The Family and The Role of Family in Education

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TABLE OF CONTETNS

Abstract
Introduction	Family as a social institutions	Definitions of Family	Functions of Family	Role of family in education
Social institutions	Meaning of family	Characteristics of family	Types or Forms of Family	Conclusion

Abstract

Social institution is that place where each individuals learn the good habits, manners, behavior and try to be a good citizen as they can perform their role in the society. Family is the type of social institution, it is informal which performs vital role in the child’s care, education and social life. In this assignment the following objective are going to be discussed. To define the social institution, to describe the family as a social institution, to describe characteristics of family, to define functions of family, to explain types of family, to discuss the role of family. This study is qualitative in nature, the second hand information is collected from the different articles and from the various websites. The types or Forms of Family are classified as followings in four categories: Membership, Residence, Authority, Descent, and Nuclear. Each category is also divide in sub-categories which are discussed in current study. The family also perform an effective role in shaping the child’s future, a child's teaching and learning process begins from home. Every parents wants that his child to be a valuable for herself/himself and for society.

Introduction

Social institution is a designed shape of behavior or relationships of group of individuals which is accepted as an essential part of a culture. Institutions are arrangements of social direction and collaboration leading the behavior of a group of peoples within a particular human collectivity. A set of structured guidelines, beliefs and practices that establishes how a society will attempt to meet basic needs. Here are few elements of social institutions, it is a group of people which is united by common interests and having material such as resources and norms as they can survive in the society or fulfil some social need. Here are few characteristics of social institutions. Social institutions are patterns of behavior grouped about the central needs of human beings in society. In every society, the institution of family plays a significant role. They are social patterns which taught the behavior to individuals, they also fulfill the basic needs of every individual and support to other institutions. Five basic Types of social institutions: Family, Government, economy, education, religion.

Family:  In the society there is a family which is known as a fundamental social group, one or two parents and their children are involves in it. The share of goals and values are occurs between two or more people. The family provide the economic and emotional care to individuals, it socialize the children, and it provide sense of identity among its members and transmit the culture from one generation to another generation.

Social institutions

The group of social positions which are associated by social relations and they perform the better role in their society are known as social institutions. The examples of the social institutions are universities, governments, families and any other people or group that you must have the social interaction with them, these all are the institutions, which help the individuals in socializing them. It is the most important field of social life which is structured to meet with the necessities of human. Palispis stated some functions and characteristics of social institutions in 1996, as following:

I. Institutions have purposes. Every one of them has the satisfaction of social necessities as it is having own goal or objective.

II. Relatively it has permanency in their content. The people enact pattern roles and relations in a specific culture which become customary enduring.

III. The institutions are having focus to change but their change is quite slow.

The social behavior for every individual person is simplified by the functions of institutions. All social needs and cultural mechanisms provide to every child by social institutions as he can grow socially in society. For every individual, it provides the social roles and forms of social relations which are ready-made. The principal roles are not invented by the individuals, they are provided by the institutions.

Family as a social institutions

A social institution is a complicated set of mutually dependent social forces which meet basic necessities and help to reproduce patterns of behavior. The most influential forces in socialization is the family, it is the process through which every individual learn the beliefs, values, ethics, morals, hopes of their culture and norms. Family as a social institution effects individuals but also societies and communities at the large number.

Meaning of family

In the society family is the most basic and simplest group which is consisting of a mother, father and one or more married or unmarried children.

Definitions of Family

The family is the social institution having unique function. It is the basic unit of society and the educational system where child begins to learn his ABC. The primary agent of socialization is the family, it is the very first institution through which every individual person or child learn the ethics, morals, social behavior, roles, characters and expectations. (Vega, 2004).   “Family is a group of people consisting one husband and his wife and his children or grandparents or blood relatives or adopted child living together under the same roof”.

Characteristics of family

The family is first group which exposed the individuals, and it is significant element in social life of humans. It has the continuous relationships and contact. It is very close and friendly group where every individual easily communicate their matters. It is unique because it provides the continuity of social life.  Family is the universal group in all types of communities, it helps to trace the background of individuals. It is important for individuals with whom every individual can exchange the emotions, love, and care, perform responsibilities, and affection. It is the unit of economic cooperation.

