In Russian sociology, studies of communication processes occupy a certain place, but it can hardly be assessed as important. In Soviet times, mass communications were studied in the context of scientific and technological revolution. In particular, the types of readers and viewers were found out according to the time spent on reading or watching programs, as well as the features and motives for consuming radio, television and newspaper information.

Now commercial goals have been added to the academic goals of research. An example of the first is the analysis of the attitude of the population towards the mass media under the conditions of reforms. A great interest of people in information was revealed along with a low level of public confidence in the media (in January 1996, they did not trust the media - 56%). Commercial research in monitoring mode reveals the demand and ratings of certain media, which is vital for adjusting their activities.

The sociological approach requires the allocation of communications in almost all major sections of sociological knowledge. At the macro level, these are the problems of the formation of the information society, the role of global communications in the world system, the analysis of the information and communication advancement of specific societies and social systems, the social role of the media and other types of communications. In particular, communication in organizations is not only the field of management, but also of sociology (organizations and communications). At the micro level, the focus should be on interpersonal communication issues.

The purpose of the work is to consider the relationship between education, communications and the media.

The tasks of the work are to define education, communications, mass media as social institutions; characterize the social functions of education; define education, the media as institutions of socialization.

In order to better understand the role and place of the social institution of education in a modern industrial society, the specifics of the functions it performs, we should briefly consider the evolution of the education system.

In primitive, primitive societies, education was an integral part of the social and production process. In those days, there were no schools or teachers. All members of society participated in the transfer of cultural heritage, experience, knowledge, traditions. "In the life of the younger generation, there was no special period of preparation for the assimilation of the social roles of adults, because all the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities were acquired and developed in the course of the direct involvement of children in the practical affairs of the tribe. It is characteristic that the involvement of children in labor activities, training in professional skills began at the age of 4-5, and in adolescence, children, along with adults, participated in hunting and fishing, grazing cattle, making tools, and participating in cooking. he was subjected to a special "initiation" ceremony lasting several days, during which young men and women had to demonstrate and confirm their abilities and rights as adult members of society, participating in competitions, dances, rituals and cult actions.

In a pre-industrial society, along with the expansion of the scale of the social division of labor, the emergence of state power and class inequality, the isolation of the institution of education begins.

Special training and education with the help of a special group of teachers is given to children from wealthy families. Schools in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome can serve as a clear example of the first formal education systems, in which paid teachers taught grammar, philosophy, music, sports, eloquence, the basics of jurisprudence, medicine, etc. to children of noble classes. Education of children from other classes was carried out in the process of apprenticeship when a teenager was sent for a certain period of time to study in the house of a merchant, merchant, artisan, etc. Working as an apprentice, the student mastered professional knowledge and skills, the art of trade, crafts, etc.

The vast majority of the population - the peasantry - taught their children, passing on knowledge to them in the course of the labor agricultural process. The family played an important role in the upbringing of children.

In the Middle Ages, a more organized system of education began to take shape, when the Christian church created a network of special educational institutions in Europe to train persons of clergy and the first universities appeared - in Paris, Oxford and other cities.

Somewhat later, the cultural and educational functions of universities expanded, they began to teach medicine and jurisprudence, the first attempts were made to scientific research in the field of physics, mathematics, and logic. A characteristic feature of the system of formal education in pre-industrial society was that it was available to a limited number of people from rich and prestigious classes.

A real revolution in the education system is taking place in an industrial-type society: education ceases to be elitist and becomes mass, accessible to the general population.

Such a radical transformation of the institution of education was caused by the needs of the economy, scientific and technological progress, changes in the culture and lifestyle of people. In the XIX-XX centuries. secondary and special schools are becoming widespread, and the number of higher educational institutions is growing. Incomplete, and then complete secondary education becomes a necessary condition for obtaining a profession in the main industries. Especially rapid growth of the education system occurs in the period after the Second World War, when the technical re-equipment of the leading industrial countries takes place and a new powerful leap is made in the development of industry, science and technology.

The network of higher educational institutions - institutes, colleges, universities, which train highly qualified specialists is growing rapidly. Thus, in the former USSR, there were about 1,000 universities, in which about 5 million people studied. and about 800 thousand specialists with higher education graduated annually. The development of the higher education system in the United States has reached the most impressive scale, where the total number of students reaches 12.5 million people, of which 8 million study in higher education, and 4.5 million in two-year colleges providing post-secondary special education.

Like other social institutions, the institution of education is designed to ensure social stability and integration of society, and its functioning is associated with the satisfaction of two types of interrelated fundamental needs of society - the socialization of its members and their preparation for various social roles, occupying certain social positions in society.

Communication is an important social and political institution of modern society, acting as a subsystem of a more complex system of communication on a large scale, performing the function of ideological and political influence, maintaining social community, organizing, informing, enlightening and entertaining, the specific content of which decisively depends on the characteristics of the social building. Mass communications are characterized by the institutional nature of the sources and the delayed feedback between sources and audiences. Complexes of technical devices that ensure the rapid transmission and mass reproduction of verbal, figurative, musical information (print, radio, television) are collectively called mass media or information.

