Sociological Foundations of
curriculum
Sociological Foundations of curriculum
• Society influences the school curriculum.
• Every society, community or nation has an essential social
obligation to arrange the education of children.
• Sociological considerations influence curriculum development
in following distinct ways:-
– It provides a way of carrying out changes in the behavior of the
students as per the needs and demands of the society or nation.
– To make education as an instrument of social changes and progress.
– To preserve the culture and transmit it to young children.
– To prepare the learners for the future society.
• Thus sociological considerations provide necessary guidelines
for developing a useful curriculum for the betterment and the
progress of society.
Education and Society
Schools exist within, not apart from,
social context
Schools emerges within society
Education and Society
Why school exist in Society?
Is education “Neutral”?
Why do we have Adventist Schools?
Is bias in education okay?
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Society
Education and Society
Educators cannot meaningfully consider the
development or delivery of curriculum
without reflecting on the relationship
between schools and society.
A Dynamic, Changing Society
• Society as a Source of Change
• Schools as Agents of Change
• Knowledge as an Agent of Change
Society as a Source of Change
• Society changes rapidly
• Sometimes education can not cope up with
the fast changing society
• Making the “Preparing for students for the
world of Tomorrow” is difficult
– Think about what we (society) have today that we
don’t have last year, or five years ago, or even ten
years ago.
Schools as Agents of Change
Changing the literacy. From 3Rs to cultural literacy,
scientific literacy, computer literacy,
technological literacy, television(or electronic) literacy
, and information literacy
• Dealing with Diversity
– Diversity of culture. Impact of globalization
• Race, Class, Gender, and Sexual Orientation
– How do Adventist schools deal with this?
Knowledge as Agent of Change
Has knowledge grown?
• Explosion of Knowledge
• What Knowledge Is of Most Worth?
• Organizing Knowledge
– Subject-centered
• Areas of Knowledge
Processing Social-Educational Priorities
What is your schools priority?
• Education for All Students
– Child-centered, Activity-centered, Experience-
centered
• Focus on Academically Talented Students
– Curriculum to challenge the “smart” students
• Focus on Disadvantaged Students
– How to help the disadvantage students gain
same access to education?
Planning for Educational Change
• What is the aim of education? Should aim of
education changeable?
• Schools should prepare education that is not
separate from the world. The world is not
static.
• Creating relevant curriculum for the changing
world.
• Adventist education
– Preparing the students for the world today and
the world to come. (White)
Christian Curriculum and Society
• The curriculum must prepare each student “for
the joy of service in this world and for the
higher joy of wider service in the world to
come” (White, Education, p. 13)
• Christian curriculum should Consider the world
today. But Christian curriculum should not
forget the curriculum for preparing student for
kingdom.
Historical Foundations of
Curriculum
Historical Foundations of Curriculum
The following curriculum theories laid down their views on what
curriculum is.
• Franklin Bobbit (1876-1956_ presented curriculum as a
science that emphasizes the student’s needs. Curriculum
prepares students for adult life. To Bobbit, objectives with
corresponding activities should be grouped and sequenced.
This can only be done of instructional activities and tasks are
clarified.
• Werett Characters (1875-1952)- Like Bobbit, to Charters,
curriculum is a science, it gives emphasis on students’ needs.
The listing objectives and matching of these with
corresponding activities ensure that the content or subject
matter is related to the objective. The subject matter and the
objectives are planned by the teacher.
• William Kilpatrict (1871-1965)- Curricula are
purposeful activities which are child-centered.
The purpose of the curriculum is child
development. The project method was
introduced by Kilpatrick, whose model
allowed the teacher and student to plan the
activities. The curriculum develops social
relationships and small group instruction.
• Harold Rugg (1886-1960)- Rugg, the
curriculum should develop the whole child. It
is child-centered. With the statement of
objectives and related learning activities,
curriculum should produce outcomes. Rugg
emphasized social studies, and that teachers
plan the curriculum in advance
• Hollis Caswell (1901-1989)- He saw curriculum as
organized around social functions or themes,
organized knowledge and learner’s interest. Caswell
believes that curriculum is a set of experiences
• Ralph Tyler (1902-1994)- as one of the authorities
on curriculum, Tyler believes that curriculum is a
science and an extension of the school’s philosophy.
It is based on student’s needs and interest. To Tyler ,
curriculum is always related to instruction. Subject
matter is organized in terms of knowledge, skills
and values. The Process emphasizes problem-
solving. The curriculum aims to educate generalists
and not specialists
• Historical development shows different
changes in the purposes, principles and
content of the curriculum. The different
changes are influenced by educational
philosophy, psychology and pedagogical
theories. This implies that curriculum is ever-
changing, putting in knowledge and content
from many disciplines
