Yuri Vasilievich Dyachenko

Introduction

Education is learning, enlightenment; body of knowledge gained special education. School, preschool and higher, basic and special educational institutions, as well as various subjects that influence the process of development and learning of the individual, specialize in the presentation of the doctrine. "School" is Greek word meaning "pastime", "leisure". And this is not just so: in the education system, a young person is up to a quarter of a century under the control of teachers, educators in the classroom and in extracurricular time. Therefore, the task is set of education to form law-abiding citizens who respect the norms, traditions, government institutions. True, there are other points of view on this matter. In 1971, Ivan Illich's book "A Society That Refused Education" was published in the United States. The author suggested canceling compulsory education, prohibit asking documents about education when applying for a job. In his opinion, the school does not develop the child, but prepares the details for public machine, suppresses personality. This raised the question of the reformation of education and its limitation: what is right in the education system and what should this system contribute to industrial development? developing society. In other words, it was necessary to define and clearly delineate the functions of the education system.

This issue was given considerable attention by such scientists as Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Herbert Spencer. According to Emile Durkheim, the main function of education is the transmission of the values ​​of the dominant culture. According to Max Weber social functions education is related to economic, political processes that take place in society this stage. For example, we can take education in the occupation. It was after occupation regimes Nazi Germany, after the Second World War, the problems of education come to new round its development; the sociology of education emerged as an independent field of knowledge.

At this stage, Y. Shchepansky, V.A. Koneva, N.D. Sorokin and others.

Entering the European space, signing the Bologna Treaty, introducing a credit-modular system, developing educational institutions innovative type require a new approach to the phenomenon of education, and before finding new organizational forms education and upbringing, update the content of the educational process, it is necessary to highlight the functions of education and their role in modern society. This is the purpose of my abstract.

So, I set the goal of my work to study the main functions of the institution of education and their role in modern society.

1 Education as social institution

The objective determinant that determines the need for the emergence of social institutions is public division labor, which gives rise to the need for a particular social institution and which is realized in the process of conscious purposeful activity.

Social institutions appear in society as large unplanned products. social life. How does it happen? People in social groups are trying to realize their needs together and are looking for various ways. In the course of social practice, they find some acceptable patterns, patterns of behavior, which gradually, through repetition and evaluation, turn into standardized customs and habits. Over time, these patterns and behaviors are maintained public opinion are accepted and legalized. On this basis, a system of sanctions is being developed. From time to time members of the society or social group can collect, systematize and give legal confirmation of these practical skills and patterns, as a result of which institutions change and develop.

Proceeding from this, institutionalization is a process of defining and consolidating social norms, rules, statuses and roles, bringing them into a system that is able to act in the direction of satisfying some social need.

Institutionalization is the replacement of spontaneous and experimental behavior with predictable behavior that is expected, modeled, regulated.

In the early stages of human development, education existed as an activity and was carried out directly in the process of fulfilling labor and social obligations. However, language contributed to the accumulation of everything more knowledge, which has increased in geometric progression, and transfer them to different social levels even representatives who are not directly involved in this field of activity. Knowledge increased and they had to be systematized for their full transfer from generation to generation and between strata of society. The relevant social institution began to deal with this; science, education and upbringing have become another type of activity.

A social institution is an organized system of connections and social norms that combines significant social values ​​and procedures that meet the basic needs of society.

The concept was introduced by Herbert Spencer. In his opinion, a social institution in society performs the function of regulating social processes and phenomena on the occasion of maintaining stability between them. In the future, T. Veblen, J. Renard, R. Heilbronner consider social institutions as groups of people united joint idea, a sense of solidarity, etc. to perform some function. Then this concept goes into the framework of a system of norms that regulate people's behavior or a system of social roles: behavior and social relations. For example, I will cite the statement of American scientists P. Horton and C. Kant: “association is organized group people, while an institution is an organized system of behavior or, in other words, an organized system of social relations, including common values ​​and procedures that are in accordance with the general needs of society. The formation of social institutions is inextricably linked with the process of division of labor and the differentiation of sensory-objective activity (improvement of the language, for example). It is the coordination of joint efforts that gives rise to the institution of society. Therefore, institutionalization has a self-task not only to develop rules, social norms that ensure the process of activity, but also the presence of certain organizations within which activities are carried out. Following from this, Ya. Shchepansky, V.A. Konev explain the social institution as a system of institutions.

