Social problems and pathological facts in education have not been emphasized within the field of “pathology in education” or “social pathology”. Some remarkable research results, however, have been achieved in each area of studies such as delinquency and crime, admission system, over-enrollment, and the like. This article tries to explore the methodology in the research on social problems and pathological facts in education within the frame of “pathology in education”. Specifically, conceptualization, establishment of analytical framework, and formulation of typology are taken into account in this article.
(1) Conceptualization. Although the concepts of disorganization, deviance, and anomy have been often used to conceptualize the pathological problem, it seems appropriate to employ the concept of functional disorder-dysfunctioning, partial functioning, or inefficient functioning-for pathology in education because education is a primary social function.
(2) Establishment of Analytical Framework. In the pathological process, it seems reasonable to establish the three phases: antecedent facts, pathological facts in a narrow sense, and consequent facts. The concepts of tension, anomy, and strain can be employed for the analysis of antecedent facts, the concept of function to analyze the pathological facts, and the concepts of deviance, abnormality, and disorganization for the analysis of consequent facts.
(3) Formulation of Typology. For the formulation of typology, it is required to clarify the criteria on which the diversity of typology depends. The criteria are to be determined by research purposes, conceptualization of facts, or verification techniques.
