Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Republic of the Union of Myanmar

National Unity Government
Ministry of Education

Spring Normal University

Ethe1101
Educational Theory

Department of Educational Theory and Management

2024-2025 Academic Year

1
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Content

No. Title Page

1 The Nature of Education 3-15
2 Basic Agencies of Education 16-26
3 Nature of Teaching and Learning (Part 1) tbc
4 Nature of Teaching and Learning (Part 2) tbc
5 The Role of Teachers and Schools in Society tbc

2
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

CHAPTER ONE

The Nature of Education

Introduction

This chapter will explore the meaning of education and central task of education for
all beginners of teacher preparation program to build the sound foundation of education and
to become competent professionals in the field of education.

Content and Learning Outcomes Map

General objective: Elaborate the nature of education with examples

No. of
Content Learning Outcomes TCSF teaching
periods

Understanding equity and Identify equity and equality

concepts related to education C – 3.1 1
equality

Meaning and definitions of Define the meaning and

A – 3.1 1
education definitions of education

Compare and contrast three

types of education highlighting
Three types of education A – 3.2 1
their similarities, differences,
and intertwining nature

Inclusive and multicultural Point out the importance of

inclusive and multicultural C – 3.1 1
education education

Explain the central tasks of

Central tasks of education A – 3.1 1
education

Understanding equity and equality

In the simplest terms, equity refers to an idea of fairness, while equality refers to a view
of sameness. Equality in education means that every student receives the same resources and
opportunities. This could refer to the same funding for all schools, the same quality of an
abundance of materials and facilities, and/or the same quality of instruction. Equity means
every student gets the opportunities and resources they need, depending on their specific
situation. If equality means giving everyone the same resources, equity means every student
gets the opportunities and resources they need, depending on their specific situation.

3
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

For example, if a student experiences learning difficulties, that student likely requires a
different level of attention and needs more personalized instruction than a student who does
not experience learning difficulties. Those students with disabilities need particular
accommodations, and students who have not had the same opportunities so far might need
exceptional help to get on track with other students. In short, both Equity and Equality are
crucial in education.
Equality (တူညီ) + Equity (မျှတ) = Education (ပညာရ)

It is clear that equity becomes crucial to help offset the lack of equality. But without
equality, it’s much harder to achieve equity. Performing equity often falls on the shoulders of
educators who do not have abundant resources, even when they know what should be done.
But as we continue to seek changes in education legislation and form our classrooms
according to the knowledge we gain, it doesn't need to be equity vs. equality in the classroom.
We hope that one day we can see both implemented to their full extent, for every student.

4
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Meaning of Education

The word “education” comes from a Latin word “educare,” meaning “to lead forth”.
This means that “education consists simply of
drawing out of students what is already inside each of
them”. Other scholars claim that the word
“education” comes from another Latin verb,
“educere”, meaning “to rear or to raise”. This means
they say that “education is the process of nurturing and
shaping the individual”.

The words ‘cultivate’ and ‘civilize’ are almost synonymous to the word ‘educate’.
Education is important as it teaches us the right behaviour, as well as the good manners, and
thus makes us civilized. It teaches us how to lead our lives. It is the basis of culture and
civilization. It is instrumental in the development of our values and virtues. Education
cultivates us to become individuals’ mature, individuals capable of planning for our futures
and taking the right decisions. Education arms us with an insight to look at our lives and learn
from every experience. The future of a nation is safe in the hands of educated individuals.
Education is important for the economic growth of a nation. Education forms a support
system for talents to excel in life. It is the backbone of society.

Education refers to “all actions and influences” directed to developing and cultivating
a person’s mental abilities, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviour in such a way that the
individual’s personality may be developed to the fullest possible extent.

The Definitions of Education

From the earliest times to the modern era, various thinkers and educators have defined
education in their own characteristics way in order to make the concept of education clear.
These definitions throw a flood of light on the various aspects of education and its essential
features. A general survey of some of the definitions by Western and Myanmar thinkers
reveals to us a multiplicity of definitions of Education.

