| Consequences of Socio-Cultural Change on Education
Social change could have far-reaching effects on the society including educational system. For instance, where two or more cultures come in contact with one another, acculturation – a situation where one of the cultures tends to take on the traits of the other- may occur. Consequently, change may occur in both cultures though it will be more pronounced in one culture than the other.
When two or more cultures meet, the changes that may occur are of three types:
The first type of change is when the receiving culture is more dominating than the incoming one; the former absorbs elements of the latter and uses them as parts of its own. The implication of this development on education is that only traits or traces of the incoming culture will be noticed. The consequence of this development on education is that the education system will be saddled with the responsibility of transmitting elements of the new culture to the coming generation (Akanbi, et al, 1998).
The second change is if the level of development of the receiving culture is the same as that of the incoming one, then the two cultures will fuse into each other and a new culture will emerge from the fusion. The implication of the emergence of the ‘new culture’ is that education becomes a veritable medium of transmitting the new culture. As a result of this, the educational system in place before the change took place will become old and a new education system will emerge to function as a medium of transmitting the new culture.
In the third type of change, if the incoming culture is more domineering than the receiving one, the latter is then relegated to the background and the former tends to replace it. This could lead to a situation whereby people of the relegated culture may lose their cultural identity. This therefore calls for a change of focus or direction of the education system in order to integrate the new development (Akanbi, et al, 1998).
Summary
Culture has been variously defined among others as the totality of the learned and shared behaviour traits and ways of life of a group of people in the society. Culture is characterised by the following. It is learned, shared, stable and dynamic, and idealistic as well as materialistic.
Education has been identified as an alteration, modification or total replacement of an activity in the society. Some of the factors that influence social change are population, education, leadership, industrialization among others. The consequences of social change on education have also been examined in this chapter.
Revision Questions
a. What is culture?
b. Identify and explain three characteristics of culture
a. Explain the concept of social change
b. Examine the factors that influence social change
c. Discuss three consequences of social change on education.
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