Mass communications and its practice have shown the great importance and dependence of their effectiveness on taking into account the psychological characteristics of the audience: attention, understanding. There are also barriers and obstacles and ways to overcome, to obtain information through mass communications.

As a result of the radical transformations of Russian society, all social institutions, including the institution of education, are being reformed. It provides a continuous learning process throughout life. Education is designed to develop a person's readiness and ability to navigate in non-standard situations, the ability to make independent choices. It serves as the basis for the future development of society.

Traditionally, education plays a significant role in the processes of social structuring of society, being one of the most important channels of social mobility, thereby performing the function of social control. The main goal of this control, according to P. Sorokin, is the distribution of "individuals in accordance with their talents and opportunities for the successful fulfillment of their social functions." Therefore, the school, along with other social institutions, such as the family, church, political, professional organizations and others, is at the same time a “vertical circulation channel” that promotes moving up or down the social “ladder” and a kind of “sieve” that “sifts through ” of individuals and determines for them a particular place in society.

In other words, the school plays an important role in the social differentiation of members of society, while simultaneously contributing to the process of social mobility. Defects in the educational system inevitably affect the entire society and, on the contrary, the successful functioning of this social institution leads to its well-being and prosperity. In this regard, it should also be noted that P. Sorokin considers the school to be the second most important mechanism after family status for testing the abilities of individuals and determining their social status. “School is the next step in rechecking the family's 'verdict', and very often it changes it decisively.”

In addition to the functions of social control (testing, selecting, distributive), education as a social institution performs such important functions as teaching (in higher and secondary specialized schools it is professional or training) and sociocultural (socializing, educational, enlightening). In this regard, it should be noted that, as the history of the formation and development of domestic education shows, these functions can be complementary, or they can contradict and even conflict with each other. What is meant?

Already from the moment of the formation of school education, a contradiction began to arise between the needs of the state and society, between the understanding of the role and functions of education by the state and those for whom the schools were intended. It manifested itself especially prominently in the era of Peter's reforms.

“Having cut through a window” to Europe, the great reformer saw through it not only the underdevelopment of Russian society in comparison with the Western one, but also the terrifying ignorance of its citizens. It was impossible to carry out the planned reforms with such “material”. The “material” itself turned out to be not particularly malleable and at first was not inclined to share the reformist undertakings of the great reformer. In vain, Peter I, insisting on the need for professional training for civil service, convinced representatives of noble families of the benefits of training, arguing that without this no one would be promoted to higher ranks. Both before Peter I and under him, society knew various ways to get to the upper floors of a social building, “having nothing to do with professional training. Even the introduction of jurisprudence into the program of the noble school could not force the nobles to take up this science.

As for the socio-cultural function, until the middle of the 18th century, education in itself was not yet a value; there was no particular need for enlightenment, the acquisition of skills and knowledge characteristic of, say, a European educated, enlightened person. As you know, it was Catherine II who set a new task for education: the school had to not only teach, but also educate. Ekaterina saw educational tasks in instilling goodwill in the hearts of the people. From that moment on, the task of education was charged to the school, i.e. purely pedagogical, which until now have been entrusted to the family. Thus, one of the most important social functions of education is the socialization of the younger generation.

As a result of the Great Reforms of the 19th century, public education became the object of concern for local governments - zemstvos. From that moment on, the conflict between the state and society regarding the policy of education intensifies. The essence of the conflict was that the need for education is increasing in society, while the government begins to “give ground”, frightened by the fruits of its own efforts in the development of education.

Hence the strengthening of state control over school institutions, in particular, over zemstvo schools, the regulation of the composition of students on a national basis (introduction in 1887 of a percentage norm for Jews when entering educational institutions), as well as on class (introduction in the same 1887 "circular about the cook's children") in order to prevent children from the lower classes from entering the gymnasium.

Moreover, the government increasingly clearly defines the socializing function assigned to the education system. But in fact, it imposes an ideological function on education, sacrificing to political considerations both the need for truly educated people and the increased desire of the population to receive a quality education. Teaching in those days in a classical gymnasium was a bleak picture, they were dominated by ordinary cramming instead of developing the mind. The level of knowledge of high school students was constantly falling. From 63 to 79 students out of every hundred were thrown out of the school as unsuitable for it. Instead of modest and well-behaved young men, which the government needed, they came out beaten (those who graduated) and embittered (those who were thrown overboard). The political role imposed on the school had a fatal effect on itself. “Out of fear of advanced ideas and strong characters, the school systematically engaged in the eradication of all ideas and the depersonalization of individuality.”