5
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Education exists not only in literature but

also in any art or craft by which to earn a
living.” Ashin Janakarbhivumsa

The end of education is "to develop in the

body and the soul all the beauty and all the
perfections of which they are capable."
Plato

"Education is the creation of a sound mind in

a sound body." Aristotle

"Education is a natural, harmonious and

progressive development of man's innate
powers." Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

"Education is the development of good moral

character." Johann Friedrich Herbart

6
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

“Education is nothing but the formation of

habit”. J. J. Rousseau

Education is the key to unlock golden door of

freedom. George Washington Carver

"Education is the development of all those

capacities in the individual which will enable
him to control his environment and fulfil his
possibilities." John Dewey

Education is not a destination; it is a

continuous journey that fuels personal and
societal growth. Mother Teresa

The highest result of education is tolerance.

Helen Keller

7
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

What would be your favourite definition education mentioned above?

Reflection
Why?
Time!
What would be your definition of education?

Three types of education

Education may be formal, non-formal or informal. Formal education is consciously

and deliberately planned for the purpose of training the child. Non-formal education is the
one which provide knowledge, skills and competency required by the child out of school
system. Informal education is incidental-the education which a person receives from living
with others. It is important and natural but it is not deliberately planned. Let us now discuss
these three types of education in detail.

Formal Education

Formal education is that which is consciously and deliberately planned for the
modification of behaviour with a particular end in view. Formal education is undertaken in
schools or institutions specifically established and maintained for the purpose. It therefore,
takes the form of schooling, tuition and instruction. As the child goes to a school, he has to be
formal and act according to the discipline of that school. He is conscious of the fact that he
goes to that school for getting education. He is aware of his presence in the school throughout
the day. Similar is the case with the teacher. He too, is aware of all these things. Thus, both
the pupil and the teacher deliberately engage themselves in the process of education with
predetermined objective in view. In a school, not only the atmosphere is formal, but the
curriculum and methods of teaching are also formal. These are fixed in advance with clear cut
ends in view. All teaching is formal. It also includes vocational or general education imparted
by parents in a formal way.

Non-formal Education

Non-formal education is the education that occurs outside the formal school system. It
is also institutionalized, intentional and planned by an education provider. It provides
education to people of all ages, but does not necessarily continuous pathway-structure, it may
be a short duration or low intensity in its content, and it is typically provided in the form of
short courses, workshops and seminars. For example, if the child is out of school or complete
their graduation, they like to join the computer classes or English-speaking classes for the
career or personal development. They enrol themselves in the courses given by free-lance

8
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

trainers or private providers or online courses within the certain period and finish their study
according to the instructors by the courses. Non-formal education can cover programs
contributing to adult and youth literacy and education for out-of-school children.

Informal Education

Informal education is not pre-planned or deliberate. It is incidental and takes place

consciously as well as unconsciously. Child learns many habits, manners, and patterns while
living with others or moving in different spheres like home, society and groups etc. Actually,
such education is not given by any specialized agency or institution, although this forms the
essential feature of all education. In an informal way, child imitates the older members of the
community and thus imbibes certain virtues most essential for life. He is in this way getting
education. Such an education is gained through experience and actual living in the family or
community. There is no prescribed course, no fixed time-table and no formal means of
education. The transmission of cultural heritage and life experiences takes place in a natural
way. Such an education becomes life long process and is called informal education.

From Informal to Formal Education

In the primitive times, all education was informal. It was limited to activities like
hunting, fishing, shipping, protection from the natural calamities, and so on. The child could
learn such life activities by direct participation in the day-to-day life of the community and in
an informal way from the more experienced members of the community. At that time life was
very simple so was the social order and culture. A son was to follow the profession of his
father, and the daughter of her mother. With the advancement of civilization and growing
complexity of social order and culture, education began to lose its informal nature. With the
growth of civilization and advancement in the field of science and technology, the
accumulated fund of knowledge and skills became more and more complex. It is created the
need for formal education. It necessitated the selection of educational experiences and
consequently, education progressed from the incidental and informal aspects of life towards
the conscious formality of school. Hence, formal education became differentiated from
informal, and school became a specialized agency of Education.

