MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY

NAKURU CAMPUS
SCHOOL BASED
REGISTRATION NUMBER: BEPO/2013/55567
COURSE: BACHELOR OF EDUCATION PRI
OPTION
UNIT CODE: BEP 4108
UNIT TITLE: SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
SUBMITTED TO: BENTA OPIYO
SUBMITTED AS: ASSIGNMENT

TASK:
IDENTIFY AND DISCUSS FACTORS INFLUENCING
SOCIAL CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY
NAME: ERNEST M. NGANGA

INTRODUCTION
The term social change is used to indicate the changes that take place in human interactions and
interrelations. Society is a web of social relationships and hence social change means change in the
system of social relationships. These are understood in terms of social processes and social interaction
and social organization. Augusta comte the father of sociology has posed two problems- the questions
of social statics and the question of social dynamics, what is and how it changes. The sociologists not
only outline the structure of the society but also seek to know its causes also. According to Morris
Arnsberg social change is a change in the social structure.
Social change may also refer to any significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and cultural
values and norms. Todays social movements play in inspiring discontent members of a society to bring
about social change. Efforts to understand the nature of long term social change, including looking for
patterns and causes, has led sociologist to propose the evolutionary, functionalist and conflict theories
of social change also admit the likelihood of resistance to change especially people with vested
interests feel unsettled and threatened by potential changes.
DEFINATIONS OF TERMS
Social dynamics
- Social dynamics is the study of the ability of a society to react to inner and outer changes and
deal with its regulation mechanism. Social dynamics is mathematically inspired approach to
analyze societies, building up system theory and sociology. Sociologists ethnologists,
economists, social psychologists. Criminologists, anthropologists and biologists are utilizing it
in their studies of systems and behavior.
Social statics
- According to Augusta Comte social static focus on how order is maintained in the society.
Social statics are concerned with the ways in which the parts of a social system (Social
Structures) interact with one another, as well as the functional relationships between the parts
and to the social system as a whole. Comte therefore focused his social statics on the individual,
as well as such collective phenomena as the family religion, language and the division of labor.
- Social statics also refers to the study of the conditions and pre-conditions of social order, It
studies the issue of social stability and social order, it is concerned with the study of major
institutions, which preserve the social order, for example family; it occupies an important
position in social structure. It provides the base for the social order and progress of the society
Social structure
-Social structure is the organized pattern of relationships and social institution that together
compose society. Social structure are not immediately visible to the untrained observer, however they
are present and affect all dimensions of human experience in society.
-Social class is one example of social structure. Social class shapes the access that different
groups have to the resources of society and it shapes many interactions that people have with each
other. As a social structure, it guides and shapes human behavior at all levels, no matter how overtly
visible or invisible it is at any given time
Social movements
-Social movement can be defined as loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of
social goal, typically either the implementation or the prevention of a change in societys
structure or values. Although social movement differs in size they are essentially collective.
That is they result from the more or less spontaneous coming together of people whose
relationship are not defined by rules and procedures but who merely share a common outlook
on society.
Collective behaviors in crowds, Panics, and elementary forms are of belief duration
or episodic and are guided largely by impulse .When short lived impulse give way to long aims,
and when sustained association takes the place situational groupings of people the result is a
social movement
Diffusion
This is borrowing of new elements from other cultures the English language has borrowed words from
other culture and incorporated them as part of the English language
There is nothing wrong with borrowing certain elements of other cultures and introducing them into our
own. Every dynamics society does that one problem with same African societies has been the tendency
to borrow foreign cultural at the expense of their own. For example glorifying western culture and
looking down on our types of foodstuffs.
Demographic transition
Demographic transition refers to the transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death
rates as a country develops from pre- industrial to an industrialized economic system. This is typically
demonstrated through a demographic transition model (DTM). The theory is based on an interpretation
of demographic history developed in 1929 by the American demographer warren Thompson (1887-
1973).