One of the goals of government policy at the end of the 19th century was to extend the influence of the clergy to all types of elementary schools. The goal was simple: to prevent the growth of the Zemstvo school, which was influenced by liberal pedagogical ideas, which included respect for the rights and individuality of the child, education through education, preparation for practical life and visual acquaintance with the outside world, familiarization with the natural sciences, etc. . A characteristic point here is the view on the main function of the school: it should not be applied (for example, be a craft or agricultural), but general education. At the same time, the government saw the functions of secondary schools for people of the lower classes in something else: to give “a simple but solid education necessary for life, and not for science,” and for this, primary education was supposed to be made the main support for the clergy and the church in this matter. .

To some extent this has been achieved. By the end of the 19th century, the parochial school began to become a dangerous rival to the zemstvo, but at the same time, she herself had to change, improving the composition of teachers, increasing the period of study from 2 to 3 years. Meanwhile, the zemstvos are beginning to change their attitude towards parochial schools: at first supporting them, and from the end of the 90s they are moving to the position of ousting them. It was from this period until 1917 that the picture of public education gradually changed, turning into a complete opposite. The bureaucratic structure of the school with its religious and monarchical features is inferior to such a device in which public initiatives (primarily in the person of zemstvos) with secular and democratic tendencies become noticeable. Revolutionary moods are manifested, first of all, in the environment associated with the school. This is noticeable both in student unrest, and in the struggle of higher education for self-government, and in the strengthening of progressive elements of zemstvo and city self-government, and in the better and better organized teachers.

Under these conditions, the government is gradually losing ground, losing control not only in school management, but also in other areas of life. In the struggle against the government, the public generally won the battle for the school, which, in turn, successfully fulfilled its cultural and educational function, but hardly anyone at that time could predict what the fruits of this struggle would be later. In society itself, there is a change in attitudes towards education. Back in the 70s of the XIX century, the people were indifferent to education, gradually began to show interest in it; at the beginning of the 20th century, there is a conscious need for enlightenment as a tool in the struggle for a better future. But the latter was characteristic of a relatively small part of the population. But this was not the only need. There was another, purely pragmatic calculation, which began to spread among the broad peasant masses. And this became especially noticeable at the end of the 19th century. P.N. Miliukov cites interesting data from a survey of peasants in one of the provinces of Russia.

Thus, 88.4% of the respondents spoke in favor of literacy. Moreover, utilitarian considerations were predominant (48.9%). 31% of the respondents spoke in favor of literacy as a means of self-improvement; 18.3% saw the benefit of the doctrine for religious and moral reasons; 6.7% - general benefit. Summing up the formation and development of education in the pre-revolutionary period of Russian society, we can conclude that education as a social institution has gone through a complex, difficult, contradictory path of its formation and development. The school played an important role in the processes of social mobility, erosion of class barriers, the emergence of new layers, performing the functions of social control. But, every time there was a threat of demolition of class partitions, and, above all, between the privileged and unprivileged layers, the state took measures to prevent this, which was expressed, among other things, in restricting access to school, especially higher education. The "sieve" that "sift" and did not allow into the upper strata of society was social origin, although education began to play an increasingly prominent role in the processes of social mobility, but this did not concern the very upper strata of society, and the implementation of the cultural and educational function led ultimately to a radical restructuring of social relations.

The school was an important factor in the social differentiation of Russian society: at one extreme, we observe a small highly educated part of society, at the other, a large percentage of the illiterate population. Despite a significant improvement in the literacy of the entire population since the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, about 25% of the male population of the country by 1917 remained generally illiterate, this percentage was even higher for the female population). In general, education has not been able to effectively perform its most important function of social control over the distribution of members of society according to social strata, positions in accordance with the level of education received, since such control is possible under such social conditions when non-social origin is the determining factor in the ascent of an individual through the social ladder, but the level of education, qualifications, personal merit. As for moral education, in other words, the educational (socializing) function of the school, which consists primarily in the transfer of experience, cultural patterns of behavior from one generation to another, education (at least, this is clearly evidenced by the history of the formation and development of domestic education), rather fulfilled innovative function, asserting a new system of values, whether we are talking about the efforts of the state or the efforts of society. However, this is more likely to apply to a relatively small part of the population. For the most part, the system of values ​​and ideas remained dominant; stereotypes and traditions were strong. The clash between the radicalizing small part of the population and the conservative majority has always led to dramatic collisions, whether it be the story of a split or a revolution.

Can this be avoided? If so, what role should education as a social institution play in this? In modern conditions, one can observe the growing disorganization of social life, the weakening or crisis of the mechanisms of social reproduction, which leads to changes in the functions of the most important social institutions that ensure the stability and order of the social system as a whole. This also applies to the education system. Traditionally, its most important function was the transfer of values, norms, rules (everything that makes up the cultural heritage of society) from generation to generation. At the same time, according to A. Touraine, this function in modern conditions “is sharply weakening, reproaches are made against education that it is archaic and at the same time acts as a force for hammering in the prevailing norms” .

