Socialization: Meaning, Process, Agencies and Role of Education and Teachers

Meaning and Definition of Socialization

Socialization is the process by which an individual learns the lifestyle of his society and adjusts in
it. The society in which an individual takes birth and lives, he has to learn the language, lifestyle
and behaviorial manners and customs and traditions of that society. Without having learned them,
he cannot adjust in that society and cannot become its member. This whole process is called a
socialization by sociologists. Drever has defined it in the following way:
Socializaition is the process by which the individual is adopted to his social environment by
attaining social conformity and becomes a recognized, cooperating and efficient member of it.
Socialization is the process in which there is the interaction between individual and individual
and individual and society, and an individual learns the language, lifestyle, conduct manners,
customs and traditions of the society and thus adjusts in that society.
Factors (process) of Socialization
Sociologists have studied the process of socialization minutely. According to them, there are four
elements, components or factors of the process of socialization. These factors are:
1. Biological Characteristics: Man has his own biological characteristics; he takes birth with
certain basic instincts, emotions, general innate tendencies, senses and brain. His
socialization occurs on their bases. In their absence, his socialization cannot occur.
2. Social Interactions: Another essential element for socialization of man is his social
interaction. Until and unless a person come in the contact of others there can be no
interaction between them, and then he can learn neither the language, nor the behavioural
norms of the society. By learning these he changes from a biological being to a social being.
3. Definite Outcomes of Social Interactions: It is also essential for socialization that the
interaction between individual and individual, and individual and society has definite
outcomes; socially-approved behavior cannot be learnt by meaningless interactions.
4. Approval-Disapproval of the Outcomes: When there is an action, there will be an
outcome. A child can learn thievery by living among thieves, but when he comes to know
that this task is not socially approved and doing it he cannot adjust in the society, then he
will not do that task. Learning socially approved behavior to conduct accordingly is called
socialization.
Agencies of Socialization
The society in which a child takes birth and grows, he learns the language, behavioural norms and
customs and traditions of that society and accordingly conducts himself to adjust in it. He learns all
this while living in his family, neighbourhood, peer group, caste and community. Such behavior is
mouled or reformed in the schools. All these are called agencies of socialization. Some of the
important agencies that effect socialization of the child.
Family: Family is the foremost and most important institution that effects socialization of
the child. The child opens his eyes in the lap of his mother, after that he comes in the
contact of his family members. He imitates the family members to learn their language and
behavioural norms.
Neighbourhood and Peer Groups: At the age of two-three years the child walks out of his
family to mingle in the families in the neighbourhood. Now his scope becomes larger than
the family. He plays and quarrels with the children of his age group. These children
sometimes love each other and sometimes quarrel; sometimes cooperate and sometimes
hinder in others tasks. Their quarrels are very temporary in nature. They make up
immediately and begin to play again. The children learn to defend their rights and do their

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duties, they learn to behave, cooperate and struggle with others, and learn to bear with their
criticism and adjust in different social circumstances.
Caste: Caste is also a chief agency of socialization. Family members are bound in the limits
of the caste. They adopt the customs and traditions of their own caste. The child takes part
in the caste programmes with his family member; he comes to know the behavioural norms
and customs and traditions of the caste and accepts them to adjust in his caste.
Community: Community is a large social group. It comprises of all the family,
neighborhood, castes and several other social groups, organizations and institutions.
Community is a whole unit in itself and is the creator of all these groups, organizations and
institutions. The socialization of the children in a community of different civilizations and
cultures and in a community of one language, one civilization and one culture is different.
The festivals and celebrations of the community play an important role in the socialization
of the child. The children come into contact with others on these occasions.
School: This socialization is provided intellectual basis in the school. Asked truly, whatever
socialization that takes place in the family, neighbourhood, peer groups, caste and
community; the school provide it stability by giving intellectual basis to it. The children of
different families, different castes, different religions; different economic statuses and
different social levels study in schools.
There is a difference in the language and behavioural norms of these children. The schools
provide an environment in them where children take part in collective activities to learn the
language and manners of behavior as approved by all, and thus adjust themselves in the
wider society.

Role of Education and Teachers in the Socialization of the Children

Education is the chief means of effecting change in mans thought and behavior. Education
has three forms from its system viewpoint formal, non-formal and informal. Of them,
formal education is arranged in schools. The children of different families, castes and
religions attend school. May be their languages and cultures are different, yet they have to
conduct themselves according to the school traditions and rules in order to become a
member of the society. For it, they have to control themselves and have to expand their
attitude. This task cannot be accomplished forcibly, the school teachers have to undertake
due care for it.
The foremost duty of the teachers is to give place to generally approved language and
manners of conduct of the society.
The dialect and behavioural norms that the children learn in their families, cannot be
changed and transformed so easily. For it, the teachers have to treat the children
sympathetically and patiently.
The teachers should organize more and more co-curricular activities in the schools and
should seek active participation of the children in their planning, execution and evaluation.
The activities that are performed in the schools, should be directly related with community
activities.
We should understand one thing, that is, the task of the teachers is not limited within the
four walls of the school; they are considered to be ideal persons in the society; they will
have to behave themselves ideally even outside the school premises. The foremost role in
the childs socialization is played by the family. The teachers should guide the family
members in providing proper environment for the socialization of the children. They should
meet the guardians and parents to acquaint them with the generally approved rules of the
school, and to free them from the narrowness of caste, religion and vocation, etc. in order to
make them the members of wider society. Only then, equality can be established in the
direction of socialization of the children of the family, caste, community and school.

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