Institute of Administrative Sciences

University of the Punjab

Reports on Teachers are the agent of social change

Name of Researchers
1. Momina Ali (74-S-2013)
2. Maham Aziz (75-S-2013)
3. Aisha Yousaf (59-S-2013)

Prepared for
Miss Zahra ishtiaq Paul

Table of contents

1. Introduction ..2
2. Statement of the problem4
3. Significance of the study4
4. Scope of study.5
5. Definition of variable5
6. Literature review..5
7. Research methodology.10
8. Conceptual definition..11
9. Operational definition..11
10. Dimensions and elements.12
11. Discussion.14
12. Conclusion..14
13. Bibliography15
14. Appendix..16

1.1

Introduction:

In order to bring any type of change in our society first we need to understand what change
actually means. Change means to make something different. They always say time changes
1

things, but you actually have to change them yourself. (Warhol 1975) 1. Change is something that
presses us out of our comfort zone. Change is for the better or for the worst, depending on where
you view it. "If you ever think you're too small to be effective, you've never been in bed with a
mosquito!" (Lesko 1992)2. Change isnt fixed by crying, worrying, or mental tread milling.
Change is won by victors not victims; and that choice is ours.
My research is based only on social change which is defined as "a social process whereby the
values, attitudes, or institutions of society ... become modified". Social change refers to the
modification of established relationships in the organization. Social change encompasses the
large set of goals that organizations establish around people. This includes an empowered
workforce, collaborative work arrangements, and matching personal fulfillment to organizational
needs. (Waldersee 2003)3
Social change has its impact on different areas of our environment but the one that I am focusing
here is on education. The role of education as an agent or instrument of social change and social

1 Warhol, Andy. The Philiosophy Of Andy Warhol. New work: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1975.

2 Lesko, Wendy Scheatzel. Day of Girls; School Girls Unite. United States, 1992.

3 Waldersee, Robert. "Predicting Organiztional Change Success, Matching

Organization Type." Change Type and Capabilities, 2003.

development is widely recognized today. According to (V.R.Taneja 2004)4

"Education and social

change is a two - way traffic. While education preserves, transmits and disseminates the whole
culture, social change is the instrument and precondition of educational thought. Social change
may take place when humans need change. Education can initiate social changes by bringing
about a change in attitude of man.
Earlier educational institutions and teachers used to show a specific way of life to the students
and education was more a means of social control than an instrument of social change. Modern
educational institutions do not place much emphasis upon transmitting a way of life to the
students. The traditional education was meant for an unchanging motionless society not marked
by any change. But today education aims at imparting knowledge. Education was related with
religion. "It is because modern education is so seldom inspired by a great hope that it so seldom
achieves great results. The wish to preserve the past rather than the hope of creating the future
dominates the minds of those who control the teaching of the young. " (Russel 1932).5
The primary objective of this study was to explore teachers concept about social change. This
research also revealed that the teachers have insightful perception of the concept of social
change. In many societies teachers are looked up as the individuals who can help to bring about
4 V.R.Taneja. "Social Change and Role of Education." In Theory and Principles of
Education, by A.R.Rather, 264. Discovery Publihing House, 2004.

5 Russel, Bertrand. Education and Modern World. New York: W.W.Nortan & Co.,
1932.

positive changes in the lives of people. They are seen as natural leaders who can give advice on
various affairs of the communities. Within the context of their direct interaction with children,
parents and communities, teachers and educators could play several major roles in the prevention
and elimination of child labour. The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The
superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. (Ward 1970)6

1.2

Statement of the problem:

The statement of the study is Teachers Concept of Social Change.

The research questions are:

1.3

What is change?
What kind of change do you want to bring in society?
Can a teacher bring some change in society?
Do you agree with the statement that teachers are the agent of social change?

Significance of The Study:

This research is very much important to all of us. As it tells the concepts of teachers about social
change. It will also increase the knowledge of the people about the role of teachers in the society.
After studying this research teachers can assess themselves that whether they are bringing any
type of change in the society through their teaching or not. This will also help future researchers
as their guidance in order to work more on the role of teachers for social change.