So, the institution is a kind of form human activity based on a clearly developed ideology, a system of rules and norms, as well as developed social control over their implementation. Institutional activities are carried out by people organized in groups or associations, where the division into statuses and roles is carried out in accordance with the needs of a given social group or society as a whole. Institutions thus maintain social structures and order in society.

Education is social subsystem, which has its own structure. As its main elements, educational institutions can be distinguished as social organizations, social communities(teachers and students) studying proccess as a type of socio-cultural activity, as well as: the presence of an objective status of people in certain area activities, a set of roles performed by people associated within a given social institution (if the status is determined by objective needs, then the social role acts as a process of its implementation), the presence of a social norm that expresses the measure by which the standard of people's behavior is determined, their activities and sanctions are determined. But also social norms are the conditions for choosing role behavior and the way it is measured (encouragement and censure); they organize and regulate the activities of people and their relationships within the framework of a single social institution.

Education as an institution is defined by two aspects - social and cultural - the first reflects structural side social institution, the second - the functional side, certain way his activities. Their interaction determines the development and self-preservation of the institution. Here we will dwell on the second in more detail.

2 Functions of the institute of education

Function (from lat. - execution, implementation) - the appointment or role that a certain social institution or process performs in relation to the whole. The function of a social institution is the benefit that it brings to society, i.e. it is a set of tasks to be solved, goals to be achieved, services to be rendered.

If an institution, in addition to benefits, brings harm to society, then such an action is called dysfunction. An institution is said to be dysfunctional when some of the consequences of its activities interfere with the performance of another social activity or another institution. Or, as my dysfunction defines sociological dictionary, it is "any social activity making a negative contribution to the maintenance of efficient operations social system". For example, economic institutions as they develop, they make increased demands on the social functions that the institution of education must perform. It is the needs of the economy that lead in industrial societies to the development of mass literacy, and then to the need to train an increasing number of qualified specialists. But if the institution of education does not cope with its task, if education is put out of hand very badly, or if it does not train the specialists that the economy requires, then neither developed individuals, the society will not receive first-class professionals. Schools and universities will release into life routines, dilettantes, semi-knowers, which means that the institutions of the economy will not be able to meet the needs of society. Therefore, the activity of a social institution is considered as a function if it contributes to maintaining the stability and integration of society. The functions and dysfunctions of social institutions can be obvious if they are clearly expressed, recognized by everyone and quite obvious, or latent if they are hidden and remain unconscious for the participants in the social system. The explicit functions of institutions are both expected and necessary. They are formed and declared in codes and fixed in the system of statuses and roles. Latent functions are the unintended result of the activities of institutions or persons representing them. Explicit functions testify to what people wanted to achieve within the framework of this or that institution, while latent functions testify to what came of it. The explicit functions of the school as an institution of education include: the acquisition of literacy and a matriculation certificate, preparation for a university, training in professional roles, and the assimilation of the basic values ​​of society. But the institute, the school also has hidden functions: the acquisition of a certain social status, which will allow the graduate to climb a step above the illiterate peer, establishing strong school friendships, supporting graduates at the time of their entry into the labor market. Not to mention a number of such latent functions as the formation of interaction classroom, hidden curriculum and student subcultures. Explicit, i.e. quite obvious, the functions of the institution of higher education can be considered the preparation of young people for the development of various special roles and the assimilation of the value standards, morality and ideology prevailing in society, and implicit - the consolidation social inequality between those who have higher education and those who do not have one.

Introduction

Education is a unique mechanism of transmission and assimilation scientific information knowledge and skills of social and professional experience from generation to generation, the formation of personality, its worldview, various qualities, culture. Education can be described as a relatively independent system.

