Compliance and the Educational Environment - Essay Example

RUNNING HEAD: Compliance and the Educational Environment Compliance and the Educational Environment Introduction The role of a teacher in today’s contemporary learning environment requires much more than simply an understanding of basic curriculum elements such as mathematics and English skills. In order to be an effective teacher, it is necessary to understand complicated systems of psychology so that the relationship between student and teacher becomes that of a coach or mentor rather than just providing a regurgitation of basic learning principles. Students have vast psychologically-based needs that must be fulfilled in a rewarding environment with the teacher playing a key role in assisting in self-esteem development and providing a sense of belonging in a social environment. This paper describes how to ensure student conformity while still managing to support the emotional needs of students. What is Conformity? Principles of social psychology indicate that in order for a society to function properly, there must be established norms of behavior to guide social behavior and regulate it effectively (Morris & Maisto, 2005). Social norms are “learned, socially based rules that prescribe what people should or should not do” (faculty.uml.edu, 2007, p.1). Students, especially those in high school, often turn to their peers as a form of reference group which serves as a model for their behaviors and personality development. It is usually the majority membership that determines what are appropriate social systems and guidelines. Students seeking to become part of the in-group generally look toward the norms driven by the majority and then seek to conform to these norms in order to gain a sense of inter-peer belonging. Abraham Maslow developed what is referred to as the Hierarchy of Needs that indicates it is psychologically necessary to be provided a sense of social belonging in order to develop important concepts of self-esteem and reach their highest emotional potential. This is why adolescents who are seeking to build their own self-concept and self-identity turn toward reference groups to understand what types of attitudes and behaviors are acceptable as it fulfills emotional needs. Maslow’s model of needs clearly indicates that self-esteem development is impossible without approval from the individual’s social group. Adolescence is usually a period of self-exploration where peer attitude and opinion are considered to be highly important. In the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch conducted a conformity experiment using participants that included confederates of the researcher (those who were trained on how to respond) and a lone participant unaware of the nature of the study. All of the participants were shown an image of a line and then asked to match the structure of the line as shown on another card. The confederates deliberately gave the wrong answer. Asch’s study identified that even though the lone participant clearly recognized his participant peers had given the wrong answer, he too agreed with the incorrect judgments and conformed to the group responses (Morris & Maisto). Likely, this was a product of wanting to fit in and not appear abnormal to the group. This is important for the educator especially when it is necessary to develop conformity within the classroom to deliver a more effective lecture or build a rewarding social structure. Berten & Van Rossem (2007) identified that adolescents are influenced mostly by peers with which they have solid personal connections. This is why in order to guarantee conformity in the classroom social network, the teacher must be aware of the social norms guiding the student population and draw on this need for affiliation in order to provide effective teaching and ensure active learning from the students. A Lesson for the Teacher It is not only the student peer groups that will drive an individual student desire to become part of the in-group, the teacher can also act as a reference group if he or she is able to develop worthwhile relationships with the students. There is a theory in social psychology known as social learning theory that suggests learning can be influenced through observation of important role models and perceiving what behaviors receive reward and which are punished (Neubert, Carlson, Kacmar, Roberts & Chonko, 2009). In the educational environment, teachers can rely on their own educator peer networks or administration to assist in order to gain student conformity. For example, a teacher who utilizes humor in the classroom to gain student attention can recruit another teacher to publicly applaud their learning tactics within the classroom so that students see reward for a diverse educating style. These tactics can also be used on students by identifying top performers within the classroom and granting them individualized rewards due to this behavior in order to reinforce conformity in others. The desire to belong coupled with elements of social learning theory through observation of role models has a strong psychological foundation and would be effective in the classroom. Therefore, it would seem that driving conformity requires the educator to actively observe the social interactions between students and then try to use these systems to satisfy and motivate students. It is necessary to understand the importance of belonging in the social network and then try to build on these concepts so that students remain focused on the lessons being taught. For instance, if the majority group in the classroom demands team-based workload in order to satisfy their affiliation needs, the teacher should develop a learning system that provides for more interaction in learning. Either way, the educator needs to establish a norm of behavior early in the school year or build a learning foundation on the norms that already exist in the student population in the classroom. Conformity, then, is a product of the social network and modeling the appropriate behaviors to gain student commitment. Recommendations Because the emotional needs of students are so important during adolescent years in gaining self-confidence and finding one’s self-identity, it is recommended that the teacher use a reward structure that reinforces desired behaviors. “In order for someone to be a role model, he or she must be credible and attractive in the eyes of others” (Neubert, et al., p.159). Without making it known to the student body, over a period of weeks the teacher should be able to identify what students are more popular by observing attitudes and social interaction between the students. These most attractive students can serve as role models throughout the entire school year if they are chosen to represent a new rewards system. Whatever characteristics are displayed by the most charismatic students should be positively reinforced by the educator and made public when these behaviors are continued. Other students wanting to fit in with the more appealing students should, in theory, respond positively and attempt to model the same behaviors especially if there is a reward for doing so. Such reward systems might include more free time in class or the receipt of small token food items like candy or popcorn. The nature of the reward would be up to the teacher’s discretion, however it should be appropriate to the administration’s classroom regulations. The goal is to gain conformity to ensure a better learning lesson so that the entire classroom behaves and responds in a manner necessary to facilitate a quality educational environment. Even though there might be some in society that would suggest this is a manipulative effort, it drives conformity based on the reference group philosophy. Eventually, the entire classroom, if they model these same behaviors, would be rewarded accordingly to avoid long-term perceptions of favoritism with key students. This recommendation should be a quality method to ensure the entire classroom population understands what drives the in-class social norm and be more motivated to comply in pursuit of reward. References Berten, H. & Van Rossem, R. (2007), “Mechanisms of Peer Influence Among Adolescents: Cohesion Versus Structural Equivalence”, Sociological Perspectives, 54(2), pp.183-204. Faculty.uml.edu. (2007), “Social Psychology: General Psychology”, University of Massachusetts Lowell. Retrieved June 18, 2011 from http://faculty.uml.edu/mhaynes/47.101/lectures_spring07/socialpsychology.pdf Morris, C. & Maisto, A. (2005), Psychology: An Introduction, 12th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall. Neubert, M., Carlson, D., Kacmar, K., Roberts, J. & Chonko, L. (2009), “The Virtuous Influence of Ethical Leadership Behavior: Evidence from the Field”, Journal of Business Ethics. Vol. 90, pp.157-170. Read More