Synthesis of the Three Types of Education

Both formal and informal types of education try to prepare the child for life. However,
as teachers, we are mostly concerned with formal education and, therefore, consider this type
of education to be more important. Whereas the influences of formal education are

9
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

systematic, definite and permanent, those of informal education tend to be vague and
indefinite. In the case of formal education, we can predict results to a certain extent which is
not possible in the case of informal education. It is through formal education that we can train
and educate the immature child according to the demands of society.

Still, we cannot ignore the important role played by informal education in the life of
the child. For formal education, a child stays in the school for five or six hours, while the rest
of the day is spent in home, community, church, playground etc., outside the school. The
environment where the child spends the major part of his day, must, therefore, have much
more effect upon him than the school. Therefore, the importance of informal education
cannot be ignored.

Non-formal education can also take place part of the formal school system, for
example, basic computer training or first-aids training
or scouts training given by the needs of the students in
the after school or weekend or vacation time. Or after
attending non-formal training or courses, students are
more deeply interested in specific subject or field of
study, they join the formal education to gain more
knowledge about the subject or informally search in
internet or do the jobs related to the subject, they gain
more knowledge and skills related to the subject they
received from non-formal education and vice versa.

Education in its ‘totality’ includes both formal,

non-formal and informal education. In the modern
structure, three types of education play important roles. The difference may be of quality or
quantity. But each is implied by the other. All are independent, but interdependent. We
cannot minimize the essential virtues like social, moral, spiritual values, etc., in human life
that the informal education imparts. Similarly, we cannot ignore the significance of
schooling, instruction and training that the formal and non-formal education gives. Granted
that education is modification of human behaviour, a process of social change and
transmission of cultural heritage, it is evident that formal as well as informal education
should essentially form the basis of all educational organization and planning. The all types
of education are complementary to each other.

10
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Inclusive and multicultural education

Checklist for the types of diversity in your classroom. Check the item(s) in the following
list that you ever experienced in your school life.

Inclusive education: Inclusive education is an education system that includes all students,
and welcomes and supports them to learn, whoever they are and whatever their abilities or
requirements. This means making sure that teaching and the curriculum, school buildings,
classrooms, play areas, transport and toilets are appropriate for all children at all levels.
Inclusive education means all children learn together in the same schools. No-one should be
excluded. Every child has a right to inclusive education, including children with disabilities.
Multicultural education: Multicultural education is referred to as a modern and advanced
teaching model which focuses on fostering principles of equality among all students in spite
of their varied races, backgrounds, cultures, beliefs, and ethnicities. It helps in integrating
histories, values, and different viewpoints of all student groups in a class. From social skills
& language barriers, classroom involvement to academic performance, and behavior to
discipline, multicultural forms of education help in providing equitable academic
opportunities to all students. Moreover, it helps in guiding an educator to remove barriers
experienced in a multicultural class.

11
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Multicultural education is an attempt to create equal educational opportunities for all

students by transforming the school's environment in such a way that it will showcase the
country's diverse cultures and groups in our society. It helps the students to learn more about
their society and contribute towards it.
When the inclusion and multicultural responsive teaching strategies are encouraging
in the classroom, we can see the benefits it can have on students now and in the long-term.
- Students become more empathetic
- Students gain a better understanding of lessons and people
- Students become more open-minded
- Students feel more confident and safe
- Students are better prepared for a diverse workplace
How to implement multicultural education in the classroom?
Diversity even exists within mainstream society and students are required to have the
communication life skills which multicultural education promotes. In a changing world, it is
becoming vital to promote academic programs to serve the needs of diversified students.
Some of the ways to implement inclusive and multicultural education in the classroom
are:
1. Understand Your Students: The most fundamental step is to understand the cultural and
ethnic backgrounds of all the students. It can be achieved by going through their personal
records, by interviewing them on the first day of the lecture, and by asking their previous
teacher about the student.