The problems of education were given considerable attention by such scientists as Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Herbert Spencer. According to Emile Durkheim, the main function of education is the transmission of the values ​​of the dominant culture. According to Max Weber, the social functions of education are related to the economic and political processes that take place in society at this stage. For example, we can take education in the occupation. It was after the occupation regimes of Nazi Germany, after the Second World War, that the problems of education enter a new round of their development; the sociology of education emerged as an independent field of knowledge. At this stage, Y. Shchepansky, V.A. Koneva, N.D. Sorokin and others.

The purpose of this work is to study the main functions and models of education.

Functions of education

In the existing scientific literature take place various points vision regarding the content of education functions and their systematization.

Some researchers take as a basis the result of the influence of the education system on the individual and therefore they call such types as the socialization of the individual, the provision of appropriate knowledge and skills, and many others. So, for example, L.M. Kogan highlights the transmission of knowledge and social experience from generation to generation (translational), value-oriented, humanistic (human-forming), adaptive. Other researchers, in their view, cover the role of education in the structure of society and therefore single out functions aimed at implementing social programs within communities and society. ON. Kenkmann identifies the following functions: social (reproduction social structure society), professional (preparation of society members for the implementation of a certain professional activity), humanistic (the transfer of knowledge and culture to new generations), ideological (the formation of an ideological orientation in the younger generation, life position). V.T. Lisovsky, in addition to those just mentioned, also highlights the moral one, aimed at mastering the norms of morality, and the political one, which consists in the education of political culture, the ability to analyze. The third group of researchers names the functions that affect the economy, social structure, spiritual culture, etc. society as a whole. Basically, they distinguish between economic, which is also called vocational-economic or vocational-educational, and social. Many researchers identify many functions, and, as a rule, they attribute new ones to the existing ones, but in fact old ones, but combined or named differently. For example, A.V. Koop, in addition to economic and social, also distinguishes cultural and humanistic, and F.R. Phillipov - humanistic, political and educational and cultural and educational functions. In this example, the humanistic (human-forming) function is integrating. But not only in this example, but in many others, since all other functions of education follow from it or act as its modifications.

Thus, education does following features:

* is a way of socialization of the individual and continuity of generations;

* an environment for communication and familiarization with world values, achievements of science and technology;

* accelerates the process of development and formation of a person as a person, subject and individuality;

* provides the formation of spirituality in a person and his worldview value orientations and moral principles.

In general, all these functions can be reduced to two: reproduction (culture, experience, people's activities) and development (society, personality).

The first function is carried out through a theoretical (knowledge) model of education, the second - universal (ability or activity).

Summarizing, educational functions can be subdivided into:

social and cultural, aimed at the development of the spiritual life of society, where high school plays a decisive role, because it not only directly affects the formation of the individual, but also lays a sense of social responsibility, allows you to preserve, develop, broadcast the spiritual heritage.

socio-economic, associated with the formation and development of the intellectual, scientific, technical and personnel potential of society, with social stratification;

social and political, the implementation of which makes it possible to ensure the security of society in its broadest sense, social control, social mobility, sustainable development society, its internationalization and involvement in general civilizational processes.

At the same time, it should be noted that the interaction and interweaving of the above functions is quite high.

Figure 1. The main functions of education in society

A function is a role performed by a certain social institution or process in relation to the whole. The needs of the economy in a modern industrial society lead to the development of literacy among the masses, and then to the preparation more qualified specialists. At the same time, if education does not cope with the task, then society will not receive developed people and highly qualified professionals. Therefore, activities educational system is considered as a function if it maintains the stability and integration of society. The functions and dysfunctions of the institution of education can be explicit, that is, clearly expressed or latent, when they are unconscious by the participants in the educational system. Explicit functions of education are expected, necessary. Latent functions are the unintended result of the activities of the educational system or its participants. Explicit functions indicate goals within educational institute, and latent about the results. The explicit functions of education include:

• acquisition of knowledge and skills,
• preparation for obtaining professional knowledge,
• professional role training
• the assimilation of the basic values ​​of society.

The hidden functions of education are as follows:

• acquisition of social status;
• making strong bonds,
• support for graduates in entering the labor market.

In the scientific literature there are various theories about the content of education functions and their systematization. According to L.M. Kogan functions of education are presented:

• translational, implying the transmission of knowledge and experience from generation to generation (translational),
• value orientation,
• humanistic
• adaptive.

