Introduction
The sociological imagination is a voyage to the tides of humanity. This paradigm opens one’s imagination to the appreciation of both the silent and turbulent seas. No matter what and how big or small the issue is, one can always understand it in accordance with the sociological imagination. This essay has 3 objectives. Because the general aim is to provide a sociological account of a certain topic, the first one is to provide a synopsis of the chosen article under study. Secondly and most importantly, it is going to utilize a sociological perspective on the article. Lastly, it is going to identify the key differences between a sociological perspective and a journalistic account of the article.
Article Synopsis
In the article entitled “Lessons at Three ‘Put Children off Reading’” by Laura Clark, she exposed the issue and warning from education specialists as well — “children are being put off reading by being given formal lessons too early”. British kids as young as 3 were reported to be the only ones who begin formal literacy training at that very young age. Education specialists — an Oxford psychology professor and 2 government literacy advisers — stood on the ground that “formal reading should not start too early”. Ministers were being asked to take into account skills. To resolve the matter, educational specialists proposed that “early years’ education should be about laying sound foundations for literacy”; and that the early years’ education should appeal as enjoyable and fun for the children in order to facilitate their motivation.
Sociological Analysis of the Article
Why would British authorities implement an educational policy that places a premium on formal literacy at such early age? Because British society places a premium on merits (Macionis 2004, p251). A meritocratic society is one in which, its social stratification is grounded on one’s personal merits. Thus, as young as the Britons are, they are being coerced to play or act out the role being asked of the as students or pupils. They are already pressured to conform with the meritocratic norm of British society.
Structures exist to provide behavioral guidelines to the members of society (Henslin 2005, p. 160). The structural-functionalist framework envisions society as “a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability” (Macionis 2004, p. 14). The problem exposed in the newspaper article at hand can be understood accordingly in this light, wherein a large structure out there impinges upon the young children to comply with the standard behavior, i.e. to be academically excellent at a very young age. They are expected to be capable in reading and writing. They are expected to be able already in comprehending words. These are the accepted values that they must likewise accept.
What good or benefit does early years’ formal literacy education bring? Still following the said perspective, it can be said that the young children, having been doing their function of academic excellence, contribute to the maintenance of societal order. There is progress within British society given that its young members do their function. In a different paradigm known as Social-conflict, schooling is regarded as a form of social control (Macionis 2004, p. 522).
Social institutions refer to the “organized, usual or standard ways by which society meets its basic needs” (Henslin 2005, p. 99). Education is considered to be one of society’s social institutions. It legitimizes schooling, being a social activity. Education, undoubtedly, serves many functions in the society. Where the world is at today, especially industrialized and even developing ones, is due to this social institution. Likewise, it has contributed to specialization or division of labour (not only in the light of economics but also in government, medicine, etc.) of society. However, there is more than just educating the members of society. Above all these things, education serves a crucial element in socializing its British children for that matter.
Socialization is the enduring process of developing human capacities and acquiring all the ways of living, i.e., the culture of the society by which one belongs (Macionis 2004, p. 655). British children, as young as they are, are being socialized to the meritocratic value or belief or norm of their society. the school, being one of its primary agents, is molding them to be the best students, at the same time active citizens of the state. They are being taught to comprehend words. They are being asked to read and eventually appreciate immediately books. Corollary to this, reading is the key to listen to the voice of the great thinkers of history. Other than knowledge, they learn culture more importantly. Just imagine how advantageous would this be for British society when its young citizens endow themselves in reading the great British writings — literature, theories, etc. — through time. This speaks for one of the “intended consequences” of this educational endeavor.
Robert Merton has revived functionalism into one that has an intended and unintended consequences. There is a function and dysfunction as well in society; or manifest and latent functions respectively (Henslin 2005, p. 322). In effect, this early years’ educational policy had the unintended consequence of these children holding over reading. British authorities failed to look at the nature of children being inadequately advanced yet in speech, attention, and social skills upon school entry, which paved the way to the perceived unintended consequence by the educational experts.
