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What are the advantages or benefits
to society of the practice of social promotion?
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| Social
promotion is the term used to describe the practice of passing a pupil
from one grade or level to the next when the child has not completed all
the requirements to qualify for that promotion. |
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| The
practice is justified by saying the child may obtain damage to her or his
psyche. |
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| The
disappointment may contribute to the pupil having lower self esteem or
a lower sense of self worth. |
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| It
is further justified by the notion that it is the responsibility of the
school to ensure that pupils are happy and have high self respect. |
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| It
can be questioned that social promotion avoids lower self esteem. |
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| If
the socially promoted pupil finds out that s/he has been given a promotion
without achieving the requirements, that, too, may equally contribute to
low self esteem. |
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| It
also contributes to people obtaining creditation without having the qualifications
implied by the creditation. |
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| In
general, and throughout society, if it depends upon those certifications
for the distribution of jobs and privileges, it puts unqualified individuals
in positions where they are expected to be qualified. |
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| Our
urban industrial and post-industrial society is one which relies on creditation,
so its strength is reduced. |
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| Drivers
who pay for their licenses when they could not pass a driving test, doctors,
pilots and persons in life-or-death occupations, get their positions because
of their certificates. |
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| If
they obtained them without having the qualifications, society may be hindered
in its functioning. |
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| The
question of why a college or university level instructor would "socially
promote" a student takes the concept out of the text book (where it implied
something done at the public school levels) and asking if it might apply
to the giving of grades to College students. |
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| By
extension, it would mean giving a passing grade instead of failure, or
a high grade instead of a low grade because that would make a student feel
better. |
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| It
is my opinion that giving a higher grade than one earned by a student serves
no social benefit, or serves negative benefits (costs) to society. |
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| It
would allow untrained persons to obtain certificates (or entrance into
a university). |
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| Instructors
are often approached by students who complain about their grades, because
they are upset, or because they need a higher grade to get into the university. |
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| Raising
their grades on those bases, instead of their academic achievements, serves
to lower the college standards and contribute to more people having certificates
that do not reflect their abilities or achievements. |
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| Apart
from giving higher grades to make them feel better, if an instructor gives
higher grades in return for receiving favours of any kind, it is more than
social promotion. It is corruption (bribery) whether what is offered is
sexual or monetary or otherwise. |
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| I
have worked in many countries where this is a common practice rather than
an occasional deviation, but that has not changed my opinion that is serves
no social benefit, or rather generates social costs. |
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