Functions of Family

Family is a social institute which performs several functions which are as follows:  Family is the unit through which reproduction occurs, which is institutionalized by process and controlled in family, which helps to make family in size by choice large or small. It provides the identity to each individuals. Family is the responsible for make their children as good citizen and upbringing them for societies with the perfect training. The imme­diate family members teach all the basic rules and norms of social life to a child. It transmit the cultures through family and traditions from one generation to another. it is source of strength, emotional and psychological, for its mem­bers. All the members are aware that they can depend upon their family in the times of need. It provides an individual with a home, and establishes enduring social re­lationships. It fulfills the economic needs also it is traditionally responsible for the child’s education. The primary function of family is that, it is the building block of any society which fulfills two basic functions one is reproduction other one is socialization. Through family society reproduce itself. The secondary functions of family are that, the parents play significant roles of nurturing, caring, teaching and giving training to children, children are the expectations of their parents as they expect that child play the roles of good and teachable trainees.

Types or Forms of Family

Classification of families on different basis are given below in a table.

Membership	Residence	Authority	Descent
Nuclear Extended	Neolocal Matrilocal Patrilocal	Partriarchal Matriarchal Equalitarian	Billineal Patrilineal Matrlieneal

1.                 On the Basis of Membership

Family is divided into two broad types the nuclear family and the extended or joint family.

(I) Nuclear Family:

A nuclear family is also known as conjural family, it is a family which consists of husband, wife and their unmarried children. Its size is very small. There is no control of the elders because newlyweds settle separately, which is independent of elders. This family is known as primary and ideal family.  The children get maximum care, love and affection of the parents in nuclear family.

(II) Extended or Joint Family

Extended family also known as joint family, it is large in size, it consists of married couple, their parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, cousin, uncles and so on. It also contains members of three to four generations, it is based on close blood bonds. The existence of this family is mostly found in rural community. The term joint family is used to point out the combination of more than two nuclear families.

2.                 On the Basis of Authority

The family may be either patriarchal matriarchal or equalitarian on the basis of authority or who is considered the head of family are classified below.

(I)               Patriarchal Family

In this family all authority belongs with the parental side. In Patriarchal family the eldest male or the father is considered the head of family and plays a dominant role. All exercises are done by father over the family members, he is known as the guardians of the family. In this family all powers are given in the hands of the father or in the eldest male of the family who is considered to be father. After the death his authority transferred to the eldest son of family.

(II)           Matriarchal Family

In the matriarchal family the authority is given to the wife, mother and other eldest women, mother or female is the head and makes the major decisions than she enjoys complete power or authority over other family members,  its system indicates rule of family by mother not by the father. This family also known as maternal family or mother right family. This is opposite of patriarchal family. After mother’s death headship transferred to the eldest daughter

(III)        Equalitarian family

In the equalitarian family both mother and father share in making decisions equal in authority, in this family power and authority are equally shared between both husband and wife. This family is also known as egalitarian family because the joint decisions and accept joint responsibility by both of them. In this family the son and daughter mutually get chattels equally.

3. On the Basis of Residence

On the basis of residence, we discover following kinds of families.

(I) Patrilocal Family:

In the patrilocal family the newly married couple lives with the parent of the husband or we can say that the after marriage wife goes to reside with the family of her husband’s, it is known as patrilocal family. This family is also patriarchal and patrilineal in nature.

 (II) Matrilocal Family:

In matrilocal family the newly married couple lives with the parents of the wife. Or we can say that after marriage husband goes to reside with the family of his wife, it is known as matrilocal family. This is just opposite of matrilocal family. This kind of family is also Matriarchal and Matrilineal in nature.

(III) Neolocal Family:

In the new local family the newly married couple maintains a separate household and live by themselves. After marriage the couple settled at new place independently in a separate residence which is neither attached to the bridegroom’s family nor bride’s family. This kind of family is known as neo-local family.