Thompson observed changes, or transitions, in birth and death rates in industrialized societies over the
previous 200 years
Self efficacy
-Self-efficacy refers to confidence in executing courses of action managing a wide array of situations
work self-efficacy assesses workers confidence in managing workplace experiences (especially for new
or prospective workers).The theoretical underpinning is that individuals with higher work self-efficacy
are more likely to look forward to and to be successful in workplace performance.
Self-efficacy constitutes a judgment about ones ability to perform a particular behavior pattern. Its
expectation are considered the primary cognitive determinant of whether or not an individual will
attempt a given behavior self-efficacy is known to have considerable potential explanatory power over
such behaviors as: self-regulation, achievement strivings, academic persistence and success, coping,
choice of career opportunities and career competency perhaps its most noteworthy contribution is its
empirical relationship to subsequent performance.
Division labour
-Division of labour, the separation of work process into a number of tasks. With each task
performed by a separate person or group of persons. It is most applied to systems of mass production
and is one of the basic organizing principles of the assemble line. Breaking down work into simple,
respective task eliminates unnecessary motion and limits the handling of different tools and parts
Conflict Theory
This theory seeks to account for order in society .This theory has its origin in Marxist thinking
.According to marx, society is to be seen in terms of conflicting relationships. For stance the capitalists
who own the means of production) are seen to be in conflict with the workers (who provide labour)
In a situation where conflict is suppressed such as in a school or family, serious problems can
occur. When the conflict breaks out in a such a society it will be more intense because it is based on
accumulated grievances and hostility. Conflicts are therefore a necessary part of living together. In any
given society conflicts are shaped and controlled by customer of the society in order to maintain a
peaceful communal life.
The evolutionary model
-The evolutionary model in sociology sprang from an analogy in the field of Biology .Biologists
traced stages in the development of organisms.
Sociologists saw society as proceeding inevitably through such fixed stages. Furthermore the idea of
progress representing a higher stage than the previous one.
Augustin comte tacked of three stages, namely, those of conquest, defense and industry
Functionalist theory
-It is theory that explain that each aspect of society is interdependent and contribute to societys
stability and functioning as a whole for example the government provides
Education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keeps
itself running. That is the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good
jobs so that they can raise and support their own families in the process, the children become law-
abiding taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state
Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, in which members of the
society agree upon, and work together to achieve what is best for society as a whole

FACTORS INFLUENCING SOCIAL CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY
There are several factors which influence social change in our society today, some of them are:
Changing patterns of child rearing
Political factors
Economical factors
Industrial factors
Scientific technological
Social and cultural factors
Psychological factors
Changing patterns of child rearing
Children up bring has by far outweigh the benefits accrued or derived hence reliance on children
as old age security is not profitable anymore. Migration, modernization and urbanization have
combined to erode the traditional roles of extended family network with its attendant effects on the
personality formation and the behaviors of the child. What is therefore in place today is individualistic
approach to rearing of children as oppose to traditional collective approach. Furthermore, difficulties in
the rearing of children in todays society have further been compounded by time constraint on the part
of parents. Parents no longer spend quality time with their children. The role of parents in socialization
of the younger members of the family has been taken over by various agencies and institutions. Today
house maid has taken over the role of mothers, while the school has taken over the roles of the family
institution. Family institution in the world over is seen as the first agent of socialization in all human
societies, and as such, the family institution is directly responsible for socializing children in the
society. During socialization process every child acquires the cultural values of his or her society,
These cultural values include; child rearing practices, which vary from one society to the other. A child
may not be conscious of the kind of treatment provided by the family as until he/she grows older. The
family as a primary agent of socialization is failing in the provision of this function, hence what the
new member are suppose to know from the family are now been learned in the school resulting in
faulty socialization of the younger ones.
There is a general agreement among experts around the world from developing as well as developed
nations that early childhood rearing and training are not only desirable but essential for personality
development among children there are a range of behaviors and associated emotions exchanged
between parents and their adolescent offspring: some of these exchanges involve positive and healthy
behaviors and others involve opposite.
