When did Social Psychology of Education emerge as an autonomous discipline?
not until the late 1960s and early 1970s
-> after seconf world war, belief that education is important
What can we consider the classroom?
a mini-society
-> defined structure and formal goals
-> “ruler” - teacher of legitimate authority and “citizens” who enact ehir roles and interact with each other
-> citizens must “work” for reaching goal
-> teacher must provide positive learning atmosphere
classroom as a society
What does each classroom have?
an informal structure that develops through interactions between students and teachers
-> explicit and implicit norms are formed
classroom as a society
what are complex processes of social influence taking place?
- leadership
- social classes and roles
- popularity, prestige, and power
Norms, Rules and Expectations
What are social norms?
behavioral standards, they control group members social behavior in defined circumstances
-> reflections of the group
1. values
2. goals
3. culture
Norms, Rules and Expectations
How are norms formed and maintained?
through the group
-> control individuals behavior
-> reason why behavior in group becomes predictable
Norms, Rules and Expectations
What are most norms?
implicit and hidden
Norms, Rules and Expectations
What is the purpose of norms in the classroom?
- Maintenance of routine life in the classroom.
- Enable effective academic work and learning.
- To manage interpersonal relationships.
- Norms on how to interact with teachers and with school authorities.
Norms, Rules and Expectations
What are the 3 types of norms?
- Implicit or explicit: some norms formal and explicit, others informal, implicit and hidden
- Fixed or dynamic: some norms fixed, static and consensually acceptd, others more dynamic and flexible
- Strong or weak: some norms strong and others weak
Norms, Rules and Expectations
What is Conformity?
the degree to which norms are kept obediently by group participants
-> normally group members vary in the degree to which they follow norms
Norms, Rules and Expectations
What can conformity to normative pressure do?
- Come from real conviction in their value (through internalization, identification, and attitude change).
- Be caused by the individual’s need “to fit” in the group and to avoid social pressure, rejection, or punishment.
french and raven
What are the bases of social power?
Coercion, Referent, Expertise, Rewards, Legitimacy
Teacher as authority
What are the bases of social power?
- reward power
- coercive power
- legitimate power
- referent power
- expert powert
- information power
The bases of social powert
What is Reward power?
the perceived ability to provide positive consequences or remove negative ones, and the power to reinforce
the bases of social power
what is coercive power?
the power to punish those who do not conform to your ideas or demands
the bases of social power
what is legitimate power (organizational authority)?
the perception that someone has the right to prescribe behaviour and control others due to appointment or election to a position of responsibility (also called normative power)
the bases of social power
what is referent power?
power resulting from admiration, respect, and identification with the leader
The bases of social power
what is expert power?
power results from having distinctive knowledge, expertise, ability or skills that others need. the leader possesses superior knowledge and skills
The bases of social power
What is information power?
Similar to expert power. Controlling the information. “Information is power”. The leader possesses needed or wanted information
Lewin, Lippit and White
What did Lewin and his colleagues organize for ten- and eleven-year old boys after school?
gatherings where they could enjoy different hobbies
-> met in small groups and were guided by adult male
Lewins Hobby-gatherings
which 3 different kinds of leadership behaviors did they look at during these sessions
Authoritarian/Autocratic
Democratic/Participatory
The Laissez-Faire/Let do
Lewins hobby-gatherings
How was it with the authoritarian (or autocratic) leader?
- Told the boys what to do without much explanation.
- Took no input from the members in making decisions about group activities.
- Often criticized the boys, arbitrarily paired boys with work partners, and emphasized his authority.
Lewins hobby-gatherings
How was it with the democratic (or participatory) leader?
- Made sure that all activities were first discussed by the entire group.
- Let the group make decisions while he provided advice and guidance.
- Encouraged the development of an egalitarian atmosphere, and rarely criticized the students or gave them orders.
Lewins hobby-gatherings
How was it with the laissez-faire (let do) leader?
- The leader allowed the students to work in whatever way they wished and rarely intervened in the group activities.
- The group worked without any supervision and the adult functioned primarily as a source of technical information when necessary.
- The leader did not offer information, criticism, or guidance.
