Conflict and Structural Functionalism Theories’ Implementation In Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyze several socio-cultural theories, using the abstracts from scholarly journal articles and determine the major ways, which were used with purpose to implement these theories in learning process. The paper contains a detailed description of the theory of conflict and the theory of structural functionalism. In addition, the main source of ideas about how these theories were used in real learning practice in this paper is Melbourne Declaration of educational goals for young Australians.
Conflict and Structural Functionalism Theories’ Implementation
There are many conflict situations, which take place during the process of interpersonal communication. Not all of adult people are capable to solve them without damaging the feelings and further relations with other people. Speaking about children and teenagers – it is important to insist on instability of their values and psychology. That is why, the theories and their solutions, described in this paper, need to be implemented in learning process with purpose to bring up young generation in such a way that will reduce the number of unpleasant situations and conflicts. The third part of this paper is devoted to Melbourne Declaration’s analyses with concrete principles description, which are promoted in this document about educational goals for young Australians.
Conflict Theory
This approach in sociology is an important aspect of the development of sociology at the twentieth century. Almost all the major sociologists of various sociological ideas are analyzing the problems of social conflict. As a result, there is a great deal of interesting concepts and works in this paradigm. The theory of conflict has emerged in contemporary sociological knowledge in the 1960s and 1970s. For today it and occupies one of the leading positions in modern sociology.
In the past, many classics have made a great contribution to the scientific development of this issue, including Marx, M. Weber, T. Simmel, and B. Pareto. Most researchers are inclined to assert that the theory of conflict has declared itself primarily as the main alternative to positivism.
The "Sociology of conflict" was not a "socialist order", and therefore there was a need to develop an "alternative" branch of sociological theory in order to reflect social reality more adequately.
Unlike functionalism, the conflict approach focuses not on the mechanisms for self-preservation of the social system, but on the factors of its transformation. The history of humankind has shown that social entities are marked by not only stability, balance, coherence, interaction among their parts, but also by crises, conflicts and other destructive processes that sometimes lead to significant changes in the very foundations of public life.
The modern theory of social conflict minted in the works of R. Darendorf (Class and Class Conflicts in the Industrial Society), British J. Rex (Social Conflict), R. Mille, etc. The founders …