These attacks on the education system testify to the penetration of social conflicts into a vast area of ​​"private life", which until then seemed far from them. One of the areas of private life is education. In modern conditions, education, according to A. Touraine, to a greater extent performs its other most important function, namely, adaptation to professional and social changes. And it is in this capacity that it becomes an arena of social conflicts, since an increasing number of subjects of social life compete with each other for the right to possess prestigious diplomas. This can be illustrated by the example of such a problem as unequal access to education.

Thus, according to surveys of first-year students at Moscow University conducted by the Center for Sociological Research of Moscow State University in 1994 and 1999, the chances of getting into the number of students come from families whose parents are engaged in science, education, culture, and health care. At the same time, children whose parents are economists, financiers, and businessmen increase their chances of becoming students. And very few chances come from families whose parents are engaged in agriculture. All these new trends in the formation of the student body, which have manifested themselves in recent years, could not but affect the changes in the motives for obtaining higher education, value orientations, preferences, interests, status claims, and life strategies of students. One of the topical issues is the problem of professional self-determination of students. The criteria for the effectiveness of this process include the following: satisfaction with the choice of specialty, university; a clear understanding of the social status associated with the choice of this profession, as well as employment opportunities after graduation in this specialty.

3. Education, mass media as institutions of socialization

In the process of normal functioning and development of society, the social institution of education plays an extremely important role.

The material and spiritual values, knowledge, experience, traditions accumulated by the labor of previous generations must be transferred to the new generation of people and assimilated by them. Therefore, maintaining the achieved level of cultural development, its further improvement is impossible without mastering the cultural heritage of past centuries. This problem is solved in the process of socialization of individuals, the task of which is precisely to familiarize a person with the norms and values ​​of culture and turn him into a full member of society. An essential component of the process of socialization of individuals is education - the training of a person in order to transfer accumulated knowledge and cultural values.

In more detail, education can be described as a relatively independent system, "the function of which is the systematic training and education of members of society, focused on mastering certain knowledge (primarily scientific), ideological and moral values, skills, habits, norms of behavior, the content of which is determined by socio-economic and the political system of society, the level of its material and technical development

In sociology, it is customary to distinguish between formal and non-formal education: The term "formal education" implies, firstly, the existence in society of special institutions and organizations (schools, colleges, technical schools, universities, advanced training institutes, etc.) that carry out the learning process. Secondly, the education system dominating in a modern industrial society is subject to a certain officially prescribed model, as if "setting" the amount of knowledge gained, learning certain skills and actions that must comply with: a) the normative canon of a person (citizen) adopted in a given society and b) regulatory requirements for the performance of social roles common in a given society. Therefore, the functioning of the formal education system is determined by the prevailing cultural standards, ideals, and political attitudes in society, which are embodied in the educational policy pursued by the state.

In sociology, the object of study is, first of all, the system of formal education, identified with the process of education as a whole, since educational institutions play a decisive role in it. As for the term "non-formal education", it refers to the unsystematized teaching of an individual to knowledge and skills that he spontaneously masters in the process of communicating with the surrounding social environment (friends, peers), or through individual familiarization with cultural values, assimilation of information from newspapers, radio, television, etc. Non-formal education is also an important part of the individual's socialization, helping him to master new social roles, promotes spiritual development, but in relation to the system of formal education in modern society, it plays a supporting role.

Mass media have specific social functions. We list the main ones: the dissemination of knowledge about reality, informing, the formation of public opinion, the implementation of the social activity of members of society, the organization of one or another behavior of people, any action, the audience, the creation of a certain emotional and psychological tone, social management, ideological and educational function , dissemination of cultural values, organizational and communicative function, entertainment function.

Among the traditional types of mass media, the following are distinguished: radio, print, television, cinema, Internet. As a variety of media channels can be considered: all technical means of information transmission, interpersonal communication, literature and art. The constant demand in the society of the media is based on the growing information needs of the individual: in learning new things, in communication, in aesthetic pleasure, in self-improvement, in psychological relief, entertainment, in self-knowledge, getting help, in ensuring self-confidence, in peace.

In the 90s of the twentieth century, the total number of mass media for the youth reader, TV viewer and radio listener increased. But in the conditions of an unregulated socio-economic situation, unsupported by the personnel potential of the newly created media, forced to resort to the services of incompetent and sometimes uncultured people, negative phenomena were discovered in the information environment. After the economic and political cataclysms, there was a quite understandable decline in the interest of the population in the media. The circulation of newspapers and magazines has fallen several times and is unlikely to ever rise to its previous level. Surveys of experts conducted by the Institute for Humanitarian Communications during the 90s of the twentieth century showed that the degree of independence of all types and types of mass media from government and big business has been falling all this time. Media owners and founders see them not as a source of information or a cultural force, but as an instrument of influence.

