culture, subculture and counterculture - Facultatea de Litere

APPROACHES TO THE CULTURE OF THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
SIMONA ALECU
“Dunărea de Jos” University of Galaţi, Romania
The educational system of the 3 rd Millennium has a chance to evolve in an
extremely varied, contextualized environment, in restrictive or even
contradictory circumstances, which enable the revaluation of creativity, of
initiative, of cooperation and of human communication. Nevertheless, all these
characteristics of the environment that the educational system evolves in can
turn very often into disadvantages, considering that there cannot be established a
determinist relationship between the factors and the effects, and this fact
diminishes the chances of the scientific research to yield valid models necessary
for the development of each educational system. The components of the
educational system are permanently interconnected and interact both inside and
outside the socio-economic and political system. There is a particular
relationship between the educational system and the social, external factors. The
impact of the social changes is not reflected immediately and accurately in the
educational system, as the French sociologist P. Bourdieu (1970) specifies that
the changes in the educational system are not the immediate and direct
objectivity of the social requirements; these are mediated and frequently
distorted by the inner logic of the educational system.
The conditions that the educational system defines itself in terms of are
characterised by a tremendous dynamic complexity. But how can transformation
be complex? Let us take as an example any educational problem and start
enumerating all the forces that should be influenced so that they can lead to a
productive change. Then, let us take for granted the idea that unplanned factors
may interfere inevitably – the governmental policy changes or is redefined
continuously, important leaders leave the political scene, essential contact people
are transferred to fill other positions, new technologies are invented,
immigration increases, the recession reduces the available resources, clashes
may come up, and so on and so forth. Anyway, let us acknowledge the fact that
any new variable element entering the equation – those disturbing,
unpredictable, but inevitable factors – bring about other tens of ramifications,
which in turn lead to additional connections and so on. The conclusion belongs
to Senge (1990: 281): “it is not possible for anyone to imagine the multitude of
such interactions.” (our translation)
The development of the educational system has to be collaborative,
interactive, while the systematic experience has to be placed in a given context.
The process always depends on a series of factors acquiring different degrees of
significance and importance in time and on a multidimensional and fluctuant
context also. The development of the educational system is certainly the product
of numerous factors, among which some can become conspicuous by the
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