2. Identifying Their Strengths and Weaknesses: It is an educator’s responsibility to identify

the strengths and weaknesses of the students to eliminate them, and improve their learning
outcome. This can be achieved by checking previous academic records and regularly
assessing the student’s performance in the class.

3. Organizing Open Discussions: Selecting a current social or cultural issue and organizing an
open discussion on them allows the students to share their opinions, be better listeners, and
know about the issues faced by other cultures and communities.

4. Encouraging Students to Share Real-Life Experiences: Teachers can organize casual

sessions where the students share their past experiences and stories that help them open up,
build strong communication skills, and help in relating with each other.

12
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

5. Cultural Food Swap: Teachers can occasionally ask students to bring their cultural dishes
for lunch and swap it with each other and share, to help them embrace and know about
different cuisines.

6. Planning Group Activities: Educators can plan group activities which focus
on collaborative learning & teamwork which help overcome cultural barriers, embrace
cultural differences in a class, and improve student involvement.

7. Organizing Events & Seminars: By bringing in guest speakers from various cultural
backgrounds and by organizing events & seminars, teachers can help in boosting
multicultural education among the students.

8. Promoting Cultural Storytelling: Every home in each culture has some traditional folktales
which have been passed down from generation to generation and are told to the children.
Teachers can ask students to share their cultural stories and draw moral lessons from each
one of them.

9. Celebrate Native Festivals and Schedule Monthly Culture Day: By celebrating cultural
festivals each student can help students feel respected & valued and thus make the classroom
culturally open and responsive. Instructors can encourage students to wear their cultural
outfits once a month to help them learn about other student’s culture.

10. Understand Different Learning Styles of Students: Teachers can encourage equitable
learning by being aware of their student’s varied learning styles that are influenced by their
backgrounds. They can encourage students to learn from each other’s experiences and ask
questions which promote understanding.

The Central Task of Education

The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning. The truly
human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students
together.” The only purpose of education is to teach a student how to live his life-by
developing his mind and equipping him to deal with reality. The training he needs is
theoretical, i.e., conceptual. He has to be taught to think, to
understand, to integrate, to prove. He has to be taught the
essentials of the knowledge discovered in the past-and he has to
be equipped to acquire further knowledge by his own effort.”

Education is any process to promote children’s or

13
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

students’ personal well-being, to reinforce their considerate behaviour and action towards
others, and to help children/students build up autonomy (to help them grow up into adults).
These are the broad educational goals. The task of educators is to ensure this process for
development of human-beings.

In promoting personal well-being, the focus is on respect for each child’s or student’s
individuality. This allows children or students to act and develop as their own unique
personalities.

Reinforcement of considerate behaviour and action towards others as an educational

goal means that children or students learn to think of other people and care about them. They
need to think positively of themselves, other people, and other cultures and environments.
Schools need to contribute to providing conditions favourable for the creation of a good
society and a common world.

Gradual build-up of autonomy aims to help children/students grow up into adults who
are able to take care of themselves and their close people and to make decisions and choices
concerning their own life.

The principal target of education is to promote the child’s or student’s overall well-
being so as to ensure the best possible conditions for growth, learning and development. In
this way, the child/student is able to enjoy the company of
other children and educators, experiencing joy and freedom of
action in an unhurried, safe atmosphere. The child is interested
in his environment, and can direct his energy to play, learning
and everyday activities with an appropriate level of challenge.
To promote their well-being, children’s or students’ health and
functional capacity are fostered and their basic needs are
addressed. Hence, children feel that they are appreciated and accepted as they are, and that
they are heard and seen. They are helped to develop a healthy self-esteem. They want to try
new things, and learn social skills. Furthermore, each child/student is encountered in

14
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

accordance with his individual needs; personality and family culture, and has a feeling of
being treated fairly regardless of gender or social, cultural and ethnic background.