6 Ward, William Arthur. Fountains of Faith; The words of William Arthur Ward. Droke
House, 1970.

1.4

Scope & Limitations:

This scope of research is limited because the time-period in which the data was collected was not
appropriate due to that the data samples are limited. The samples were distributed among more
than 30 teachers and the collective samples are only 20 because many teachers didnt return it
back to the researcher. The numbers of teachers were limited for the data.

1.5

Definition of Terms:

Change: Change means to make something different. (Busines Dictionary n.d.)7

Social change: A social process whereby the values, attitudes, or institutions of society ...
become modified. (Fitzpatrick n.d.)8

Review of Literature
2.1

Literature Review:

Social change has always been an important goal of education. Social change is change in the
thought process in humans (wikipedia n.d.)9. Social change may be determined by cultural,

7 Busines Dictionary. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/change.html.

8 Fitzpatrick, Lauren. Ehow. http://www.ehow.com/about_5462601_social-changetheory.html.

9 wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_change#cite_note-3 (accessed

january 10, 2001).

religious, economic, scientific or technological forces. Social change may include changes in
nature, social institutions, social behaviors or social relations. More than a century ago, Emile
Durkheim rejected the idea that education could be the force to transform society and resolve
social ills. Instead, Durkheim concluded that education can be reformed only if society itself is
reformed. He argued that education is only the image and reflection of society. It imitates and
reproduces the latterit does not create it (Durkheim 1897)10.
The main ideas about education and society at the heart of the philosophies of Dewey, Freire,
Greene, Horton, and Banks are that society is always changing and knowledge is not neutralit
either supports the status quo or a potential new direction for society; people learn primarily
from what they experience; active citizens in a democratic society need to be critical and
imaginative thinkers; and students learn to be active citizens by being active citizens.
Factors in societal change may be summarized under three main headings: economic, political
and cultural. Marx is perhaps the most famous proponent of the notion that societies/forms of
social organization are largely determined by economic factors and in particular the impact of
industrial capitalism. Among political influences the state government now plays a very large
role in social life and change in industrial societies. Cultural influences clearly play an important
part in social change. For example, secularization and the development of science have had

10 Durkheim, Emile. "Functionalist theory of Social Change." Education for Social

Change;from Theory to Practice, 1897.

major effects on the way in which we think, attitudes to legitimacy and authority, and have thus
also influenced social structures, systems and values (Giddens 2000)11.
Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to transform schools into
centers of justice where students learn to read, write and change the world.
By drawing direct connections to real world issues, Teaching for Change encourages teachers
and students to question and re-think the world inside and outside their classrooms, build a more
equitable, multicultural society, and become active global citizens. We agree with Freires
concern that teachers address social inequality and the powerlessness experienced by many of
our students. We also recognize that it is difficult to imagine secondary school social studies
classrooms where teachers are responsible for covering specified subject matter organized
directly on Freirean principles. (Greene 1993)12 an educational philosopher who advocates a
curriculum for human beings is integrating aspects of Freire, Dewey, and feminist thinking,
offers ways for teachers to introduce Freires pedagogical ideas into the classroom.
It goes without saying that teachers are responsible for the change that takes place in learners.
Their words and actions trigger positive behavioural and attitudinal changes in learners. But
11 Giddens, A. and Duneier, M. Introduction to Sociology (3rd edition),. New York
and London:: W.W.Nortan and Company.INC,., 2000.

12 Greene, Maxine. "Toward a Curriculum for Human Being." Diversity and Inclusion,
1993: 211-220.

teachers role as change agents is not limited to the school setting and their learners. In the
communities where literacy rate is low and people are not aware of their rights and
responsibilities, lack ideas on good health habits, development perspectives, local teachers can
act as change agents. Because teachers are conscious and educated, they can cause change to
take place in the community settings (Gnawali 2008)13.
It is vital that teachers and their organizations participate in decision-making and in educational
planning and reform. The very nature of teachers organizations as advocates for teachers rights
makes them effective partners in realizing and maximizing the potential of education in the fight
against child labour. All the analyses on the relation between education and child labour point to
the urgent need to improve the status of teachers and their working conditions and to address
their continuing development as professionals. These are prerequisites for improving the quality
of education in all countries, especially in developing countries where most of the worlds child
laborers live.
There are many social change theories and some of the best known are briefly highlighted below.
The theories serve as testimony to the fact that social change is a real phenomenon; it can be
observed and analyzed. Evolutionary theory purports that human societies evolve from simple to
complex structures in a progression of definitive stages. Cyclical theory suggests that cultures
follow a predictable cycle of growth and decline (Hermann Strasser 1981)14. Dialectical theory
13 Gnawali, Laxman. "Teacher Development: What is it and Who is responsible?"
Bodhi: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2008: 219-222.

