Systems theory is not social critique Ð it is not idealistic in the sense that it
criticises, for example, the capitalist system in the way critical theory
would. Systems theory merely says there are different ways of looking at a
problem. It also emphasises that problems are very complex and that our
understanding of these problems is always incomplete.
Although systems theory does not set out to reform the world, its
questioning approach often reveals inconsistencies. It claims that social
reformers often take an overly simplistic approach to society and the
workings of society.
Any system is part of the wider world. The education system, for instance,
is a good example. It does not exist by itself; it takes place in a society.
Education and training are carried out within a certain social system, as
well as a particular education system. The purpose of education and
training is to change and improve individual students' own systems. What
makes it so difficult is that these systems always feed on each other and the
effect of this is impossible to predict. The learner's own system contains so
many possibilities that the education system cannot cater for all the needs
of any one student. Then the whole class still needs to be taken into
consideration and that makes it an almost impossible task. Furthermore,
training and education are carried out deliberately and one cannot predict
how a learner will react to the compulsory learning input. No amount of
good teaching guarantees any results.