Education is the transmission of knowledge, skills, and

character traits. Its precise definition is disputed and there are

disagreements about what the aims of education are and to
what extent education is different from indoctrination by
fostering critical thinking. These disagreements affect how to
identify, measure, and improve forms of education. The term
"education" can also refer to the mental states and qualities of
educated people and the academic field studying educational
phenomena. There are many types of education. Formal
education happens in a complex institutional framework, like
public schools. Non-formal education is also structured but
takes place outside the formal schooling system. Informal
education is unstructured learning through daily experiences.
Formal and non-formal education are divided into levels. They
include early childhood education, primary education,
secondary education, and tertiary education. Other
classifications focus on the teaching method, like teacher-
centered and student-centered education. Forms of education
can also be distinguished by subject, like science education,
language education, and physical education. Education
socializes children into society by teaching cultural values and
norms. It equips them with the skills needed to become
productive members of society. This way, it stimulates
economic growth and raises awareness of local and global
problems. Organized institutions affect many aspects of
education. For example, governments set education policies to
determine when school classes happen, what is taught, and
who can or must attend. International organizations, like
UNESCO, have been influential in promoting primary
education for all children. Many factors influence whether
education is successful. Psychological factors include
motivation, intelligence, and personality. Social factors, like
socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender, are often linked
to discrimination. Further factors include access to
educational technology, teacher quality, and parent
involvement. The main field investigating education is called
education studies. It examines what education is, what aims
and effects it has, and how to improve it. Education studies
has many subfields, like philosophy of education, psychology
of education, sociology of education, economics of education,
and comparative education. It also discusses the history of
education. In prehistory, education happened informally
through oral communication and imitation. With the rise of
ancient civilizations, writing was invented, and the amount of
knowledge grew. This caused a shift from informal to formal
education. Initially, formal education was mainly available to
elites and religious groups. The invention of the printing press
in the 15th century made books more widely available. This
increased general literacy. Beginning in the 18th and 19th
centuries, public education became more important. It led to
the worldwide process of making primary education available
to all, free of charge, and compulsory up to a certain age.
Definitions
The definition of education has been explored by theorists
from various fields. Many agree that education is a purposeful
activity aimed at achieving goals like the transmission of
knowledge, skills, and character traits. However, there is
extensive debate regarding its exact nature beyond these
general features. One approach is to view education as a
process that occurs during educational events such as
schooling, teaching, and learning. Another outlook
understands education not as a process but as the product
resulting from this process. It emphasizes the mental states
and dispositions of educated persons. Additionally, the term
may also refer to the academic field that studies the methods,
processes, and social institutions involved in teaching and
learning. Having a clear idea of what the term means is
important to correctly identify educational phenomena. It also
matters when trying to measure or improve them. The term
"education" is derived from the Latin words educare, meaning
"to bring up, rear, educate" in relation to the mind, and
educere, meaning "to bring out, lead forth" in reference to the
bodily level. Some theorists provide precise definitions by
identifying the specific features that are exclusive to all forms
of education. Education theorist R. S. Peters, for instance,
outlines three essential
features of education:
It is concerned with the transmission of knowledge and
understanding. This transmission is worthwhile. It is done in a
morally appropriate manner in tune with the student's
interests. Such precise definitions often succeed at
characterizing the most typical forms of education. But they
are criticized because there are counterexamples. This
problem can be avoided by offering less precise definitions
based on family resemblance. This means that all the forms of
education are similar to each other. But they need not share a
set of essential features that all of them have in common.
According to one view, the term "education" is context-
dependent. This implies that its meaning varies depending on
the situation in which it is used.
Types
There are many classifications of education. It depends on the
institutional framework whether education is formal, non-
formal, or informal. Levels of education are distinguished
based on factors like the student's age and the complexity of
the content. Some classifications focus on the learner or the
topic. Others rely on the teaching method, the medium used,
or the funding.
Formal, non-formal, and informal
Tutoring is an example of non-formal education, while learning
how to cook from one's parents belongs to informal education.
The most common division is between formal, non-formal, and
informal education. Formal education happens in a complex
institutional framework. Such frameworks have a
chronological and hierarchical order: the modern schooling
system has classes based on the student's age and progress,
extending all the way from primary school to university.
Formal education is usually controlled and guided by the
government. It tends to be compulsory up to a certain age.
Non-formal and informal education take place outside the
formal schooling system. Non-formal education is a middle
ground. Like formal education, it is organized, systematic, and
carried out with a clear purpose in mind. Examples are
tutoring, fitness classes, and the scouting movement. Informal
education happens in an unsystematic way through daily
experiences and exposure to the environment. Unlike formal
and non-formal education, there is usually no designated
authority figure responsible for teaching. Informal education is
present in many settings. It happens throughout one's life,
mostly in a spontaneous way. This is how children learn their
mother tongue from their parents or how people learn to
prepare a dish by cooking together. Some theorists
distinguish the three types based on the location of learning.
Formal education takes place in school. Informal education
occurs in places of everyday routines. Non-formal education
happens in places that are occasionally visited. There are also
differences in the source of motivation. Formal education
tends to be driven by extrinsic motivation for external rewards.
Non-formal and informal education are closely linked to
intrinsic motivation because the learning itself is enjoyed. The
distinction between the three types is normally clear for the
typical cases. However, some forms of education do not easily
fall into one category. Formal education plays a central role in
modern civilization. But in primitive cultures, most of the
education happened on the informal level. This usually meant
that there is no distinction between activities focused on
education and other activities. Instead, the whole environment
acted as a form of school and most adults acted as teachers.
However, informal education is often not efficient enough to
pass on large quantities of knowledge. To do so, a formal
setting and well-trained teachers are usually required. This
was one of the reasons why in the course of history, formal
education became more and more important. In this process,
the experience of education became more abstract and
removed from daily life.