Children’s or Students’ well-being in school activities is promoted through stable and

warm personal relationships. Their relationships to parents, educators and other children are
fostered, and they have a feeling of belonging in a peer group. The child’s/student’s day
consists of a variety of everyday situations, which from a basis for a well-defined but flexible
daily rhythm. The care and other interactive situations and small tasks contained in the
child’s day are important for development and learning. Thus, educators embed the
dimension of teaching in the different phases of the child’s/student’s day.

Do you believe you have been ever fulfilled the central tasks of education by
Reflection your parents or adults?
Time! As a teacher, how do you suggest what a teacher should do to accomplish the
central tasks of education?

Conclusion

There is a whole comprising the intertwining dimensions of care, education and

teaching. These dimensions receive a different emphasis according to the age of the child and
the situation. The situations also involve education, teaching and guidance, being important
for both the child’s general well-being and learning. A good combination of care, education
and teaching can promote the child’s positive self-image, expressive and interactive skills,
and the development of thinking.

References:

Drexel University School of Education. (2023).The Importance of Diversity and

Multicultural Awareness in Education. Retrieved from https://drexel.edu/soe/
resources/student-teaching/advice/importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-classroom/
UNESCO Institute of Statistics. (2024) Non-formal education. Retrieved from
https://uis.unesco.org/en/glossary-term/non-formal-education
Zoloth, S. (2024). Equity vs equality in education: why both are essential in today’s
classrooms. Retrieved from https://www.nshss.org/resources/blog/blog-posts/equity-
vs-equality-in-education-why-both-are-essential-in-today-s-classrooms/

Should join!
“Equity and Inclusion in Education” - edX free course:
https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:SDGAcademyX+EE01+2T2023/home

15
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

CHAPTER TWO

Basic Agencies of Education

Introduction

Education = Schooling = Teaching was the old concept of education. It is no longer

valid now. Schooling is only one aspect of education. Educational goals and practices are not
static. They change as the beliefs and values of the people change. The individual must
constantly learn to fit in his society. One learns from every situation of life. The environment
is a source of learning. The home or the family, the school, the playground, the club, the
library, the television, the religious institution, and so forth, are sources of learning.
Education extends to every aspect of life - mental, physical, emotional, and vocational. It
relates to knowledge and skills as well as attitudes to life and work.

Education is much more comprehensive than the skills, attitudes and knowledge
which are attained in the school. There are several important agencies which make major
contributions to the growth and development of the school child. Teachers need to know
about these agencies in order to contribute to students’ development and growth effectively.

Content and Learning Outcomes Map

General objective: Explain about the agencies of education and how these agencies effects
on the education

No. of
Content Learning Outcomes TCSF teaching
periods

Identify basic agencies of A – 3.1

Basic agencies of education 2
education
A – 3.2

Effects of local culture and Explain the effects of local

C – 1.3 1
context in education culture and context on education

Ways to promote family and Evaluate ways to improve family

community engagement in and community engagement in B – 4.1 1
schools schools

16
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Basic Agencies of Education

The important agencies which make major contributions to the growth and
development of the school child are as follows: -

(i) Home or the family;

(ii) The school;
(iii) The play group or peer group;
(iv) The religious institutions; and
(v) The community agencies, such as library, radio, television and video, pwes, zats,
and public parks.

