THE TEACHER IN SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY: THE ORIGINS OF RESEARCH AND MAIN INSPIRATIONS

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to systematize the most important concepts concerning the teaching profession as a social category. The analyses presented show the origins and development of these concepts in a historical perspective. Teachers are a specific professional group that differs from other professional groups in terms of its ethos and its social function. Analyzing the dynamics of the processes taking place in the school, two fields of cultural construction can be identified – the community of students and the community of teachers. The school is an environment of specific values and norms, on the basis of which patterns of behavior separate from other social institutions are formed. The analyses carried out are intended to help accurately describe an adequate conceptual framework for a better understanding of the reality of teachers and to inspire further research on them from a sociological perspective. The dual internal and external understanding of the teacher in sociology as an educational subject and social category requires the creation of a synthesis that overcomes this duality, so that it is possible to determine to what extent the social position of teachers predicts their position in the education system and vice versa. From a sociological perspective, the solution seems to be to find a concept that rejects holistic or globalizing models and offers a dialogue that focuses primarily on the diversity of ethnic origins and cultures and delves into phenomenological perspectives. Building such a model around the circumstances necessary for teachers to maintain such control over performance requires attention to appropriate recruitment, training and professional socialization practices.