“Critics of this theory claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation – the ‘big picture. The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual interactions.”

definition of the symbol. interplay between our own thoughts and feelings about a situation and established norms and values of the groups. Criticism of symbolic interactionism. ignores psychological factors, centers too much on everyday life, ignores large scale social structures, vague and imprecise.

Disadvantages

• They don’t take into consideration every individual. Some people are unable to make choices and have little free will.
• We don’t get to choose consequences for actions.
• Underestimates the power of structure.

The focus of the symbolic-interaction approach is how society is divided by class, race, and gender. Social-exchange analysis is one micro-level approach to understanding social interaction.

The basic idea of the symbolic-interaction approach is that society is: the reality people construct as they interact with one another.

There are three core principles in symbolic interaction perspective of Blumer: Meaning, language (language provides means [symbols] for debating meaning) and thinking principle. Symbolic interaction theory acknowledges the principle of meaning as the center of human behavior.

Symbolic Interactionist Theory on Education Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interactionism sees education as one way that labeling theory is seen in action. Social interaction contributes to gender-role socialization, and teachers’ expectations may affect their students’ performance.

Symbolic interactionist studies of education examine social interaction in the classroom, on the playground, and in other school venues. These studies help us understand what happens in the schools themselves, but they also help us understand how what occurs in school is relevant for the larger society.

The symbolic interactionist perspective emphasizes the processes of role-making, role definition, role negotiation, and role identity within the family (Hochschild 1989).

Symbolic interaction was conceived by George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley. Mead argued that people’s selves are social products, but that these selves are also purposive and creative, and believed that the true test of any theory was that it was “useful in solving complex social problems”.

Answer: The symbolic interactionists say about today’s education system that it is a system of labeling the students with the results that they manage to fetch in the examinations that they are put through.

There are 5 overarching paradigms of educational learning theories; behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, design/brain-based, humanism and 21st Century skills.

Theories provide a basis to understand how people learn and a way to explain, describe, analyze and predict learning. In that sense, a theory helps us make more informed decisions around the design, development and delivery of learning.