1. Home or the family

The home is supposed to be the first social institution to affect the development of the
child. A difference has been made between the “home” and the “house”. A house is merely a
shelter from the weather, and an eating and sleeping place, whereas a “Home” is supposed to
be more than a house in that it is a place which all are happy and to which all are glad to
come. The influence of home can hardly be
emphasized, if a child comes from a home where
his physical needs are met, where he is given the
necessary affection, and suitable training he is likely
to be well adjusted and have a feeling of security
and stability. If he comes from bad home, or poverty-
stricken home, or rejecting or overprotecting or a
broken-home, he is bound to have a feeling of
insecurity, and instability and may be maladjusted. Thus, back of the problem child is the
problem home and back of the wholesome child is the wholesome home. The child tends to
reflect the conditions and circumstances of its home.

Some parents are not ambitious for their children, others are over ambitious. In one
family, absolute obedience is required, and in another home, the parents determine everything
for the children even that of the occupation of the children. Neatness and cleanliness in the
home are likely to be reflected in the appearance and dress of the child, and the language
habits of the parents appear in marked form in their children.

Also, an individual’s happiness in adult life may be conditioned to a great extent by a

happy, congenial, understanding atmosphere in the family in which he is reared. Such factors

17
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

as the type of punishment a child receives at home, and the affection he has from his parents
may be the key to an understanding of the child’s reaction towards his teacher in school.
Divorce or the death of parents may affect the social and emotional growth of the child.

It is important for parents to realize how the relationship of the children and parents
and the brothers and sisters in the family can lead to the instability and insecurity of the child.
The home like the school has the responsibility of providing an environment in which the
children will have their physical needs met but also will develop a sense of belongingness,
security and stability, and independence. Affection and understanding should be the keys to
developing sound personality growth and well-adjusted children. The development of an
integrated personality is the responsibility of both the home and the school.

2. The school

The child is the result of the combination of

the factors including the heredity, and the
environment. The school occupies a very important
position in the life of the child. The child is under
the influence from five to six hours a day, five days
a week, and thirty-six to forty weeks a year. Failure
of the home and other agencies to meet the needs
of the child at different stages of the child’s
developmental process put more responsibility
upon the school.

The majority of the homes fail to meet to provide the child with adequate nutrition,
optimal affection, suitable training, and an opportunity for developing independence from
parents. If the child fails to have playmates, and play facilities from the community, he will
come to school where he must be provided with the necessary requirements. The school
should be alert to seize all opportunities and, should utilize all experiences and situations to
provide for the wholesome of the child.

The school has the responsibility of providing hygienic friendly environment with
understanding teachers. It should help towards the growth of sound personality to make the
child well adjusted. The teacher should be whole personality, with a happy, enthusiastic
outlook upon life. His influence must be positive and should exemplify the attitudes and the
qualities of good teacher.

18
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

All the objectives of the school should be such that their achievement will result in the
development of all phases of the child personality. All subjects and activities should be
interrelated in order that the growth of the character may be assured. Over competition,
unsuitable curriculum, over restriction, and poor methods of handling children may tend to
retard personality development of the child. Classroom procedures and activities, extra
curriculum activities and other phases of social life should provide opportunity for
wholesome development of the child as he grows from childhood to adolescent period in
school.

3. The play group or peer group

The group of peers or adolescents of the same age is often known as the play group.
There comes a time to every child when he grows up, he is no longer satisfied to be a member
of his family group only. Before he becomes an adolescent, he is content to be loyal to his
family or club or to his play group.

The teenager is more likely to be loyal to his play group than to any other group. The
group or the gang of the wholesome has its own sense of unity, based on co-operative ability
through which the gang becomes the basic of the conduct of each member as well as every
motivation of the organization. The group demands the loyalty to him. Obedience the gang
rule is of the great importance and punishments follows for the offender.

The gang or the play group or the peer group is in fact an agency through whichthe
growing adolescent triesto escape the restricted home environment or the routine of everyday
life or the authority of agencies which he thinks are too dominating for him. This is thus the
time when the adolescent boy gets lost with the friends when he joins the group to escape the
harsh treatment of the homes and the schools. It is only the natural for the young adolescent
to run away from home when he feels that he is wanted by the home, when he is not given
recognition and is not given a place at home, by the other members of the home and the
school.

