Socio-Cultural Foundation

of Education

Guillian P. Baldevia
MEd-LT2
What is Culture?
Culture is the learned norms, values,
knowledge, artifacts, language, and
symbols that are constantly communicated
among people who share a common
way of life.

Calhoun et al 1994
Culture is the sum total of symbols, ideas,
forms of expressions, and material products
associated with a collective way of life
reflected in such ways things as beliefs, values,
music, literature, art, dance, science, religious
ritual and technology.
Johnson, 1996
Culture is defined as a set of
learned behaviors, beliefs,
attitudes, values, and ideals that are
characteristics of a particular
society or population.
Ember, 1999
Culture means a body of artistic and
intellectual work of agreed value, along
with the institutions which produce,
disseminate and regulate it.

Blackwell, 2000
Culture can be loosely summarized as
the complex of values, customs, beliefs and
practices which constitute the way of life of
a specific group.

Blackwell 2000
Culture also includes the
organization's vision, values, norms,
systems, symbols, language,
assumptions, beliefs, and habits.

Needle, 2004
Functions of Culture
1. Culture helps the individual fulfill his potential as a
human being.
2. Through the development of culture, man can
overcome his physical disadvantages and allows him
to provide himself with fire, clothing, food and shelter.
3. Culture provides rules of proper conduct for living in
a society.
4. Culture also provides the individual his concept of
family, nation and class.
Elements of Culture
 Values
• Values are defined standards of desirability, goodness and
beauty, which serve as broad guidelines of social living.
• Values support beliefs, or specific statements of people hold
to be true.
• Values vary in age, sex, race, ethnicity, religion and social
class.
• Values change over time.
 Norms
• Norms are rules and expectations by which a society guides
the behavior of its members.
• Norms are standards that define the obligatory and expected
behaviors of people in various situations.
• Norms reflect a society’s beliefs about correct and incorrect
behaviors.
• Norms change over time.
 Sanctions
• Sanctions take form of either rewards or punishments.
• Sanctions are done to protect society from chaos.
- positive sanctions – rewards
- negative sanctions – punishments
Conclusion
Every society has a culture, no matter how
simple the culture may be, and every human
being is cultured, in the sense of participating in
some culture or other. As our nation continues to
change, we all interact with others from quite
different backgrounds from our own, especially
in the classroom.
THANK YOU!