Q1
Grouping of students helps in having the gifted students to be first in their learning without being held back. The teachers are able to teach the same things through this program, but can go deep because the student’s ability is far much above average. It also allows students to have varied options in the learning process, making them to do even more (Snowman, 185). It also helps in the improvement of the content in the curriculum to meet the expectations of student’s high ability. The teachers find an easy time in teaching since they know the ability of the students they deal with.
As the students are grouped according to their ability, they get socialized differently. This brings about social inappropriateness as the different groups begin to discriminate against one another. The students are sometimes placed unfair expectations, especially the ones with low ability (Snowman, 185). At times, they are given low content value based on the notion that they have a low ability.
This tracking method at times leads to some inequalities. Student’s abilities are enhanced when they are placed in a mixture where different abilities exist. Low ability students learn from high ability students. Thus, tracking brings about inequality in this manner. Students are socialized to know whether they have a high or low ability. The different groups, thus, see each other as two worlds apart hence, the inequalities.
Q2
Worsening society in a social conflict perspective
Life in the US and the world over is becoming worse by the day. Social conflict would help underscore this argument. Karl Marx coined the concept of social conflict and the main argument is that people in the society have resources in different proportions. Some people have more resources while others have less or do not have any at all. These disparities in resource ownership lead to conflicts (Gluckman, 20). The people who have a lot of resources use such to oppress or have undue influence over others. Karl Marx argued that in societies, there exist two different classes; the rich and the poor. The rich people thus, exploit the poor through their influence because they control a number of institutions. The legal system, governance system are some of the institutions that the ruling class use to exploit the poor.
These kinds of disparities make it possible for conflicts to occur in the world today. The poor have little control over or what they can acquire. The rich people control literally everything. The rich concentrate on wealth acquisition while leaving a larger population deprived. The gap between the rich and the poor thus, increases day by day. The rich continue to become richer while the poor continue to be poor. When people are not able to have the basic things that they need for their survival, conflicts are bound to erupt (Peoples, James and Garrick, 301). The increased feeling of deprivation makes it impossible for the people to sustain themselves. As a result, there seem to be revolting against the rich.
The world today has become characterized by hunger strikes, union strikes and mass actions as people demand for better living standards and better pay in the places of work. Increased unlimited access to resources leaves the people agitated. Thus, the world has been made worse by increased deprivation as the gap between the rich and the poor increases (Louden, 126). At the end, these have led to conflicts as different group's image to protest the imbalance as others feel discriminated against. Criminal gangs, militias, terrorists and rebel groups have thus, emerged to fight the perceived discriminations as they see the ruling class as the reason for this. The government being a tool for the rich to influence the poor has been the reason why the groups have emerged as they feel discriminated.
Q3
Structural issues leading to Divorce
Individual actions have been some of the major causes of divorce; nevertheless, there are structural issues that lead to divorce. Changes in the legislations concerning is one of the structural forces that have led to the high divorce rate. While laws cannot be credited for high divorce rates, it has made the process simple. In some countries, divorce could only be obtained through an act of parliament. That has since changed because the laws have become flexible. The divorce period for some countries have been reduced from three years to just one year and others even months. Some laws have been designed to offer financial incentives to those who cannot afford the process. This has encouraged some couples to take up the process (Celello, 18).
Changing fortunes for women is another structural issue leading to divorce. Women have become more influential in the in terms of education and having good jobs and having influential job positions. Initially women were seen as naïve and weak partners who had nothing to offer in the relationship or society but the changing social positions have changed things. Some male partners thus become insecure with regard to the rise in a woman’s social statute and as such divorce ensues.
Economic instability in some societies leads to divorce. Some countries experience low economic growth and thus, people cannot get jobs, and those who have the jobs loose the ones that they have. This makes it impossible for couples to take care of their families; hence, resulting to a divorce. Taking care of family needs and helping with the bills become a major factor that makes couples to part ways.
Social instabilities in the society also lead to divorce. War, criminal activities and terrorism are some things that affect the stability of a society. Partners may therefore, perceive the situations differently. While one partner may not see the activities of war or terrorism as a big issue, the other may feel insecure (Celello, 29). This would make one partner relocate to a different setup not agreeable to the other thus, a divorce. The instabilities caused in the societies hence, become a reference point for divorce.
Works Cited:
Celello, Kristin. Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the Twentieth-
Century United States. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. Internet resource.
Gluckman, Max, and P H. Gulliver. Cross-examinations: Essays in Memory of Max Gluckman.
Leiden: Brill, 1978. Print.
Peoples, James G, and Garrick A. Bailey. Humanity: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
Louden, Robert B. The World We Want: How and Why the Ideals of the Enlightenment Still
Elude Us. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Internet resource.
Snowman, Jack, R. McCown, and Robert F. Biehler. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth, 2012. Print.