Teachers and parents should realize that every child accepted by them both at home
and at school, and to give them their place as they grow up else they will seek the required
recognition elsewhere in an unwholesome environment.

Playground and play facilities of the community have their role in helping the child to
develop tolerance, sympathy, and wholesome attitudes towards life. Service club, such as Red
Cross, Youth organization and other such activities should be made available to all youths.

19
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Recreation centres and amusement parks should be within the reach of average child.
At the same time in spirit of those community agencies, children should be allowed to have
parties and enjoy their own homes rather than outside their homes.

4. The religious institutions

Like all other agencies the religious institutions should base their instructions of
religious education upon the findings of educational and child
psychologists. It has been discovered that early as the age of two.
The child requires from the religious institution and his parents
and elders, certain ideas of God of spiritual awards and
punishments, and of moral right and wrong. He usually accepts
these concepts without questionings until he reaches the
adolescent period of life which is youth’s time for challenging everything.

The loss of relations and friends, change in social environment, the sight of injustice,
or needless suffering all these are more or less in or conflicts in most youths during the
adolescent period of life. The religious institutions should make all efforts to understand the
child and important of giving religious instructions through purposeful and meaningful
activities instead of giving lip service to high ideals and religious education. The role to be
played by the religious institutions should no longer be neglected in the character education
of the modern youths.

5. The community agencies

A number of community agencies operate to influence and condition the school child.
These community agencies may be commercial and non-commercial agencies. The
commercial agencies may include the movies, the radio, the camps, and dramatic and musical
entertainments. The non-commercial agencies include the leisure time agencies such as the
libraries, museums, recreation centres, and playgrounds.

The movies

The influence of motion pictures should not be overlooked. Research shows that
movies have marked effect upon the emotions, attitudes and behavior of the children. There
are different types of pictures produced and shown including crimes, sex, love, war, children,
history, travel, comedy, tragedy and social programs. It should be taken into consideration as
to which of the movies are good for children and which are good for adolescents.

20
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Research work should be conducted as to how many times the adolescents are going
to the movies a week or a month and to what types they have been going. Motion pictures are
a great important factor in determining the character growth of the child. How much of what
a child sees and hears is remembered should be recorded and the effect of such motion
pictures should no longer be neglected.

Radio, television and video

Another great influence in character education of the children are radio, television and
video. It has been found that listening activities of children are more vivid than reading
experiences. Radio, television, and video are becoming more important still in the classrooms
of the modern school, and children, should be taught educational uses of the radio, television
and video. Programs on television and radio should be adapted to meet the needs of the
children because these programs which may be good for adults may have harmful effects on
the children. On the whole children should be taught to discriminate good and bad programs,
and parents and teachers should help them select what is best and suitable for them.

Leisure time agencies

The libraries, newspapers and magazines provide education. Children should

encourage to spend their leisure time in public libraries, and at home as much and possible.
The leisure time reading of the children can be of great value in education. What one sees and
hears and reads have effect on one character. Books like motion pictures can have good as
well as bad effects. Types of books read by adolescents and children should be noted and
recorded. Tales of mystery, of adventure, of triumph, of right over wrong, of rise to fame and
wealth, of success and of strange places and strange lands continue to appeal to all youths.

All children should be encouraged to read newspaper and magazines according to

their level. Education should keep a record of the type of literature that interest the children
most and the type of articles, pages and the section that the children enjoy most so that their
reading experiences may be utilize in education. The homes as well as the schools should be
careful to make provisions for the leisure time reading of all age levels of the children.

Reflection Read the following case studies and discuss your answer the questions for each
Time! case with your classmates.

21
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

1. Do you recognize any other agencies apart from the above five agencies of
Critical education?
thinking 2. How do you think of government and non-government agencies and their
☺ roles in education?