In conclusion, let us touch upon the status of communication theory, research in this area, and training of specialists. There is no consensus among Western researchers on these issues. Moreover, they are divided into two camps: "rescuers" and "reformists". The former believe that "media studies" should become an independent and equal discipline among others. "Reformists" find these ambitions unrealistic and oppose communication uniqueness and propose improvement through integration with other disciplines. In all likelihood, we are satisfied with the second approach, because the "Sociology of Communications" just integrates two areas of knowledge. It is also important for us that academic specialization has been carried out in the USA and “communicators” are being trained. And although the gap between the university approach and practice has not been bridged, these efforts inspire us with a certain optimism. For the direction of the sociology of communications, Western and domestic experience in training specialists in public relations (business communicators) is useful, where there is a place for sociologists. The development of research and training of specialists may lead to the emergence of a specialty related to the sociology of communications. This will make it possible to train sociologists - communicators, i.e. specialists, researchers and technologists in the field of communications.

Vocabulary

Education is a process of training and education in the interests of a person, society, state, aimed at preserving, increasing and transferring knowledge to new generations, meeting the needs of an individual in intellectual, cultural, moral, physical development, and training qualified personnel for the sectors of the economy.

Cultural reproduction is a set of elements of a system that provides conditions for the creation, preservation, and transmission of values.

Communications - (from lat. communicatio - contact, connection) - means of communication and communication, information contacts.

Mass media - the systematic dissemination of information (through print, radio, television, cinema, sound recording, video recording) in order to assert the spiritual values ​​of a given society and provide ideological, political, economic or organizational impact.

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In the process of normal functioning and development of society, the social institution of education plays an extremely important role. The material and spiritual values, knowledge, experience, traditions accumulated by the labor of previous generations must be transferred to the new generation of people and assimilated by them. Therefore, maintaining the achieved level of cultural development, its further improvement is impossible without mastering the cultural heritage of past centuries. This problem is solved in the process of socialization of individuals, the task of which is precisely to familiarize a person with the norms and values ​​of culture and turn him into a full member of society. An essential component of the process of socialization of individuals is education - the training of a person in order to transfer accumulated knowledge and cultural values.

In more detail, education can be described as a relatively independent system, "the function of which is the systematic training and education of members of society, focused on mastering certain knowledge (primarily scientific), ideological and moral values, skills, habits, norms of behavior, the content of which is determined by socio-economic and the political system of society, the level of its material and technical development ": .

The education system as an institution includes the following components:

educational authorities and their subordinate institutions and organizations;

a network of educational institutions (schools, colleges, gymnasiums, lyceums, universities, academies, etc.), including institutes for advanced training and teacher training;

creative unions, professional associations, societies, scientific and methodological councils and other associations;

science and education infrastructure institutions: design, production, clinical, medical and preventive, pharmaceutical, cultural and educational enterprises, printing houses, etc.;

educational programs and state educational standards of various levels and directions;

textbooks and teaching aids for teachers and students;

periodicals, including journals and yearbooks, reflecting the latest achievements of scientific thought.

Both in our country and abroad, the system of higher education has developed traditionally, including first theological and humanitarian, then natural science and engineering education. In recent decades, economic, informational and, already before our very eyes, social education have emerged from this system. Academician V. I. Zhukov characterizes it "as a product of qualitative interaction (interpenetration, assimilation) of natural science, humanitarian and technical education":

That is, social education, the system of social knowledge is "responsible" for all the problems that exist in human society and concern the person himself. At the same time, social education is not all-encompassing and abstract, but has a very specific practical orientation.

Social education is understood as:

training and retraining of specialists in the field of social sciences; training of specialists of various profiles in social sciences, their social education;

• · training and retraining of specialists for institutions of the social sphere and management;
• social education, education of the broad masses of the population, the formation of their ability to interact in society within a certain socio-historical space-time;
• · formation, reproduction of a certain mentality, systems of socio-cultural principles, life orientations, social ideals that form the foundation of social culture, social intelligence, lifestyle of the people of a particular state, nation, human community.

Improving the content of social education is the differentiation of general social education depending on the field of activity where the specialist will work (education, medicine, management, journalism, energy, industry, agriculture, finance).

Firstly, the needs of practice, the problems that are the subject of concern for modern society. Secondly, they are influenced by the preferences, sympathies of the teaching staff, their preparedness, and scientific interests. Thirdly, the development of theories of social work influences the choice of training models for social workers, the formation of programs for their training and advanced training.

At the same time, mass education is required to reliably inform people about the real scale of social problems and ways to solve them in each settlement, district, region, and territory. Informing the population about the work of the system of institutions of management and social protection of each district, settlement, region, territory, republic. Preparing people for social self-defense, teaching the basics of conservation, safety of life.

Improving the content of social education in modern Russia is associated with the fundamental foundations of the existence of man and society, the types of their life, social culture. This is mainly due to the development of ideas about the meaning of life and justice, about social ideals.

