Hypothesis
If the educational reform is realized by the U.S. government with references to the additional investment, then young Americans receive the opportunity to improve their socialization and pursue the American Dream.
Introduction
Socialization is important for young Americans because the success of this process of inheriting the social norms to conform to the social ideals is closely associated with the Americans’ success in their personal and professional life. To pursue the American Dream, young Americans should complete all the stages of socialization effectively, and the process of receiving the education is the important stage (Honda, 2011, p. 3).
However, many young persons are deprived of opportunities to receive the appropriate education and achieve high results in their socialization process because of the lack of finances (Applebaum, Broughton, Croner, D’Amico, & Visnaw, 2014, p. 2).
The additional investment and development of a comprehensive educational reform can be discussed as the effective approach to address this social issue. To conclude about the approach’s success, it is necessary to focus on sociological theories, practical implications, and provide the supporting evidence.
Applicable Sociological Concepts
Socialization is the complex process which depends on changing the person according to social norms as a result of the personal development. Many factors can influence socialization, and education is one of the most significant factors to affect the people’s process of learning more about societal patterns and obtaining the necessary knowledge and skills. This process can be discussed in the context of Social Learning Theory and the Symbolic Interaction approach.
According to Social Learning Theory, people learn how to behave while observing other persons’ activities, and according to the Symbolic Interaction approach, people learn while interacting continuously (Macionis, 2010, p. 24). The connection between education and socialization can be discussed with references to the Conflict approach because the financial component produces inequality in the society (Macionis, 2010, p. 38).
On the one hand, education can contribute to presenting more job opportunities. On the other hand, Americans often do not have enough money to receive the appropriate education, and social inequality limits the person’s socialization. These aspects are the grounds to discuss the issue not only from the Conflict approach but also with references to Rational Choice Theory which states that people act depending on reasoning and while assessing possible benefits.
Practical Implications
The research related to the connection between the financial component of educational reform and socialization has obvious practical implications because the statement of the educational reform’s necessity can directly influence the young Americans’ chances to achieve the American Dream. Thus, the research provides the implications for improving the educational system. According to Honda, education should be equitable and accessible, otherwise, “the foundation of our democratic society is compromised” (Honda, 2011, p. 3).
The focus on the policy leads to increasing the quality of education and opportunities to complete the American Dream. Furthermore, additional investment to the sphere of education leads to benefits for employers and educated young professionals’ socialization (Applebaum et al., 2014, p. 2). The labor market becomes more competitive as younger professionals have more enthusiasm and motivation. In addition, unemployment and crime rates can decrease, providing benefits for tax payers.
Evidence to Support the Research
To support the hypothesis, it is necessary to refer to such types of evidence as statistical data and qualitative data. According to the data of 2013, “the youth unemployment rate was over double the unemployment rate for other age groups” (Applebaum et al., 2014, p. 2). The high unemployment rate is directly associated with the impossibility to achieve the American Dream. Moreover, this rate is caused by the educational system’s ineffectiveness.
In 2010, the youth unemployment rate was more than 30% for young people with less than a high school degree (Applebaum et al., 2014, p. 3). Many educational programs involving the financial aid contribute to increasing the employment rates and involvement in volunteering.
The Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the effective anti-poverty incentives to decrease the unemployment rate (Applebaum et al., 2014, p. 4). These data support the idea that improvement of the educational system with the focus on aid programs leads to improving socialization. Possible biases are associated with interpreting the results as not affecting the issue of social inequality.
Referring to the second type of evidence, it is necessary to state that people discuss the higher education is the guarantee to have better job opportunities (Honda, 2011, p. 2). From this point, participation in educational programs suggests that many young Americans not only want to obtain the higher education, but they also can achieve high results in their socialization. According to Honda, by addressing the students’ individual needs, “regardless of cost per pupil, can we attain equity” (Honda, 2011, p. 3).
Thus, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enabled the federal government to finance different states where disparity of opportunities is significant (Honda, 2011, p. 4). The evidence supports the hypothesis and idea that additional funding is necessary to promote equal opportunities for socialization and professional success, and it is rather bias-free while providing the educators’ opinion on the issue.
Conclusion
The evidence supports the hypothesis that the proper funding of the educational sector and the comprehensive education reform can help young people to socialize more easily and effectively and to pursue the American Dream.
According to the statistical data, the youth unemployment rate in 30% can be decreased with the focus on effective educational programs. The qualitative data are convincing to state that such acts and laws as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can contribute to creating more education and job opportunities for young Americans.
Reference List
Applebaum, A., Broughton, K., Croner, B., D’Amico, M., & Visnaw, J. (2014). Renewing the American dream for young workers: Education and economic opportunities for young Americans. Web.
Honda, M. (2011). Preserving the American Dream: A teacher-turned-congressman starts a national dialogue on equity. Web.
Macionis, J. (2010). Sociology. Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.