1.2 EDUCATION SCOPE

Meaning of the Term 'Scope'

The literal meaning of the term 'scope' is range of matter or subjects to be studied. The term implies field of activity, operation and application. It means the breadth and comprehensiveness of the subject in the context of which the term is used.

The Scope of Education

In the field of education, the term 'scope' means "the breadth, comprehensiveness and variety of learning experiences" to be provided to the individual through the process of education.

It has been rightly said that the scope of education is as wide as life itself. In this sense, man and his life as a whole becomes the subject-matter of education. The development of man's life includes physical, mental, moral, social and spiritual aspects. This amounts to the totality of development of his life.

Broader View of Scope of Education:

A broader view of the scope of education takes into account all the areas which concern man's total life. The areas included in the wider scope of education can be:

1. Educational Psychology.

It is also called Psycho-Pedagogy. It is the study of teaching and learning of children. It studies the entire development of children. It also studies learning methods.

2. Methods of Teaching.

That is the most important topic in the scope of education. It revolves round the methods of teaching. What methods are required to teach different subjects? What is the place of textbook? Where did we fail? All these questions are to be answered.

3. Educational Technology.

It is the very recent branch that has come under the scope of education. We want to make education a technical and systematic subject. We want to apply technology to it so that teaching learning is better. And there are many innovations in it like Micro-Teaching, Programmed learning, Simulated teaching.

4. Philosophy of Education.

Philosophy and education are related to each other like flower and fragrance. Students of education study philosophy of education because it is philosophy which gives direction to education. Although an old discipline, yet its recent emergence as a separate discipline has added new dimension to the scope of education. It is philosophy which helps in determining the aims of education, curriculum, methods of teaching, discipline, role of the teacher, nature of text-books and the like.

5. Sociology of Education.

Sociology and education move hand in hand. Sociology of education is a study of the relation between education and society. In order that education should serve the ends of society, its curriculum and methods of teaching must serve the ends of society. Education must lean heavily on social, political, economic, cultural and religious forces of the society which it serves. So the scope of education must include economic order, political viewpoints and cultural values of the society.

6. Problems and Issues of Education.

Education is a living force. The scope of education includes a thorough study of the important problems of education such as population education, vocationalisation of education, education for modernisation, environmental education, education for human resource development, economics of education, value education and so on.

7. Comparative Education.

The scope of education should include the study of. comparative systems of education. This will help us to modify, reform, reorient and improve our own systems of education in the light of facts revealed from such a study.

8. Guidance in Education.

Guidance is an integral part of education. The scope of education should include various types of guidance to help students learn about the educational tasks to be done to suit various interests and aptitudes.

9. Educational Administration and Supervision.

The scope of education should include the study of administrative and supervisory functions. The study will help the students to know how educational process is worked out at various levels.

To conclude, we can say that education is a powerful discipline and includes within its range, different subjects, activities and factors which influence human development. Education is a potential medium for individual security and also a powerful force for social reconstruction. It includes everything of human life and every aspect of social structure.