The organization of training and retraining of personnel of various qualifications has a long and strong tradition in our country. The purpose of social work is to provide assistance to members of society in need of it, to stimulate them to overcome by their own efforts the personal, family, group, and production problems that arise in them. The main functions of a social worker are to identify (diagnose) these problems, provide assistance, support, and then correct his behavior and social rehabilitation. the training of specialists in such a multilateral, complex in content and forms of implementation type of activity cannot immediately take shape and begin to function as an integral system, especially in the conditions of socio-economic transformations in which Russia is now. The most complete is the model proposed by Professor I. A. Zimnyaya: Social Education Institute

• 1. The training of a specialist in the field of social work is carried out by levels, the tasks of introducing a student into training, providing programs for self-study and self-development are consistently solved.
• 2. The training of a specialist can be considered as a complex multi-aspect activity, the cumulative subject of the implementation of which is the educational, methodological and administrative staff of the educational institution together with the departments, teachers, and the students themselves.
• 3. In the field of social work, like any complex activity deployed over time, it has several levels, stages. Level 1 - tentative-research is essentially an acquaintance with the subjects, means, methods and conditions of future professional activity, forecasting its implementation. Level 2 - the performance of the activity itself in the form of training, which involves the definition of approaches, the organization of the educational process and its provision. Level 3 - self-development, self-improvement of a specialist.
• 4. The training of a social work specialist requires him to adopt certain ethical standards (professional codes) and follow them, the formation of certain personal (individual-psychological) qualities, such as, for example, humanistic orientation, empathy, altruistic dominant, etc.
• 5. The subject of training in the specialty "social work" is the practical ability to provide effective qualified assistance to the client in solving his personal problems, difficulties (with children, parents, employees, himself), such as, for example, inadequacy of the level of claims, self-esteem, maladjustment , drug or alcohol addiction, impotence, old age, loss of meaning in life, disability.

The concept of education is ambiguous. It can be considered both as a process and as a result of the assimilation of systematized knowledge, skills and personal development. This is the real level of knowledge, personality traits, actual education. And the formal result of this process is a certificate, a diploma, a certificate. Education is also seen as a system that includes various levels:

preschool;

initial;

graduate school.

The education system also includes various types:

mass and elite;

general and technical.

Education in its modern form originated in Ancient Greece. It was dominated by private family education, which was carried out by slaves. Public schools functioned for the poorest sections of the free population. There is a selection, Elite schools (sitaria) form artistic taste, the ability to sing, play musical instruments. Physical development and military abilities were formed in palestras, developed in gymnasiums. It was in Ancient Greece that the main types of schools were born: the gymnasium, the lyceum (the place where Aristotle presented his system), the academy (Plato).

In ancient Rome, the school pursued the goal of solving applied, utilitarian problems, was aimed at training warriors and statesmen, and strict discipline reigned in it. Morality, law, history, rhetoric, literature, art, medicine were studied.

Religious education was formed in the Middle Ages. There are 3 types of educational institutions:

parochial;

cathedral;

secular.

In the XII-XIII centuries, universities appeared in Europe, and with them colleges for people from the poorest strata. Typical faculties: arts, law, theology and medicine.

Education has become widespread over the past two or three centuries. Consider the social changes that contributed to this.

The first of these changes was the democratic revolution. As can be seen from the example of the French Revolution (1789-1792), it was caused by the growing desire of non-aristocratic strata to participate in political affairs.

In response to this demand, educational opportunities were expanded: after all, new actors on the political stage should not be ignorant masses, in order to vote, the masses of the people should at least know the letters. Mass education turned out to be closely connected with the participation of the people in political life.

The ideal of an equal opportunity society is another aspect of the democratic revolution that has manifested itself in various forms and at various times in many countries. Because education is seen as the main way to ensure upward social mobility, equal social opportunity has become almost synonymous with equal access to education.

The second major event in the history of modern education was the industrial revolution. In the early stages of industrial development, when technology was primitive and workers were low-skilled, there was no need for an educated workforce. But the development of industry on a large scale required the expansion of the educational system to train skilled workers who could perform new and more complex activities.

The third important change that contributed to the expansion of the education system was related to the development of the institution of education itself. When an institution strengthens its position, a group is formed, united by common legitimate interests, which makes its demands on society - for example, to increase its prestige or material support from the state. Education is no exception to this rule.

A characteristic feature of education in modern industrialized countries is that primary education sooner or later becomes compulsory and free.

As a social institution, education was formed in the 19th century, when a mass school appeared. In the 20th century, the role of education is constantly increasing, the formal level of education of the population is growing. In developed countries, the vast majority of young people graduate from high school (USA - 86% of youth, Japan - 94%). The return to education is growing. The increase in national income due to investment in education reaches 40-50%. The share of public spending on education is increasing. To characterize the level of education of the population, such an indicator as the number of students per 10 thousand of the population is used. According to this indicator, Canada is the leader - 287, USA - 257, Cuba - 239. 167 students accounted for 10 thousand, then in 1997-98 account. - 219. This is due to the development of private education and the expansion of paid education in state universities,

In general, education is called upon to transmit from generation to generation the values ​​of the dominant culture. However, these values ​​are changing, so the content of education is also undergoing changes. If in ancient Athens the main attention was paid to the fine arts, then in ancient Rome the main place was occupied by the training of military leaders and statesmen. In the Middle Ages in Europe, education was concentrated on the assimilation of Christian teachings; in the Renaissance, interest in literature and art was again observed. In modern societies, the emphasis is mainly on the study of natural sciences, and much attention is paid to the development of the individual, that is, the humanization of education.

