Why educational sociology was formed in Europe and why the discipline system was established in the United States can be found in the development of western pedagogy. On the basis of western European theory, American sociology of education was established rapidly. Early American sociology of education mainly involved the social function of education and the application of sociological methods in education. The 1930s and 1940s witnessed the vigorous development of American educational sociology. Educational sociologists have written books and published a large number of monographs. After the Second World War, the research on this subject has been more in-depth in all aspects of education.

Sociology of education is a marginal discipline that rose in the west in the 20th century, and it is the product of the application of sociology of science to education. Through the investigation of the purpose and process of education, we can explain the necessity of this applied discipline: the purpose of education is to cultivate "socialized" people and promote social progress; The educational process is actually a form of social communication. The ideological roots of western sociology of education can be traced back to philosophy, pedagogy and sociology in Europe before the 20th century, but sociologists Deheim, Weber and Mannheim had the greatest influence at the beginning of this century. Traditional sociology in western Europe believes that education is an organic part of society, which socialized the educated and played an important role in the existence and development of society.

Sociology of education is a discipline based on social science, which studies educational phenomena, educational problems and their relationship with society. It is an important branch of educational science.