4.  On the Basis of Descent

On the basis of descent, families may be distributed into two kinds such as patrilineal, matrilineal and Bilineal family.

(I) Patrilineal Family

In patrilineal family the descent is recognized through the father’s line. In this family the property inheritance takes place along male line descent. This family is also patriarchal and patrilocal. This kind of family is a common style of family which is prevailing all over the world. The property and family name is also inherited through father’s line.

(II)           Matrilineal Family

In matrilineal family the descent is recognized through the mother’s line, it is opposite of patrilineal family. In this family the property inheritance takes place along female line descent. This right transferred from mother to daughter. A woman is the ancestor of family.

(III)        Bilineal family

In this type of family, the descent or ancestry is recognized through both father and mother. A family that traces its lineage from both paternal and maternal sides. This family is also called bilateral.

Role of family in education

Education: All teaching and learning processes either general or personalized that teach us the art of living in the better way that is called education. The aim of its training is that it change the behavior of people. Every parents wants that his child to be a valuable for herself/himself and for society. A child's teaching and learning process begins from home. Guardians are their first instructors who play vital role in shaping their child’s character. An equivalence of training at home and school forms an understudy's real learning. Be some assistance in their instructive excursion and travel with them with genuine motivation. Family performs its better role in their child’s education.

Personal interaction: home is the first significant informal institution of education which provides personal interaction between family members.

Provides Social Environment in Childhood: home is the child’s entire social environment, in this environment the whole personality of the childs grows and develops perfectly,  it is the first place where a child learns to speak, eat dress, pickup many good habits by mimicking the family members.

Vocational Education: family provides vocational education to those child’s who wants to adopt their fathers or mothers occupation. But in all cases girls, learn to play the role of housewives by helping their mothers at home. This training or education becomes more useful for the child’s later life.

Provides Moral and Religious Education: Family is that the solely effective agency for providing education for morality and spirituality to youngsters that is rarely provided in schools. Members of a family typically hold an equivalent spiritual religion, celebrate an equivalent spiritual ceremonies and attend an equivalent church or temple.

Be a role model: The first teacher of kids is parents. Child’s becomes a good to be role model in their teaching and learning processes because they easily inspired by what their parents do.

Read together: Children at homes doing things together with parents, because they support them and give them confidence during learning process. Reading the lessons together is one of the best ways to be close with the child’s learning at school. By this way child’s interest will be increase and get interest in study.

Oversee child’s activity: It is important for parents to monitor their child’s activities in school and home. Parents help the child’s to be organized in their daily routine and teach them to be a good citizen and Monitor their learning and provide them friendly environment.

Provide pleasant atmosphere: At home, parents should provide pleasant and peaceful environment to their children. And should avoid the discussing family problems with children. Parents should give importance to the child’s study and give them moral support in this process.

Help with home assignments: Giving great help to kids in their study would truly lift their soul for learning. Show it with little signals, for example, helping them with home assignments, projects, prepare them for test, encourage the active learning of your child’s and reward them for results. Be that as it may, it can't to do each exercise for them and let them play. Do it together and assist them with certain tips and direction in improving.

Maintain parent teacher relationships: Don’t avoid the parents and teachers meetings, keep good relation with your child’s teachers, and investigate from them about your child’s activities in school, if something going wrong make sure correct it.

Be a good friend: It is essential to be a good friend of your child. Provide them a space to share whatever that arises to their mind and express their true feelings. Assure them that you would help in all way, this technique will boost their confidence and assist them to perform in better learning and other activities.

Conclusion

Social institution is a designed shape of behavior or relationships of group of individuals which is accepted as an essential part of a culture. There are five basic Types of social institutions: Family, Government, economy, education, and religion. From these all, the one of the family is the universal group in all types of communities, it helps to trace the background of individuals. It is important for individuals with whom every individual can exchange the emotions, love, and care, perform responsibilities, and affection. It is the unit of economic cooperation.

Moomal Bhatti