Sociology of education

The sociology of education is the study of how social institutions and forces affect educational processes and outcomes, and vice versa. By many, education is understood to be a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater equality and acquiring wealth and status for all (Sargent 1994). Learners may be motivated by aspirations for progress and betterment. Education is perceived as a place where children can develop according to their unique needs and potentialities.^[35] The purpose of education can be to develop every individual to their full potential.^{[citation needed]} The understanding of the goals and means of educational socialization processes differs according to the sociological paradigm used.