Education functions:

Socio-economic function. Preparation for labor activity of the workforce of different skill levels.

Cultural. It ensures the transmission of cultural heritage from one generation to another.

socializing function. Introducing the individual to social norms and values ​​of society,

integration function. By introducing common values, teaching certain norms, education stimulates common actions, unites people.

Function of social mobility. Education acts as a channel of social mobility. Although in the modern world unequal access to education persists. Thus, in the United States, 15.4% of children from families with incomes below $10,000 go to universities, more than $50,000. - 53%.

selection function. There is a selection of children in elite schools, their further promotion.

humanistic function. Comprehensive development of the personality of the student.

There are also latent functions of education, which include the function of "nanny" (the school relieves parents from the need to look after children for some time), the function of forming a communication environment, higher education in our society plays the role of a kind of "storage room".

Among the various goals of education, three are the most stable: intensive, extensive, productive.

The extensive goal of education involves the transfer of accumulated knowledge, cultural achievements, helping students in self-determination on this cultural basis, using the existing potential.

The intensive goal of education is the broad and complete development of the qualities of students to form their readiness not only to acquire certain knowledge, but also to constantly deepen knowledge, develop creative potential.

The productive goal of education is to prepare students for the types of activities that they will be engaged in and the structure of employment that has developed.

Problems in the functioning of education in Ukraine:

There is a threat of a drop in the level of vocational education.

The threat of deterioration in the conditions of the educational process.

Deterioration of the quality of teaching staff.

The loss of education of its quality to be an effective means of achieving personal life goals.

Social functions of the education system
Functions of education in the production and economic sphere
Functions of education in the field of culture
Functions of education in the socio-political sphere
Problems sociology education

Social institute - it is an organized system of relations and social norms that combines significant social values ​​and procedures that meet the basic needs of society. Any functional institute arises and functions, fulfilling this or that social need.
Everyone social institute It has as specific features, as well as common features with other institutions.

Signs Institute education are:

1. attitudes and patterns of behavior - love of knowledge, attendance
2. symbolic cultural signs - school logo, school songs
3. utilitarian cultural traits - classrooms, libraries, stadiums
4. oral and written code - student rules
5. ideology - academic freedom, progressive education, equality in learning

Education is a social subsystem that has its own structure. Educational institutions can be singled out as its main elements. as social organizations, social communities (teachers and students), the educational process as a type of socio-cultural activity.

Education system structured according to other principles, it includes a number of links: the system of preschool education, general education school, vocational education, specialized secondary education, higher education, postgraduate education, a system of advanced training and retraining of personnel, education by interest.

As far as preschool education is concerned, sociology proceeds from the fact that the foundations of a person's upbringing, his industriousness, and many other moral qualities are laid in early childhood.

In general, the importance of preschool education is underestimated. It is too often overlooked that this is an extremely important step in life person, on which the fundamental basis of the personal qualities of a person is laid. And the point is not in quantitative indicators of `coverage` of children or satisfaction of the desires of parents.

Kindergartens, nurseries, factories are not just a means of 'looking after' children, here their mental, moral and physical development takes place. With the transition to teaching children from the age of 6, kindergartens faced new problems for themselves - organizing the activities of preparatory groups so that children can normally enter the school rhythm of life and have self-service skills.

From the point of view of sociology, the analysis of society's focus on supporting preschool forms of education, on the readiness of parents to resort to their help to prepare children for work and the rational organization of their social and personal life, is of particular importance. To understand the specifics of this form of education, the position and value orientations of those people who work with children - educators, service personnel - as well as their readiness, understanding and desire to fulfill the duties and hopes assigned to them are especially significant.

Unlike pre-school education and upbringing, which does not cover every child (in 1992, only every second child was in kindergartens), the secondary general education school is aimed at preparing the entire younger generation for life, without exception. In the conditions of the Soviet period, starting from the 60s, the implementation of the principle of universality of complete secondary education was carried out in order to provide young people with an 'equal start' when entering an independent working life.

Along with political and economic institutions, the functioning of others, including socio-cultural institutions, such as institutions of the education system, science, health care, cultural and educational institutions, the system of law and justice, the army, etc., is essential. All these ( and others) the institutions of society are the subject of specialized sociological research.

Education system is one of the most important social institutions. From a functional point of view, the education system is included in the number of institutional structures that ensure the socialization of individuals. The socialization of an individual is the process by which individuals develop the qualities essential for effective functioning in the society in which they live. Socialization ensures the continuity of culture, its transmission from generation to generation. The agents and conductors of primary socialization (socialization of the child) are families, and socialization is largely spontaneous, spontaneous.

