuals out of children who relatively learn how to use own resources in making them more competitive in the society. Without the socialization process to enhance learning and development in order to keep up with the advancing technology, the society does not progress.
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