Another scientist - P.O. Kenkmann focuses on the implementation of social programs through education and identifies the following functions:

• social, responsible for the reproduction of the social structure of society,
• professional, responsible for preparing members of the society for the performance of professional duties,
• humanistic, implying the transfer of knowledge and culture to new generations,
• ideological, forming ideological orientation and life position.

V.T. Lisovsky additionally singles out a moral one, aimed at mastering the norms of morality, and a political one, which consists in educating political culture.

The main functions of education can be divided into:

• socio-cultural, including the development of the spirituality of society:
• humanistic,
• social control,
• dissemination of culture in society,
• reproduction social types culture,
• cultural innovations,
• formation and reproduction of social intelligence,
• formation of value orientations,
• educational function,
• learning function,
• socialization of the individual.
• socio-economic, forming and developing the intellectual, scientific, technical and personnel potential of society:
• formation of a professional environment,
• redistribution of resources
• social selection,
• professional selection,
• activation of social movements,
• function of social and cultural change,
• career guidance work.
• socio-political, allowing to ensure the security of society, social control, sustainable development of society.

The interaction and interweaving of the above functions is very high.

Socio-cultural functions of education

The humanistic function is reflected in the unity of opposite and, at the same time, organically related processes such as socialization and individualization of the individual. In the process of socialization, the individual learns social relations and transforms them into his own. inner essence. This process is individual for each person. Relationship between education and other areas public life is realized through a person who is included in various social connections. Humanization is a need community development directed at the individual. Technocracy industrial society unfortunately dehumanizes relations in society.

The function of social control in education allows you to determine the place of a person in society, his capabilities, goals and methods of reward for his activities.

The dissemination of culture in society helps to transfer cultural values ​​between generations. The education system plays important role in conservation national culture and its uniqueness. A person, joining the culture, becomes the bearer of national consciousness and national psychology.

Education contributes to the reproduction of social types of culture. It gives knowledge manufacturability and constructive forms, allows you to systematize, transmit and accumulate knowledge. Thus, the transfer of knowledge and experience acquires a dynamic, mass character.

social system Education conveys only a part of the innovations that have been achieved in culture.

The formation and reproduction of the social mentality includes the dissemination of knowledge through training and instilling cognitive skills in individuals. The education system has long become a diversified complex, its main goal is the transfer of knowledge and the development of the individual with intellectual support for the development of society. Education shapes young people's attitudes and life ideals that dominate society. The content of education depends on the value standards prevailing in society, religion, morality, and ideology.

educational function education provides the process of socialization of the individual. The teaching function of education ensures that a person acquires knowledge, skills and abilities.

The described functions of education are constituent parts socialization of the individual.

Socio-economic functions of education

From a quantitative point of view, the education system reproduces the vocational and educational composition of the country's population. The productivity and innovative activity of the population increases along with the growth general education. Education brings rationality to the material needs of a person, contributes to the formation of a resource-saving economy and a stable and positive environment for human life. The most profitable investment of capital is an investment in education. The internal distribution of economic and other resources makes it possible to provide resources for areas of activity focused on education and on the “non-educational” space.

Social selection - important function formal education.

It follows directly from the humanistic function; now you will understand why. In modern society, the search and education of talented individuals is part of public policy in the field of education. The development of science and technology requires a constant influx of talented specialists. The process of selection of the most capable students is carried out automatically, because internal structure education is aimed at the selection and differentiation of students according to their abilities and in accordance with individual capabilities and value orientations. The professional breeding function of education is to reproduce social classes, groups and layers determined by educational certificates. Educational institutions provide different education, this allows them to occupy the appropriate places in the division of labor system. Today in society, the achievement of a certain status is primarily due to education, therefore great importance has the function of activating social movements.

The function of social and cultural change is to create a knowledge base for further continuing education. It is implemented through scientific research and discoveries. Educational institutions are required to career guidance among students.

Functions of education in the socio-political sphere

Legal norms and political values ​​that reflect the interests of the political elite are considered an obligatory component of education. The transformation of the world from bipolar to unipolar leads to the allocation of the function of providing national security. Security is determined by the level of development of human resources.

