Cultivation of Socialization into Higher Education

Socialization is a process by which individuals cultivate and nature relationships amongst one another. It creates a rapport where society members understand and respect each other’s backgrounds, personalities, and cultural values. People learn and exchange norms, ideas, and habits. Each person one associates with is an agent of socialization. Groups shape social norms from one age group to the other and form the most influential agencies of socialization. Socialization is a lifelong process from childhood to old age where individuals interact daily. People bring their unique selves into social interactions, and the process of making it into higher education involves a lot of prior socialization. Agents of socialization shape people’s lives and educational journeys and they include family, school, peers, media, and religion.

The family unit is the most crucial agent of socialization since people are part of it throughout their lives. An infant’s first world is that of their family including parents, siblings, relatives, and guardians. It is within a family that a child develops their earliest intimate interactions with people of different ages and genders. Socializing involves speaking and comprehension of a particular language. Children learn to speak English as toddlers in the family. Parents teach them how to pronounce words, identify basic things and request for basic needs as a means of communication. Additionally, they show them moral ethics such as etiquette, gender roles, and societal norms to use in their interactions with people in all types of gatherings. Discipline is mandatory for all cases of ill-mannered behavior towards other people. At a tender age, a kid experiences love, learns the meaning of authority and direction, thus establishing the moral foundations for interactions. Family instills compassion, responsibility and self-control to prepare kids for their next age group and as a way to ensure they settle seamlessly in school.

Family lays the foundation, and then educational establishments like school take over as the chief agent of socialization. Some non-liberal societies do not have schools, but in civilized states, individuals enhance their social skills once they enroll in educational systems. The first day at school is scary for both children and parents or guardians. The children start to interact with strange faces and the parents hope that they have prepared them adequately. Schools are the best place to socialize because the learning sample is vast, incorporating different genders, ethnic backgrounds, ages, and personalities. In kindergarten, teachers teach pupils how to read and write the national language. Songs are the best form of learning because they are easy to memorize and require participation from everyone. Schools teach discipline, cooperation, the importance of rules and tests students’ skills through examinations and competitions. A student attracts disciplinary action from their teacher when they break the rules such as overstaying outside class after a coffee. Discipline emphasizes the importance of ethics such as proper time management in cultivating a harmonious environment. In school, students socialize with their fellow students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff. It grooms them on how to communicate with peers and authority in their next levels of education and workplace.

Peer groups are, and will always remain a part of society. They begin to form from childhood and through adolescence where children and teenagers form groups without adult involvement. Students intermingle and make friends in school leading to the formation of peer groups, or rather playmates for the youngest ones. Peer groups attract individuals and shape their personalities with laid out rules that every member must follow. Members acquire informal cultural aspects such as fashions, crazes, and forbidden knowledge. This agent is influential in the transition to adulthood and students should join groups that have a positive influence. Some peers teach each other drug use and vulgar language, which are delinquent behaviors. Peer pressure in middle and high school is a cause for concern since young students find themselves dismantling the ethical foundation set by their families and school. Individuals tend to either develop socially approved behavior patterns or find themselves at war with society. Peers encourage or discourage particular behaviors in their socialization, and parents, teachers and adult role models should step in to reinforce socially approved behavior.

Technology continues to grow at a fast pace and with the dawn of the internet age; mass media is a significant agent of socialization. The ability to communicate clearly to an audience is vital for success in the professional realm. Students now have phones from a tender age making them in constant communication with friends and reducing time spent interacting with family. Additionally, social media is a constant bombardment of information on how to address social issues from self-made influencers. Television is a visual stimulant in the household showing a range of topics including glamour, violence, and promiscuity. Children act out the scenes in these media since they have consent from their parents to consume them. Most teenagers take to social media to air their views and concerns where they deliberate with other people. Approval in the form of likes makes them believe their opinions are valid when they could otherwise be developing a socially dysfunctional behavior, such as vulgar language. Society should regulate mass media as a form of cultivating socially acceptable behavior.

Religion continues to shape people’s beliefs and social interactions. Many families are religious and mold their children according to their convictions. Parents take their children to churches, temples, and mosques where they listen to religious sermons. Therefore, kids learn about the spiritual world and its demands to people. Preachers teach moral ethics that shape children’s notions and ultimately their social conversations. When discerning right and wrong, a religious child will consider whether an action is morally acceptable in their worship. Religious teachings are the primary anchor of people’s societal values. External forces such as negative peer pressure, violence and drugs become more apparent without faith. Religion creates a conscience that steers conversations in a morally upright direction that conforms to most family and school teachings. Faith acts as a stabilizing influence and brings socialization agents together.

Agents of socialization open the door for numerous opportunities and interactions with a wide range of people. Family, school, peers, media, and religion are great agents that cultivate social skills when used effectively. Most forms of socialization come from intermingling with peers, faculty, staff, and acquaintances. The socialization process further develops in college and beyond, and it is up to people to pick the best traits to enhance relationships with other people. Other agents such as the state and workplace will be useful in the future. In the educational journey, agents of socialization shape one’s attitudes, behavior, and personality while preparing them for their next challenge in both school and life.