14 Hermann Strasser, Susan C. Randal. An Introduction to Theories of Social

Change. London,Boston and Henley: Taylor & Francis, 1981.
8

observes that cultural "activities might be set in motion by aims of one sort and then kept going
by aims of another sort" (Schneider 1976)15. Thus the new social structure that evolves may not
mirror its predecessor.
Within society, adaptations often result from conflicts between groups whose needs differ.
Conflict theory, supported by Marx and Dahrendorf, observes that conflicts often arise between
those who have power and those who do not. Marx relates such conflict to the struggle over
control of the means of production, and both theorists see conflict as "pervasive and normal in a
society" (Mann 1992)16. Nevertheless, a fundamental premise is that the resolution of one
conflict usually leads to a new structure in which opposed interests once again find cause for
disagreement (Mann 1992)17.

15 Schneider, Louis. Classical Theories of Social Change. california: General

Learning Press, 1976.

16 Mann, Michael. An Anatomy of Power; The Social Theory of Michael Mann. John A.
Hall and Ralph Schroeder: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

17 Mann, Michael. An Anatomy of Power; The Social Theory of Michael Mann. John A.
Hall and Ralph Schroeder: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Despite their differences, many of the social change theories are concerned with the behavior of
people trying to meet their needs. Functionalist theory makes this point explicit. Functionalist
theorists Pareto, Schumpeter, and Parsons uphold the concept that humans have basic needs and
societies constantly adapt themselves to meet these needs. The adaptations may show increasing
differentiation, as societies become more complex, but the needs they serve remain constant.
Thus, despite interferences from external forces, societies constantly seek to preserve or reestablish their social institutions (Hermann Strasser 1981)18.

Classical Models of Social Change:

Enlightenment: progress of scientific reason
Marx: conflict and revolution
Durkheim: integration and differentiation
Weber: rationalization and domination

Research Methodology
3.1

Research Design:

This research is a qualitative descriptive research.

3.2

Research Setting:

18 Hermann Strasser, Susan C. Randal. An Introduction to Theories of Social

Change. London,Boston and Henley: Taylor & Francis, 1981.

10

The research data was collected in Punjab College of commerce. The questionnaire was
distributed among the teachers of Punjab College of commerce.

3.3

Respondents and Sampling Procedure:

As the researcher has told before that her research is based on the concept/view/thoughts of the
teachers of Punjab College of commerce on the topic that she chooses for her research which is
Teachers Concept of Social Change. So her research respondents were not small children of
any grade level but the teachers of these children of different grade level. They were of different
age groups as some of them were old and some of them are fresh teachers. The sample for the
research was selected randomly as she wants to know about the view of different teachers .

3.4

Research Instrument:

The research instruments that the researchers used for this research is Questionnaire. The
questionnaire contains 12 questions.

3.5

Procedure in Gathering Data:

Distributed 30 samples of questionnaires among teachers of Punjab College of commerce and

returned back were almost 25.

3.6

Techniques On How To Present Data:

The data will be presented in narrative descriptive way.

4.1 Conceptual definition of social change:

11

1.

Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. Social change may
include changes in nature, social institutions, social behaviors, or social relations.

2.

Any alteration or modification that occurs in a situation over a time is called social
change.

4.2 Operational definition of Social change

Teachers are agent of social change by changing of behavior, nature, educational revolution or
modification over a time.

