SOC 500 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Compulsory Education, Numeracy, Knowledge Economy
11 Dec 2017
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Document Summary
Student is the primary mode of identification for young people. Growing into adulthood is a linear progression from student into work, and is guided by society. For young people, going to school and being a student is not a simple experience. It is not guided by social experience into adulthood. Being a student involves complex negotiation of significant choices amidst uncertain pathways: Young people are in essence, part-time adults, making adult decisions about many aspects of their lives. Over the past 100 years, the level of education we have was highly unusual. In the 19th century, even elementary school was low. In 1900, the average canadian only received 6 years of compulsory education. High school was very small, and it was only for people who were wealthy, wanted to become a teacher, or go onto study at university. In the 1950s employers increase their needs and requirement: be literate, know numeracy, for particular jobs.