Structure of education

Education system in Russian Federation as follows:

• First link - preschool education, which includes such institutions as kindergartens, nurseries, early childhood child development, progymnasium;
• The second link is general educational institutions, represented by schools, lyceums, gymnasiums, providing primary, basic and secondary education;
• The third link is secondary vocational education, represented by schools, technical schools, lyceums, colleges;
• The fourth link is higher education, which includes universities, institutes and academies;
• Fifth link - postgraduate education, represented by graduate school, doctoral studies, residency.

Functions of education

The main functions of education can be divided into:

Socio-cultural, aimed at developing the spiritual life of society, where higher education plays a decisive role, because it not only directly affects the formation of the individual, but also lays a sense of social responsibility, allows you to preserve, develop, broadcast the spiritual heritage.

Socio-economic, associated with the formation and development of the intellectual, scientific, technical and human potential of society, with social stratification;

Socio-political, the implementation of which makes it possible to ensure the security of society in its broadest sense, social control, social mobility, sustainable development of society, its internationalization and inclusion in general civilizational processes.

Socio-cultural functions of the institute of education

1. The humanistic (human-forming) function is manifested in the unity of the opposite, but organically related processes: socialization and individualization of personality.

In the process of socialization, a person assimilates social relations, turns them into an internal essence. self, on own social qualities. However, this happens individually for each person. Therefore, education is a special social institution that ensures socialization and, at the same time, the acquisition of individual qualities by a person.

Humanization is an objective need for social development, the main vector of which is a focus on a person. Global technocracy (the power of science and technology, the problem is seen not as a human, but as a technological one, the priority is the rational achievement of the goal, destructive nature, inhumanity) as a method of thinking and the principle of activity of an industrial society dehumanizes social relations, in such a society a person turns into a working machine, and in old age is no longer needed.

Considering the humanistic function, it should be said that with the greatest completeness humanistic function designed to be implemented in the system preschool education and in general education school, and in most- in lower grades. It is here that the foundations of the intellectual, moral, physical potential of the individual are laid.

• 2. social control. Education ultimately determines a person's position in society, his capabilities, goals achieved in society and ways of remuneration for labor, labor itself, worldview, etc.
• 3. Transmission and dissemination of culture in society. It lies in the fact that through the institution of education there is a transfer from generation to generation of the values ​​of culture, understood in the very broad sense the words ( scientific knowledge, achievements in the arts, moral values and norms, rules of conduct, experience and skills inherent in various professions, etc.).

Throughout the history of mankind, education has been the main source of knowledge, a tool for enlightening society. From it comes such a function of education as the generation and preservation of the culture of society.

• 4. Reproduction of social types of culture. Education gives knowledge manufacturability, constructive forms, thanks to which it becomes possible to systematize, compose, broadcast and accumulate it in increasing volumes. The transfer of knowledge and experience is becoming dynamic, massive, and open.
• 5. Cultural innovation through education selectively. The public education system transmits only a part of the innovations achieved in culture. Accept innovations from the mainstream of the dominant culture, not dangerous for the integrity of this social organization(the stability of its management structures). In relation to other innovations, even progressive ones, the education system can act as a kind of barrier.
• 6. Formation and reproduction of social intelligence(mentality, certain industries and social technologies intellectual activity) includes the dissemination of essential knowledge through training, instilling cognitive skills in individuals.

The education system has become a diversified complex, its goal is not just the transfer of knowledge and personal development, but intellectual support development of society. World leaders seek to control educational complexes in different areas of the world, passing on their educational technologies or other models specially designed for other countries.

7. Formation of attitudes among the younger generation, value orientations, life ideals that prevail in this society. Thanks to this, young people join the life of society, socialize and integrate into the social system.

Teaching the language, history of the fatherland, literature, principles of morality and morality is a prerequisite for the formation of a shared system of values ​​among the younger generation, thanks to which people learn to understand other people and themselves, and become conscious citizens of the country. The content of the process of socialization and upbringing of children carried out by the education system largely depends on the value standards prevailing in society, morality, religion, and ideology.