4.3 Dimensions

By
changing
behavior

Education
al
revolution

Elements

Elements

Moral values

Equal
opportunity

Eliminate
Discrimination

More cultured

12

Sample questionnaire asked from teachers

2
3
4
5
6
7

Question
Do you agree that teachers
are the agent of social
change?
Teachers can change the
behaviour of students?
Social change can bring
change in nature?
Can a teacher bring some
change in society?
A change Can bring moral
improvement?
Change should be that which
brings equal opportunity?
A social change is any effort
towards the betterment of
literacy rate in society.
Human life and education
need to be given the utmost

Strongly
disagree
1
2

13

Neither
3

Strongly
agree
6
7

importance?
9
10

11

12

Teacher can change the

thought of students?
Teachers can eliminate the
discrimination difference
between have and haves not.
Do you agree teachers can
improve the quality of citizens
(more educated, more
civilized, more cultured) and
then they can change this
society collectively?
Do you agree with continuous
effort and motivation a
teacher can bring a change in
the society?

Discussion:
Teachers are agents of social change and the study respondents clearly show that they are aware
of this role and they want to bring some change. Respondents are agreeing that a teacher can
bring change in the society and they are also agree with the statement that teachers are the agents
of social change but they also says that not teachers are the only factors that can influence the
social change but there are some more factors that are responsible for this change. A true and
sincere teacher is the agent of social change.

Conclusion

5.1 Conclusion:
14

The conclusion after the analysis and interpretation of the research is that most of the teachers
now-a-days know about the change, social change and also about that change that they can bring
in the society. They know about their role and importance in the society and they want to
maintain it. Almost all of them that are the part of my research want to bring some sort of change
in the society whether it is an educational change, change for the betterment of the society, or
any other change. Almost all of us want to change some of the place of the society in any manner
but a change that a teacher can bring in the future of the society cannot be brought by any other
part of the society.

Bibliography:
Busines Dictionary. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/change.html.
Durkheim, Emile. "Functionalist theory of ocial Change." Education for Social
Change;from Theory to Practice, 1897.
Fitzpatrick, Lauren. Ehow. http://www.ehow.com/about_5462601_social-changetheory.html.
Giddens, A. and Duneier, M. Introduction to Sociology (3rd edition),. New York and
London:: W.W.Nortan and Company.INC,., 2000.
Gnawali, Laxman. "Teacher Development: What is it and Who is responsible?"
Bodhi: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2008: 219-222.
Greene, Maxine. "Toward a Curriculum for Human Being." Diversity and Inclusion,
1993: 211-220.
Hermann Strasser, Susan C. Randal. An Introduction to Theories of Social Change.
London,Boston and Henley: Taylor & Francis, 1981.
Lesko, Wendy Scheatzel. Day of Girls; School Girls Unite. United States, 1992.
15

Mann, Michael. An Anatomy of Power; The Social Theory of Michael Mann. John A.
Hall and Ralph Schroeder: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Russel, Bertrand. Education and Modern World. New York: W.W.Nortan & Co., 1932.
Schneider, Louis. Classical Theories of Social Change. california: General Learning
Press, 1976.
V.R.Taneja. "Social Change and Role of Education." In Theory and Principles of
Education, by A.R.Rather, 264. Discovery Publihing House, 2004.
Waldersee, Robert. "Predicting Organiztional Change Success, Matching
Organization Type." Change Type and Capabilities, 2003.
Ward, William Arthur. Fountains of Faith; The words of William Arthur Ward. Droke
House, 1970.
Warhol, Andy. The Philiosophy Of Andy Warhol. New work: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1975.
wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_change#cite_note-3 (accessed january
10, 2001).

Appendix:

2
3
4

Question
Do you agree that teachers
are the agent of social
change?
Teachers can change the
behaviour of students?
Social change can bring
change in nature?
Can a teacher bring some
change in society?

Strongly
disagree
1
2

16

Neither
3

Strongly
agree
6
7

5
6
7

9
10

11

12

A change Can bring moral

improvement?
Change should be that which
brings equal opportunity?
A social change is any effort
towards the betterment of
literacy rate in society.
Human life and education
need to be given the utmost
importance?
Teacher can change the
thought of students?
Teachers can eliminate the
discrimination difference
between have and haves not.
Do you agree teachers can
improve the quality of citizens
(more educated, more
civilized, more cultured) and
then they can change this
society collectively?
Do you agree with continuous
effort and motivation a
teacher can bring a change in
the society?

17