Foundation of Education III

1. 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)

2. The
Dynamics
of Change

3. 5 components of dynamics of change
(Smith, 2008)
Change causes
inevitable
resistance.
Change
disrupts our
routines.
Change
challenges our
assumptions.
Change
requires much,
with little time.
Change is
stressful.

4. 1. Change causes inevitable resistance
Responses to
proposed change
REFUSAL
to change direction
RELUCTANCE
to change direction
PASSION
to bring about
change

5. 2. Change disrupts our routines
(Deutschman, 2005)
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”

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. “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.

9. 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.”

10. 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”.

11. Perspectives
on Change
(Barken, 2011)
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).

12. 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

13. The Functionalist Understanding
When societies are small and simple
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.
There are few roles to perform
Just about everyone can perform all
of these roles

14. The Functionalist Understanding
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.
Equilibrium model of social change (Talcott Parsons, 1966)

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Functional Theory v.s. Conflict Theory
Functional Theory Conflict
Generally good and sudden
social change is undesirable
Assumption of
Status 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

18. Introduction
to Social Mobility

19. 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 stability
of modern industrial
society.

20. Social Mobility
Social Mobility
INTRAgenerational
Mobility
INTERgenerational
Mobility
Intragenerational Mobility: Compares the positions attained by the same individual at
different moments in the course of his or her work of life.
Intergenerational Mobility: Compares the present position of individuals with those of
their parents.

21. 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 effort
that focuses on some aspect of social change. For example,
they promote racial justice or advocate a particular belief.

22. Causes of Social Mobility
For a better
living standard
Causes
Aiming for
higher
education
Economic
purpose
Development
of education
and media

23. 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).

24. Effects of Social Mobility
Enjoying a better living
standard
Effects of social
mobility
Freedom
Expansion of better
ideas
Replacing
obsolete
custom

26. TYPES OF SOCIAL
MOBILITY
Horizontal
Mobility
Vertical Mobility
Upward Mobility
Downward
Mobility
Inter-generational
Mobility
Intra-generational
Mobility
Structural Mobility

27. Horizontal Mobility
• A change in position at the same social
level but they remain at their same level
within the social hierarchy.
• The stage where people change their
position with in the range of the same
position or status.
• Much more common than vertical
mobility.
• Examples:
1) A nurse who leaves one hospital to take
a position as a nurse at another
hospital.
2) A degree holder worked in government
sector. After a year, he found that the
work appeared dull repetitive, with no
improvement in sight. Then, he become
a lecturer at a nearby college.
Vertical Mobility
• Movement of an individual, people,
or groups from one social level to
another.
• The stage where people change their
job-related position, social class, or
power positions.
• Examples:
1) Movement from poor class to
middle class.
2) Movement from a labor to an
office clerk.

28. Upward Mobility
• The movement of an individual or
groups from a lower social position
or status to a higher social position
or status (social ascendance).
• Reflects social improvements.
• Examples:
1) A retail businessman who earns lot
of profit may become a whole sale
businessman.
2) The son of a brick mason, through
educational attainments may
become a university professor.
Downward Mobility
• The movement of an individual or groups
from a higher position or status to a lower
social position or status (social
descendance / social failure).
• Reflects the failure to maintain social,
political, or economic positions, and lose
their statuses.
• Often stand to lose position.
• Examples:
1) Big businessmen, who have invested
huge money in business but face heavy
loss.
2) People in high officers might be
denoted due to their corrupt practices
and so on.

29. Intragenerational
Mobility
• A change in an individual's social
status, especially in the workforce
through some achievement over a
relatively short amount of time.
• Examples:
1) A lecturer in a pre-university
college becoming a professor at
the university after his doctoral
degree.
2) A person working as a supervisor
in a factory becoming Assistant
Manager after getting promotion.
Intergenerational
Mobility
• Social position that changes over multiple
generations e.g. family members.
• “A measure of the equality of life
opportunities, reflecting the extent to
which parents influence the success of
their children in later life or, on the
flipside, the extent to which individuals
can make it by virtue of their own talents,
motivation and luck.”
(Blanden J et. Al. 2005)
• Examples:
1) Bus conductor’s son becomes the chief
minister of a status.
2) A plumber’s son become the leader of
their community.

30. • Involves vertical mobility but its movement is brought about by a major
disorder.
• Industrialization, increases in education, and postindustrial
computerization have allowed people to improve their social status and
find higher‐level jobs.
• The change in stratification hierarchy.
• The vertical movement of a specific group, class, or occupation relative
to others in the stratification system.
• Example: These are the days of computers and information technology.
Hence, computer engineers, technicians, and information technologists
receive greater respect which was previously reserved for scientists and
advocates.

31. School as an Agent of
Social Change

32. School As an Agent of Social
Change
Context Capacity
Conversations

33. Context
Culture Environment
Messages

34. Capacity

35. Capacity
Plan Asses
Work in
teams

36. Conversations

37. Conversations
Vision Progress