Socialization Messages in Primary Schools: An Organizational Analysis

Using the tools of organizational analysis, this article presents a framework for understanding the volume and content of socialization messages expressed in 64 primary school classrooms. This framework specifies five levels of classroom and school organization in which socialization messages are embedded. It links the behavioral ideals expressed at two of these levels—teacher-initiated interactions in the classroom and schoolwide programs—to the schools’ organizational interests in maintaining order and work effort and encouraging students to identify with the school. It links the values expressed at two other levels—the formal curriculum and the routine practices of everyday classroom life—to a blending of old and new cultural influences. The framework specifies two ways in which new values can enter the schools—through the influence of social movements institutionalized with governmental support or the adoption of pedagogical philosophies consistent with changes in adult middle-class life experiences.