U radu se definira sociologija obrazovanja kao posebna sociologijska disciplina koja proučava međuodnos društva i obrazovanja. Iako su razmišljanja o odnosu društva i obrazovanja veoma stara, sociologija obrazovanja je veoma mlada. Javila se i razvijala kako su se razvijala istraživanja unutar njenog predmeta. Istraživanje je širi pojam od razmišljanja. Ono povezuje mišljenje i iskustvo tako da iskustvo osmišljava, a mišljenje iskustveno provjerava. Kao i u svakoj znanosti tako i u sociologiji obrazovanja postoje tri razine mišljenja:
1. logička,
2. opčeteorijska,
3. empirijska.
Prva je razina zajednička svim znanostima, druga je specifična za svaku znanost, a treća je zajednička većem broju sličnih znanosti. Znanstveno istraživanje povezuje sve tri razine u jedinstvenom procesu istraživanja.
Specifičnosti sociologije obrazovanja najviše dolaze do izražaja na drugoj razini. Uz pomoć razine opće teorijske orijentacije svaka znanost pokušava interpretirati rezultate vlastitih istraživanja. Sociologija obrazovanja to čini uz pomoć:
1. historijsko-komparativne metode,
2. idealnog tipa,
3. funkcionalističkim pristupom,
4. humanističkim ili neofunkcionalističkim pristupom i
5. normativnom teorijom ili humanim pristupom.
U radu se kritički opisuje svaki pristup i ukazuje na njihove prednosti i nedostatke.In this article the sociology of education is defined as a particular sociological discipline studying the interrelationship between society and education. Although reflections concerning the above-mentioned relation are of an older date, the sociology of education is a new discipline — appearing and developing in concurrence with the research of issues its subject-matter includes. Research is a broader concept than reflection. It combines thought and experience by theoretically organizing experience and empirically testing thought. As it is the case in any science, the sociology of education also consists of three levels of thought:
1. The level of logic;
2. The level of general theory;
3. The level of empirical research.
The first level is common to all sciences. The second specifically concerns each science, and the third is common to a number of similar sciences. Scientific research combines all three levels into a unique process of research.
The particularities of the sociology of education are most apparent on the second level. With the assistance of the general theory orientation, each science tries to interpret the results of its own research. The sociology of education does that by means of:
1. The method of historical comparison;
2. The »ideal-type«;
3. The functionalist approach;
4. The humanistic (the neofunctionalist approach);
5. Normative theory (or the humane approach.)
This paper briefly critically describes each approach and indicates its advantages and disadvantages