There is no doubt the modes of child rearing have changed over time. For instance social changes
which have swept all over and across the continent of Africa has affected virtually all facets of our
lives. Child rearing patterns has not been left out of this what this simply mean is that social change in
an inevitable phenomenon in all human society child socialization and childs rearing practices
however have not been left out of the shackles of many communities in our country.
A tremendous amount of research reveals that children are at risk of developing out social behaviors
such as poor supervision, rejection, or harsh and inconsistent discipline, specifically research indicates
that antisocial behavior of parent, unsupportive parents physical and emotional abuse and parental
rejection have all been found to influence delinquent.
Demographic factors
Due to natural calamities, war, diseases, and environmental changes we can find imbalance ratio of
males and females in population which directly affect social changes because if the ratio of males and
females is changed then many males and females will remain unmarried so this changes social structure
therefore we can find the expansion in crime and change in peoples life for example large number of
young male soldiers died in Europe during world war II so the number of girls and women increased
over the existing number s and this lead to moral deterioration and sexual permissiveness through out
the Europe
Because of climatic changes we can also find imbalance in the ratio of males and females which
definitely affect social changes occur in their present society
Political Factors
Society is based on rules and regulations custom which are built or prepared by the government. So
politics affects the society. Government is made of different kinds of people who are educated or
uneducated but the ultimate aim of them as upliftment of society. So these political leaders are products
of society. As any political party or person change something in state or contributes in changing in
something in society which definitely brings a social change .For example the impact of world war-2
rule of Nazi dictator Hitler in Germany, partition of India in 1947 have brought about several social
change in respective societies so, We can also say that man himself brings social change because he is a
social being or part of society. And in a way education plays an important role behind an individual and
politics and it also brings social changes
Economic Factors
As the condition of an individual affects the society the same as everybodys economy affect
challenges. The stratification of people in different class moulds the of society and as per their
education qualification they live together behave and they make them socially aware and earn money
which help society the same as their economy influences social changes including changes in their way
of living, Way of interaction, culture, routine life languages etc for example the emergence of English
in middle class society. People invention, discoveries and their migration lead to changes in economy
likewise they bring social changes in society. Like poverty the gren revolution and large amount of
money earned by Africans from abroad certainly bring a lot of social change in their behavior,
relations, spending patterns intuitions and outlook of the world
Industrial Factors
Establishment of industrial township, urbanization and trade unionism are responsible for several kinds
of social changes the lives of people concerned we can find the impact of liberalization, privatization
and globalization after the establishment of industrialization in most of the countries in the world and
such factors influences the economy of the country which lead change in per capital income and all
these affect social changes

Scientific Technological Invention and Discoveries
As we know the impact of scientific technological inventions and discoveries in the societies. Today in
the world of technology none of us live without using mobiles phones, computers, electricity, radio,
television and others. And these inventions and discoveries have completely changed our style of
living, Modes of thinking, social relations and even morals. Behind these invention and discoveries,
human being intellect, creativity and their aspiration play very significant role so we can say mens
desire of striving for excellence creativity education bring social changes. such scientific development
leads to social changes
Psychological Factors
The cause of social change is a psychology of man himself man is by nature a lover of change. He is
always trying to discover new things in every sphere of his life and is always anxious for novel
experiences. As a result of this tendency traditions and customs of every human society are perpetually
undergoing change. A human being is able to apply new customs and methods to replace the old
tradition customs. Changes is the law of life, When change do not occur at the right time, revolutions
take large, wars are fought, epidemic (situation in which a larger number of people have caught the
same infectious diseases) spread and changes are violently introduction
Social and culture factors
Cultural factors influence social changes. These are intimate relationship between society and
culture. Hence cultural changes involve social change. Cultural factors such as values, attitudes,
ideologies, ideas of great men play a vital role in influencing social change. According to F.Ogburns
concept of cultural lag explains the role of culture in social change.
Values play a major role in acceptance or rejection of any social change. In our country some
communities do not approve of the use of contraceptive as they believe that it goes against their
religious values as well as the economic values of having large families.