In parallel with the named ones, acting throughout life, are public structures (political, legal, religious, media, etc.). Here, socialization is predominantly purposeful. In modern society, education systems are the decisive instrument for this kind of conscious socialization. Their activities also reproduce the dual function of the socialization process: the transmission of culture and the development of the individual.

Historically, the institutional structures of purposeful socialization until the New Age covered a relatively small part of society and provided the goal of forming a single political, religious, military and economic elite. At present, the education system, in terms of its significance, volume and content, plays, more than ever before, a decisive role in the life of society. If historically the acquisition of education was an economically unproductive, but prestigious affiliation of a narrow, privileged stratum of the elite, then at present the productive potential of society is directly determined by the wide dissemination of specialized knowledge. A condition for the successful functioning of a modern democratic political system is also the spread of mass education.

Education serves the development of the personality, promotes its self-realization. At the same time, education is of crucial importance for the society itself, ensuring the fulfillment of the most important tasks of a practical and symbolic nature. The function of transferring culture is most represented in societies with a pronounced historically oriented self-awareness, where there is concern about the preservation of traditional values, fear of their loss outside the special system of appropriate education. The implementation of this function of education finds expression in the promotion of the disciplines of the humanities cycle - the history of society, language, literature, geography, religion and philosophy.

Among the problems that arise in connection with the implementation of the culture transfer function are the problem of combining a conservative, protective element of cultural heritage(outside which the transfer of cultural property is not possible), with elements of culture to preserve its dynamism, combine respect for tradition with the ability to critically evaluate them. At its extreme, educational conservatism can take the form indoctrination either political (the ideology of totalitarianism), or religious (fundamentalism), or national (ethnocentrism) character.

The education system makes a significant contribution to the integration of society. Most modern countries are characterized by the presence of various ethnic, racial, religious groups. Education can contribute to the formation (especially among the younger generation) of a sense of common historical destiny, belonging to a single society and, while preserving the national characteristics of the cultural identity of such groups, contribute to the development of common values, preferences, ideals and aspirations within the framework of cultural integration.

In the present conditions, the education system in Russia is faced with the need to solve problems such as meaningful, and structural and organizational character.

Among the organizational tasks is the task of combining state educational institutions, free education with developing educational institutions of non-state, paid education (strictly speaking, the term "free education" is not entirely accurate, it is free for students, but this kind of education is paid through the state budget, paid by taxpayers, the general population). Obviously, the important social significance of such education, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Its maintenance and development directly depend on the size of the state budget and the share in it allocated for this purpose.

At the same time, the legitimacy of the parallel development of the system of paid, non-state education is obvious. Its availability directly depends on the income level of citizens. The paid education system makes it possible to expand the material base of such institutions, provide higher pay for teachers, which makes it possible to improve their composition on a competitive basis, apply for an increased (elite) level of education, respond flexibly to emerging new needs for the specialization of such education, etc. As the development of a paid education system will manifest its elite character.

Ultimately, a universal principle will also emerge in education: that which costs more, has better quality (and is more valued). Such is the clear social function such a system. Her latent function will be expressed in the fact that differentiation in the level and quality of education will not only express, reflect the differentiation of citizens in terms of income, but will also provide their graduates with the best starting conditions for social mobility, promotion up the social ladder and occupying appropriate social positions, i.e. contribution to the social stratification of society.

Intelligence in the technotronic era. In the history of mankind, each period of the development of civilization can be characterized by various symbols of social wealth, the main force driving production. So, for traditional, predominantly agricultural production, the symbol of wealth is bread, the instrument of production is human (and animal) strength. For the industrial production that replaced it, the symbol of wealth is metal, the main tool is tools, machines, mechanisms that incredibly increased human strength.

Today, in the post-industrial, technotronic era, a new symbol of social wealth is emerging, which in these conditions is the decisive force for further economic development. Such is the microchip - the nerve cell of the computer. Its material, material force is negligible - it is a silicon crystal, a grain of sand. But this grain of sand is imprinted with a microcircuit - the highest achievement of technical intelligence, and this is precisely the high value of such a grain of sand. The same circumstance also reveals the decisive force ("tool") of social production of the technotronic era - highly developed intellect person.

Mankind still cannot live without bread and metal. He still needs the strength of man and the power of mechanisms. And of course, the intellect invariably led man along the road of civilization. However, today he acts as independent, decisive force social production. Neither the amount of coal and steel, nor the growth of crops by themselves solve today the question of the level of development of society, of its creative potential. Butif Today, “intelligence decides everything”, then society and those of its institutions (education, upbringing), which are designed to reproduce the spiritual wealth of society, maintain the achieved level of knowledge and intensively develop it, prepare those who will do all this, then exactly such a society with such highly effective education systems will be able to take and maintain a worthy place in today's world. Russia faces such a challenge in our time.