Family and Community Engagement in Education

Effects of local culture and context in education

Local culture plays a significant role in shaping educational practices and outcomes. Local
culture and local wisdom should be inculcated in schooling and education for the following
reasons.

• Learning by associating culture with subject matter can make it easier for students to
learn. Learning will become more meaningful and easy for students to understand,
when the subject matter taught is in accordance with the environment and local
culture of students.

22
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

• Cultural differences shape teachers' practices in the classroom, which in turn affects
students' motivation
• In diverse classrooms, understanding cultural beliefs and values is crucial for effective
teaching and learning
• Cultural awareness among educators helps create a better learning environment and
prevents placing students from diverse cultural backgrounds at a disadvantage
• Additionally, cultural factors influence student decision-making regarding school
design and ability tracking

Ways to promote family and community engagement in schools

Schools are much more than educational institutions. They are hubs for our
communities and places where we can bridge barriers to identifying and addressing issues
related to children and their learning and also directly or indirectly learning hubs for family
and community. Family engagement activities enable families to have direct and meaningful
influence and input into systems, policies, programs, or practices affecting services for
children and families. Parental engagement is central to enhancing all levels of student
development and achievement. Elementary schools with strong parental engagement were ten
times more likely to improve in math and four times more likely to improve in reading than
schools which weak on this measure.

Community which is a group of individuals sharing common values, interest, or

location who interact with one another on a more frequent basis than with others outside the
community. Community where school located is directly or indirectly influenced on the
functions of the school, therefore, teachers and school leaders need to be aware of the
importance of family and community engagement in school for the best outcomes of the
school they live in. Relationships based on trust and respect, listening to each other,
cooperation and active participation in schools of the family and community members
evident positive benefits in students’ development and education and wellbeing. There are six
types of family-school-community relationships developed by Epstein in 1995. They are as
follows:

1. parenting partnerships where the focus is on support for families to create home
environments which support children as students

2. forms of communication for school-to-home and home-to-school

23
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

3. volunteering of family and community members in school

4. information exchange between home and school so students can be supported in

learning at home with homework

5. school decision-making partnerships where parents are included

6. partnerships with the community where resources and services are integrated in the
school to support student learning and development.

Read the following literature explaining about Brofenbrenner’s ecological

systems theory in education for 10 minutes. Next, share your understanding
Activity with your friend (s). Then, compare the five systems mentioned by
Brofenbrenner with five agencies of education. And finally, explain you and
your friend (s) findings to your classmates. (30 min)

24
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Conclusion

The basic agencies in the educative process have been discussed. We should notice
the implications. The school does not work in the vacuum, but has to operate in cooperation
with the home, the religious institutions and all other agencies of society which influence the
development of the child. One of the primary tasks of the teacher is to use the curriculum to
help the pupil make satisfactory adjustment to those sociological and economic factors; this
task is impossible unless the teachers understand well the phenomenon of family, religious
institutions, gang, economics, leisure time and community life. In addition, teachers and
school leaders should aware of local culture and community involvement in education. Let us
try to possess a good understanding of the influence of these agencies on education.

25
 Ethe1101_Department of Educational Theory and Management_1st year_1st semester_ textbook

Reference:

UChicago Consortium on School Research. (2010). The essential support. Retrieved from
https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/2018-
10/9954essentialsupports_onepager_final-2.pdf

Lengam, R., Fath, A.M.A., & Pamungkas, S. (2023). The influence of local culture learning
on student learning outcomes of Rabiadjala Inpres elementary school Aru Islands
Regency, Maluku. Indonesian Journal of Education, Social Sciences and Research
(IJSSR), 4 (1), 45-49. Retrieved from
https://jurnal.umsu.ac.id/index.php/ijessr/article/download/14556/pdf

Should join!
“Transformation Education in Challenging Environments” - Future Learn free course:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/transforming-education

26