The attitude of a society towards scientific enquiry may encourage or discourage change. In the
medieval Europe, Galileo was tortured because of the speculative attitude of the church leaders. In
contrast modern countries at present encourage science. The successful scientist in our country are
rewarded with honour, prestige and sometimes with money. High value place on science has
encouraged many young men to take up science as a career.
New ideas and ideologies also bring about significant changes in the worlds social and
economic liberty, equality and fraternity in giving rise to the French revolution. Similarly new
ideologies such as socialism, Gandhis and democracy have exerted profound influence on social
organization. Recent change in ideologies has caused disintegration in some countries of Africa and
Europe
The concept of cultural lag is a necessary concept in the explanation of social change.
According to Ogburn can be classified into two categories i.e. material culture and non material culture.
By material culture, he means things like books, utensils, machine houses and other such form of
technology. Non material aspect of culture includes beliefs, attitudes, values, norms, religion, and
education. According to Ogburn changes comes first into material aspect of culture. But non material
aspect of culture take time to adjust to the changes taking place in material aspects. As a result, non
material culture falls behind material culture, which is known as cultural lag;
Ogburn has cited number of examples of cultural lag. According to him the number of policemen in
towns remains constant whereas the population of town is increasing. Secondly family planning
technologies have advanced but people take time to accept them. Even some communities do not accept
family planning measures due to traditional religious values and social pressure. As a result cultural lag
occurs
From the above discussion the cause of cultural lag is that the various parts of culture change at
different rates. Material culture changes more rapidly than non material culture. But cultural lag is due
to mans ideologies dogmatism and conservatism. The failure of social institutions to adapt to the
changes in technology leads to cultural lag.
Conclusion.
Todays sociologist readily acknowledge the vital role that social movements play inspiring
discontented members of a society to bring about social change .Efforts to understand the nature of
long-term social change, including looking for patterns and causes ,has led sociologists to propose the
evolutionary, functionalist and conflict theories of change.. All theories of social change, especially
the likelihood of resistance to change, especially when people with vested interest feel unsettled and
threatened by changes.
Most new traits come through diffusion, those societies in closest contact with other societies
are likely to change most rapidly .Areas of greatest intercultural contact are the centres of change war
and trade have always brought intercultural contact and today tourism is adding contacts between
cultures conservation.
And resistance to change
The structure of a society affects its rate of change in subtle and not immediately apparent ways
.A tightly structured society where every persons role, duties, privileges and obligations are precisely
and rigidly defined is less given to handle than more loosely structured society wherein roles, lines of
authority, privileges and obligations are more open to individual rearrangement.
Societies differ greatly in their general altitude towards change .People who revere the past and
preoccupied with the traditions and rituals will change slowly and unwillingly .When culture has been
relatively for a long time the people are likely to assume that it should remain so indefinitely. They
assumed that their customs and techniques are correct and everlasting. A possible change is unlikely
even to be seriously considered .A rapidly changing society has different attitude toward change and
this attitude is both cause and effect of the changes already taking place rapidly changing societies are
aware of social change. They are somewhat skeptical and critical of some parts of their traditional
culture and will consider and experiment with innovations.

References
Giddens, A (2006). Sociology. Cambridge :polity press
Haralambos, m and Aolborn, m (2004)sociology; Themes and perspective .London Harpers
Collins
Harper.CL (1993).Exploring social change . NewJersy Engelwood cliffs.
Elsenstade, SN(1973).Tradition, change and modernity
Anderson m.l and Taylor H.F (2009).sociology the essentials.
Cliffs notes.com.Three major perspective in sociology.
http:/www.cliffsnotes.com/study guide/topic articled.
Terms
1) Social and cultural factors
2) psychological sociological
3) Demographic transition
4) Industrialization
5) Modernization
6) Division of labour
7) Self-efficacy
8) Home sexuality
9) Diffusion-rate at which population adopt new goods services
10) Social statics
11) Social dynamics
12) Social structure
13) Social movements
14) Evolutionary theory
15) Functionalist theory
16) Conflict theory