Interactionist
Theory
Determinism
A person’s behavior is controlled by an
external force or forces. This argues
that what happens to an individual is a
product of the existing structures in a
given society.
For example, determinism asserts that one
is poor because of the unjust social
structure of society and not simply of his
own making.
However, not all sociologist believe that
human behavior is determined or
controlled by external forces, these
sociologist are known as interactionist or
interpretivist.
Interactionist concerned with the way an individual meaning
is constructed that is founded on the following principles:
1. Humans have capacity for thought;
2. thought is shaped by social interaction;
3. through interaction, people learn symbols and meanings
that allow them to think;
4. meanings and symbols allow for human action;
5. people can interpret a situation and modify their action or
interaction;
6. people can freely create their own meaning; and
7. groups and societies are ,made up of patterns of action and
interaction.
Interactionist’s view on society
Interactionistview society as an ongoing
process of interaction based on symbolic
communication.
Symbols are considered the foundation of
society as they are the basis upon which
people construct meaning.
A striking fact about interactionism or
interpretivism is that individuals choose how they
want to behave because of the way they perceive
themselves from the interaction with other people.
Interactionist’s View on man
What would people do when they are with
one another’s presence?
What do poor students do when they do not
have money to pay their tuition fee?
Interactionist’s View on Schools
As a social-psychological frame of
reference, interactionism focuses on the
internal process within the school.
Its central concern is the everyday behavior
and interpersonal relationships of students,
teachers, administrators as they interact
with and adjust to one another.
Interactionists try to find explanations in the social
interactions of the classroom by understanding the
communication-action-reaction of students and
teachers.
Teacher Expectancy
Important concept associated with
interactionism theory.
This happen because students learn to
evaluate themselves according to
their teacher’s standards and
attribution.
The teacher expectancy theory also posits
that by setting up situations in the
classroom , students come to evaluate
themselves negatively or positively as
troublemakers, messy, bad student, smart,
or good student, etc.
Pygmalion effect
It is a belief or prediction that a person acts
and behave according to his beliefs and, thus,
confirming the prophecy.
But how does the self-fulfilling prophecy
work? How are teacher expectations
transformed into reality?
1. A teacher forms impression may be based
on an IQ test score, or on student’s sex,
background, reputation, or physical
appearance.
2. A teacher behaves in a way that is
consistent with the impression.
3. The student adjusts his or her behavior
according to the teacher’s action.
Factors that influence teacher’s
expectations
FACTOR EXPLANATION
Sex Lower expectation are often
held for other girls, particularly
in scientific and technical
areas.
Socio-economic status Teachers sometimes hold lower
expectations on students from
lower socio-economic
backgrounds.
Race/Ethnicity Students from minority races or
ethnic groups are sometimes viewed
as less capable than students from
majority races or ethnic groups.
Type of school Students from either inner city
schools or rural schools are
sometimes presumed to be less
capable than students from suburban
schools.
Appearance The expense or styles of students’
clothes and grooming habits can
influence teachers’ expectations.
Oral language patterns The presence of any nonstandard
English-speaking pattern can
sometimes lead teachers to hold
lower expectations
Messiness/disorganization Students whose work areas or
assignment are messy are sometimes
perceived as having lower ability.
Readiness Immaturity or lack of experience may
be confused with learning ability,
leading to inappropriately low
expectations.
Seating position If students seat themselves at the side
or back of the classroom, some
teachers perceive this as a sign of
lower learning motivation and/or
ability, and treat students accordingly.