• 8. educational function education is to ensure the processes of socialization of the individual and its civil formation, transferring domestic and world cultural and historical experience to new generations.
• 9. The teaching function of education is to ensure the process of mastering a person with knowledge, skills and abilities within educational institutions and various areas the life of society.

The above-described functions of education are components of such a function of education as the socialization of the individual, especially young people, and its integration into society. Exactly educational institutions(and not only them) prepare certain skills in a person to perform a certain social role with a certain status.

As already noted, at this stage of the development of society in the Republic of Belarus, a transition is being made from a traditional society to an industrialized and dynamic society, the most important feature which is its constant change, development.

In a traditional society, the leading process is reproduction cultural and historical experience of mankind, in the dynamic - the process development personality, public consciousness and society as a whole. However existing system Education still mainly performs the functions of reproducing culture, transmitting knowledge, cultural patterns that formed the experience of previous generations. It can be said that education prepares a person for life in the past or traditional society, and, meanwhile, he will have to live in the future - a new, dynamic society that is constantly evolving and fundamentally different from its previous state. This is one of the main contradictions of education both in our republic and in the countries of the CIS and far abroad.

This problem can be solved through fundamental change educational practice, modernization pedagogical process at all levels of the education system. In order to determine the ways of reforming educational practice, it is necessary to consider in more detail the issue of the distinctive features of the education system inherent in a traditional and dynamic society.

Education in society implements two main features:

1) reproduction(culture, experience, activities of people);

2) development(societies, individuals).

The first function is performed by theoretical(knowledge) model of education, the second - universal(ability or activity).

Theoretical model education ensures the transmission of cultural and historical experience from generation to generation; reproduction of "ready", "completed" knowledge, skills, necessary personality for the implementation of functions existing in society (cultural, social, economic, etc.). Through a theoretical educational model, the consciousness of a person with a specific type of worldview is determined and formed: values ​​and ideals, principles and lifestyle, specific knowledge, skills and abilities . A prime example such a model of education is soviet school, which was focused on the formation of a single Marxist-Leninist worldview, communist ideals and values ​​among students. Such theoretical model education corresponded to a traditional type of society and has other names: traditional or subject-oriented.

The sphere of education is also a mechanism for the development of the individual and society as a whole. This development mechanism is implemented through universal educational model through preparing people for independent living in a constantly changing situation innovation activities through the development of thinking, consciousness of the individual. The universal model of education is aimed not so much at transferring knowledge, skills and abilities to students, but at developing personal abilities to acquire this knowledge and apply it in new conditions. .

In other words, the emphasis in the content of education should be shifted from the development of specific knowledge to the development universal personal abilities. From here follow other names of this model of education - universal or ability , innovative or student-oriented. In a dynamic society, important for the individual are, firstly, the ability to work in an uncertain situation - to independently and adequately solve new tasks that arise in new conditions. Secondly, the ability to personal change and self-development, in particular, to independent formation own worldview to continuous self-education. The backbone for both groups of abilities is the personal ability to self-determination - social and cultural.That is, some personal universal abilities with the help of which a person can independently make a choice and build himself and his own life activity, form personal ideals, life principles, outlook. Such universal abilities also include: the ability to reflect; thinking; dialogue; analysis of the situation and determination of goals, methods and means of achieving them; understanding other people and sharing productive activity. Many researchers (Yu.V. Gromyko, P.G. Shchedrovitsky, N.G. Alekseev and others) distinguish two groups of universal abilities: 1) the ability to act in unique (new, constantly changing) situations; 2) the ability to communicate, productive cooperation and cooperation. Thus, the implementation of a universal educational model ensures not only the appropriation of cultural and historical experience by students, but also the development of their personal abilities to master new ways of thinking and activity, relationships between people. This universal or ability model of education is characteristic of dynamic society(see diagram 3).

Let's bring comparative analysis theoretical (traditional, knowledge, subject-oriented) and universal (ability-based, activity-oriented, student-oriented) models of education, and also define distinctive features activities of the teacher in these educational models(see tables 2,3).

Main educational functions in society