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Analytical Framework for Education Issues
1. 1
Topic 2: Conceptual foundations of
educational issues
EPA4192 | February 2009 | Benson Wong
1EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
2 perspectives
1. Policy perspective
How is an issue translated into a set of goals
and actions to be articulated, implemented
and reviewed by the government , shaping
stakeholders
2. Sociological perspective
How is an issue understood, interpreted and
reacted personally and collectively in the
social system
2EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
2. 2
Policy – definitions
“A proposed course of action of a person, group, or
government within a given environment providing
obstacles and opportunities which the policy was
proposed to utilize and overcome in an effort to reach a
goal or realize an objective or a purpose” (Friedrich,
1963)
A relatively stable, purposive course of action, followed
by an actor or set of actors in dealing with a problem or
matter of concern. This statement focuses on what is
actually done instead of what is only proposed or
intended, and it differentiates a policy from a decision,
which is essentially a specific choice among alternatives”
(Anderson, J. 2000)
3EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy – steps
1. Policy demands:
problems, concerns, crises, ……
2. Policy statement
Formal expressions or articulations of public policy
3. Policy output
The action actually taken in pursuance of policy and
statements
4. Policy outcome
A policy’s societal consequences (reactions, responses)
Different stakeholders may have different impacts
4EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
3. 3
Policy – politics
Policymaking involves “politics”
Who get how, what and when
Authoritarian allocation of resources
Its features include conflicts, negotiations,
bargaining, the exercise of power, threat, and
compromise
5EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy – context
1. Political culture
Values, attitudes and perceptions of stakeholders
toward the government, leaders, bureaucrats, officers,
etc.
2. Socioeconomic conditions. E.g.,
Demographics (gender, age-group patterns, location,
ethnicities)
Social classes (grassroots, middle-class, higher class)
Level of literacy
Economic features (Agrarian, business-
commercial/financial, mixed, high/info-tech)
Globalization (changes)
post-modernity (no definite patterns)
6EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
4. 4
Stakeholders
1. Official policy-makers
Leaders, bureaucrats
2. Unofficial participants
a) Interest/pressure groups
b) Political parties
c) Research organizations/think-tanks
d) Communication/mass media
e) Individual citizens (parents, students)
f) Entrepreneurs???
7EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy formulation [1]
1. Problem identification
1. What is a public problem?
2. Why does some condition or matter become a public
problem?
3. How does a problem get on a governmental agenda?
4. Why do some problems not achieve agenda status?
How a problem is defined depends on how it is
socially constructed
The definition of problems is often a political process
8EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
5. 5
Policy formulation [2]
2. Formulation
1. Who is involved?
2. Who participates in policy formulation?
3. How are alternatives for dealing with a
problem developed?
4. Are there biases in formulating policy
proposals?
9EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy adoption [1]
1. Adoption
1. How is a policy alternative adopted or
enacted?
2. What requirements must be met?
3. Who are the adopters?
4. What is the content of the adopted policy?
10EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
6. 6
Policy adoption [2]
Theories of decision-making
1. The rational-comprehensive theory
1. Compares problems
2. Clarify/rank goals, values and objectives
3. Study options for problem solving
4. Costs and benefits studied
5. Option/impact compared with others
6. Choose option that achieves policy goal
11EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy adoption [3]
2. The incremental theory
Real world: policies change incrementally
through comparisons between no change and
small change
1. Policy proceeds through small changes
2. Policy as series of decisions
3. Small changes accepted by actors
4. Model flexible
5. Decisions: minor change
12EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
7. 7
Policy adoption [4]
3. Mixed Scanning:
Fundamental decisions
Then incremental decisions
4. Public Choice
Market for votes and for public policies
Basic unit: individual’s self-interest
Politicians need votes
Individuals as self-seeking actors
13EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy adoption [5]
Decision criteria
Values
Political party affiliation
Public opinion
Styles of decision-making
Bargaining
Persuasion
Command (the above 2 is in top-down
approach)
14EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
8. 8
Policy implementation [1]
Who is involved?
What is done to enforce or apply a policy?
How does implementation help shape or
determine the content of the policy?
Patterns of policy-making
Rule-making (legislation)
Law enforcement
Program operations
15EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy implementation [2]
Techniques of control
1. Inspection
2. Licensing
3. Loan, subsidies, and benefits
4. Contracts
5. General expenditure
6. Taxation ……
16EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
9. 9
Policy evaluation
1. Who is the advantaged and
disadvantaged by a policy?
2. What are the consequences of policy
evaluation?
3. Are new problems identified?
4. Are there demands for changes or repeal
of the policy?
5. Is the policy process restarted because of
evaluation?
17EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy analysis [1]
1. Policy as text
Laws, articles, regulations, guidelines
2. Policy as process (cycle)
Agenda-setting policy formulation
policy implementation policy evaluation
policy change policy termination
18EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
10. 10
Policy analysis [2]
3. Policy as discourse
Discourses are about what can be said, and
thought, but also about who can speak, when
and with what authority
How is it that one particular statement
appeared rather than other
The concept of discourse emphasizes the
social processes that produce meaning (Ball,
1990)
19EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
Policy analysis [3]
Practice of silencing: Authoritarian voice
/version; certain voices are expressed but not
heard
What is not said in schools: difficulties, dilemma,
pain, desperate
Continuous interpretation and reconstruction
(Popkewitz, 1981)
Policy studies, and the analysis associated with
them, aim to empower humans to undertake
more effective collective action to solve or reduce
significant policy problems (Boyd & Plank, 1995)
20EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
11. 11
Sociological perspective
Functions of schooling in a society
1. Functionalism:
positive functions of schooling – benefit the
whole society
2. Conflict theory:
negative functions of schooling – benefit only
the advantaged (the rich, the privileged, the
powerful) so as to maintain inequality
The society (of capitalism) is in conflict: the rich
VS the poor; the powerful VS the powerless
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 21
Socialization [1]
A process in which individuals acquire their
knowledge, skills, customs, ideas, religion,
and morals from their social environment
shape the personalities of individuals can
adjust and become members of society
Socialization goes on throughout one’s life
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 22
Family,
Media,
Religion
SCHOOL (rules,
norms, hierarchy) Workplace
12. 12
Socialization [2]: necessary
For the society
(continuous) reproduction – schooling (in which
knowledge and skills are taught) has become very
important since the rise of industrial societies
Cultural preservation and development: History
For the individual
In order to be understood (language, social skills)
In order to survive (physical and social)
In order to develop one’s self (talents and experts)
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 23
Schools: Functions
What role does a school play?
1. Functionalism:
Social harmony
To enable the shared culture: value, norms and
beliefs and economic activities to be maintained
and developed continuously
2. Conflict theory
Social conflicts, inequality
To enable the advantaged people (dominant
class) to preserve their advantaged (dominant)
status
24EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009)
13. 13
Functionalism
Who? Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Family as the primary socialization
Limit children into a particular culture
Intimate relationship
School as the secondary socialization:
enrich social experience
Prepare students to take the role of adults, to
lead the adult
Start Instrumental relationship
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 25
Functionalism and schooling [1]
Pre-industralized societies Since industrialization
• Relatively simple, not so
differentiated
• Family’s functions:
socialization, education,
welfare and work, ……
• Religion’s functions: culture
and politics, ……
• society expanded, more complex
and differentiated
• human relations becoming
instrumental
• one need to learn how to
cooperate with others
• social norms (normal
relationships) established
• “anomie” (which is against some
social norms) occurred
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 26
14. 14
Functionalism and schooling [2]
Family:
Based on feeling
Warm cushion
SCHOOL: GAP between family and workplace
To liberate the family’s dependence
To prevent ‘anomies’
Workplace
Based on mutual benefits
‘instrumental’ relationship
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 27
Schooling: Secondary socialization
Children begin to learn how to lead a social
life
To obey rules and authority, be punctual, respect
others, respect authority, be responsible, etc.
To internalize more social values
To teach knowledge and skills to satisfy the
economic needs of a society
To enable the students to find a job in the society
in the future = to provide the skilled labors in the
industrial sector
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 28
15. 15
2 basic functions of schooling
1. To coordinate human resources
Through selection and grouping (academic
recognition), allocating students to different
adult (economic, political, social) roles
2. To transfer traditional cultural values
What kind of cultural values?
Chinese culture: conformity, loyalty, obedience,
being humble?
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 29
Functionalism: challenges
Conflict and tension among competing
groups and classes since industrialization,
questioning the functionality of
functionalism
force and power direct individual actions
/choices/desires
Is the society functional under force and power
as well as an unequal society?
Behind functionalism rationalize inequalities
and exploitation?
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 30
16. 16
Theory of conflicts on schooling
Who? Karl Mark (1818-1883)
Schooling is nothing but an institution that
transfers ideologies (socially accepted
values and beliefs – some false
consciousness) and that enables them to
continue
Schooling benefits the ruling, wealthy or
advantaged (capitalist) class who
dominates the society
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 31
Socialization of schooling: Conflict Theory
To make students acquire (sometimes
unconsciously) some beliefs or ideas so
that they can accept without questioning
those who have advantaged statuses
Accept the inequality between the advantaged
and the disadvantaged
To rationalize the inequalities (in wealth,
income, power, and status) in the society
These inequalities being structural products
necessarily exist in all capitalist states
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 32
17. 17
What rationalized ideas?
Capitalism is the best economic system
Fair competition (???)
The economic inequalities are all right and
inevitable
“Different awards should be given to different academic
achievements. Our society values merits very much; all
positions should be filled by those (the able people)
who fit them”
“Competitions bring about improvements”
The success of the few and the failure of the many
are rationalized as individuals’ merits or
mistakes, not a fundamental problem of a social
institution (i.e., school, family, government)
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 33
Effects of schooling
Ideology transference
Cooperating, and participating in the production
and reproduction activities of the capitalist
societies
Continuously being exploited and marginalized
socially, politically, ethnically, and economically
Continuously maintaining and rationalizing the
social inequalities
The disadvantaged are destined, OR
The disadvantaged strive for being the advantaged
(through competition)
EPA4192-T2 (Feb 2009) 34