5. Education, society and change
Education, training and learning are societal phenomena. They are also political issues and have societal functions. Educational policies, including the drafting of national core curricula, involve power struggles and interest-based negotiations. Education and training simultaneously maintain and reform society. They are connected to the continuity and change of culture and communities. The practices of education and training are also connected to the prevailing sociohistorical situation, culture, politics, ideologies and power structures. These factors determine the social and structural terms of education.
Education and training at different stages of life are associated with political, cultural and working life changes, the preconditions of active citizenship and social inclusion, and the opportunities for adult education and lifelong learning. Essential are the links between educational practices and the cultural changes occurring in childhood, adolescence, family, and working life. Major cultural changes include the diversification of family forms, institutionalization of education and the human life course, strengthening of the rights of children and adolescents, and the diversification and rapid change of growth environments and learning requirements in the world of work. More broadly, the changes are visible as individualization, globalization, differentiation of lifestyles and values, and as increased freedom of choice.
The field of phenomena called education, society and change focuses on the dynamic societal practices and structures that create possibilities and set preconditions for education, training and, more broadly, for the entire socialization process. Education and training are also examined through temporality, which provides perspectives of the past, the present and the future on them. The phenomena related to education, society and change are discussed and problematized using an inquiry-based and inquisitive approach. The phenomenon of education, society and change is connected to the sosiology of education, the history of education and the educational policy. It can be analyzed through a range of the key concepts of educational sciences, including education, schooling, inclusive education and socialization.