In order to resolve the “long tail of underachievement”, educational policy-makers thought of creating one that devotes heavily during the early years. The rationale behind was that the early age is a crucial learning phase, thereby leading to personal growth and development of the individual. That the children are being educated at the earliest age possible really says a lot. Childhood experiences constitute the individual’s foundation, and reading as part of it is deemed to have a significant implication in the latter years. This could be why it was believed to be the solution, or the manifest function in Merton’s terms, to the problem of underachievement. While early years’ formal literacy proved seemingly an attractive answer, British policy inventors included not in the policy-making process the children’s natural state that accounted for its inefficiency.
From a macrosociological approach, the analysis shifts into a microsociological one. Social interaction is said to be the defining analytical tool in this perspective (Henslin 2005, pp. 92-93). Human beings are meaning-giving beings. For what reason did the educational experts campaign for a childhood educational experience to be a fun and enjoyable one? Following a microsociological leaning, it could be that reading, as part of childhood experience should generate or generates meaning from the children themselves. A fun and enjoyable learning environment was being fought and sought for these British pupils, because these social beings, as young as they are, were believed to be motivated and to quest for knowledge eventually if they find the learning experience to be a meaningful one. Motivation comes from their interaction with their school mates or play mates. Human beings are social beings. Therefore, reading can be confined to the social factor called social interaction, the so-called process wherein individuals act and react according to the individuals outside of them (Macionis 2004, p. 139).
Take the concept of play. Play is more that just an activity, but a meaningful activity and/or experience among the children. It is when they assume roles and act these roles out, along with their playmates who do likewise. Children therefore, are being robbed of the most important social activity. They are being asked to be proficient in language use at an early age, despite the fact that “they still lack first-hand experiences”, which are necessary in order for them to have something to share with in class. Reading is not just something in which the reader encounters words that speak of something. Readers, in order to comprehend what they are reading on, have to grasp the idea behind or envision in their minds the reading material. Consider especially the case of the children, whose imaginations are indeed wild and outrageous in the eyes of the adults.
These discussions, which are applications of the sociological perspective, have been drawn interestingly from a macrosociological one into a microsociological one. It is necessary to take both perspectives in order to provide a holistic view of the problem — children hold over reading because of early year’s formal literacy. In this manner, not only reading is understood as a behavioral guideline imposed by a larger structure, but also as a meaningful activity derived from a child’s interaction with other children.
The Sociological Imagination
Sociology is a social science discipline that scientifically or systematically studies society and human behavior (Henslin 2005, p. 5; Macionis 2005, p. 1). Although that it belongs to the category of the humanities or the natural sciences is still a debated issue, sociology has utilized a systematic approach or adopted the scientific methods in the inquiry of society and human behavior.
Berger (1963) asserts that “seeing the general in the particular” is what the sociological perspective is all about (cited in Macionis 1995, p. 1). It is locating oneself or a simple event in a broad or general picture. And that is what the sociological imagination is all about. One’s imagination reaches a wide array of social factors that lie underneath human behavior (Henslin 2005, p. A-1). Sociological imagination is embarking on a course of social discovery. Not to disregard the fact that it also entails a holistic or general approach toward a particular problem.
Can the article scrutinized in this essay be considered as one that is produced out of sociological imagination? Certainly not. It is a journalistic account. Journalistic accounts expose “truth” in terms of facts. To a more extreme, it leans on objectivity, leaving the reading public freely attach the values. However, unlike in journalistic accounts, an article produced out of the sociological imagination endows the reading or viewing audience with a holistic perspective and of course a trace of the underlying social factors. The audience does not feel detached but attached to the society.
In the case of the article under investigation, as much as it is an issue to be discussed among parents or any concerned sector, it leaves no room for the readers to review it in terms of social factors, or ideology. They are only pragmatically enlightened on this fact. On the contrary, sociological imagination creates a larger picture of the problem of “children putting off reading”. Likewise, concerned individuals on this issue are opened to the tidbits of reading, being a social activity that means more than that.
Conclusion
In the article “Lessons at Three ‘Put Children off Reading’” by Laura Clark, she provided a journalistic account of the problem that educational experts believe that children, despite the early years’ formal literacy training, would turn away from reading. Employing sociological imagination would lead one to determine the problem in a holistic one wherein, the problem posed by the newspaper article can be viewed from a macro to a microsociological approach. A sociological imagination is a means of transcending as it draws on the social factors embedded in a certain problem. It departs from journalistic accounts by systematically inquiring on a certain problem, event, or experience. Truly indeed, a sociological imagination enables one to navigate around the globe.
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