Language, Ideological Norms and Education
Mehrdad Shahidi

Abstract
Focusing on the fundamental role of language in creating and developing ideas, beliefs and norms, the current paper revolved around the processes of emergence of ideological norms. Through five major assumptions, it was argued how commonalities and cohesion in beliefs may involve shared goals and intentionality to create hegemonic ideological norms. In addition to the role of collectivity and the mechanism of social normalization to establish the consistent ideological norms, it was demonstrated that educational system is a major context through which socially shared intergroup belief systems (ideological norms) develop. To create these norms, educational system functions through a four-stage process including performing, appraising, forming and norming. Finally, based on the power and the properties of language, it was argued that critical theories may help educational system, particularly in research, practice and evaluation areas, to modify hegemonic ideological norms.

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