Education for democratic citizenship in Malawian secondary schools: balancing student voice and adult privilege

In countries that embraced democracy after the fall of communism, education became a particular focus for policy change, particularly within their citizenship programmes. Schools that had been used to inculcate obedience to and unfailing support for authoritarian regimes were now being required to adopt citizenship programmes incorporating democratic values. This paper reports a study in Malawi that explored the school as a location where democratic citizenship is practiced. Using a multiple case study approach in three different kinds of secondary schools to explore students’ participation in school affairs, the study found that different forms of participation were being encouraged, with each school apparently socialising students to distinctive kinds of citizenship roles. The paper highlights a conflict between democratic values and traditional roles of schools leading to new and hybrid school cultures. Providing scope for student voice to be heard can lead to tensions and paradoxical practices.     

Diversity and intergroup contact in higher education: exploring possibilities for democratization through social justice education

This study contributes to research linking diversity and higher education teaching to democratic learning outcomes. It explores processes and outcomes associated with the intergroup contact of Black and White students enrolled in two sections of a diversity education course at a public university in the southeastern United States. The goals of this study were: (1) to explore the intergroup dynamics that emerged when students interacted in both sections of the course; and (2) to identify student support for intergroup cooperation as a result of their experiences in the course. While one section of the course experienced a high degree of intergroup conflict, students in both sections reported support for intergroup cooperation at the end of the course.     

Dutch adolescents’ narratives about democracy: ‘I know what democracy means,but not what it means to me’

In the last decade, educational scholars have studied various aspects of adolescents’ citizenship narratives. This paper reports on a qualitative study into the narratives about democracy of 27 adolescents from an urban area in the Netherlands. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the type of democratic engagement that Dutch adolescents develop. Fourteen vocational and 13 pre-university students were selected. Each student was interviewed twice. Narrative thematic data analysis revealed that only five students had developed a strong conception of democracy. Our findings suggest that few students had spent time developing and challenging their narratives about democracy, and that few students have developed a greater sense of democratic engagement. Our paper concludes with several suggestions for furthering the study and practice of democratic citizenship education.     

Agonistic democracy and passionate professional development in teacher-leaders

Politicians and policy-makers in education routinely proclaim the centrality of schools and teachers in sustaining and consolidating democracy and democratic society. This article offers an account of teachers engaged in research in their schools and classrooms, with peers and students, so as to highlight the democratic potential of this engagement. In order to do so, it draws on an agonistic account of democracy that is distinct from more familiar liberal or procedural versions. Such an account is characterised by an emphasis on the values of constitutive pluralism, robust contestation and enduring tragedy, where the latter entails recognition of the ineliminable nature of (political) conflict and the inevitability of loss in human life. The teachers involved in this research demonstrated capacities which, it is argued, reflect an agonistic democratic ethos, including: developing the confidence to assume intellectual leadership by asking questions and eliciting and engaging plural perspectives in relation to these questions; engagement in the cut and thrust of research without the expectation of finding any final or perfect solutions; and an acceptance of difference and disagreement as constitutive and constructive elements in rethinking areas of policy and practice. Developing and encouraging these capacities, it is argued, is important in an increasingly authoritarian policy context that threatens the vital links between democracy and education highlighted by Dewey a century ago.     

'Moral Democratic Education and Homosexuality: Censoring morality' by John Petrovic: A rejoinder

This article takes issue with certain aspects of the argument put forward by John Petrovic in a recent issue of the Journal of Moral Education : that adherence to principles of democracy requires not only the positive portrayal of homosexuality in schools but also precludes teachers from expressing their beliefs against it. It is argued that certain of Petrovic's appeals to democracy are somewhat rhetorical, and that his fuller characterisation of moral democratic education leaves him open to charges of inconsistency. The second part of the article develops what the author considers to be a more appropriate defence of the view that common schools should indeed present homosexuality as a morally acceptable way of life that some of their students may one day elect to lead, but which argues that there needs also to be within schools (and within the curriculum) full and open debate with those whose competing comprehensive theories of the good life lead them to regard homosexual behaviour as repugnant or even sinful.     

‘It is like putting fire in the children’s hands’: a comparative case study of pre-service teachers’ knowledge of and beliefs about education for democracy in an established and emerging post-conflict democracy

This report documents and compares two cases of pre-service elementary teachers’ beliefs about democracy and education for democracy in the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina along with contextual factors influencing the similarities and differences among these beliefs. Findings suggest that US pre-service elementary teachers have a self-proclaimed lack of knowledge about democracy and primarily view citizenship education as a means to teach children how to get along. Conversely, Bosnian pre-service teachers hold more nuanced views of democracy and education for democracy, formed while their country transitioned from socialism towards democracy following a devastating civil war. Consequently, they focus on teaching children the skills and dispositions necessary for successful democratic citizenship to preserve their country. These divergent understandings of democracy within the two cases may hold potential benefits to teachers in both emergent and established democracies. Implications of these and other findings are discussed, as well as potential future research.     

Reflections on religious nationalism,conflict and schooling in developing democracies: India and Israel in comparative perspective

This article explores the relationship between the propagation of religious nationalist citizenship discourses in classrooms and inter‐religious conflict in the context of two developing democracies, India and Israel. The author concludes that students schooled in religious nationalist ideology in developing nations are at greater risk of accepting exclusionary citizenship discourses without adequate critical analyses of their implications due to poor nations' tendencies toward teacher‐centred and textbook‐based instruction that neglects the development of critical thinking faculties. The acceptance of these ideologies appears to be correlated with an increase in inter‐religious conflict, social destabilization and the subversion of democracy. The corruption of democratic ideals by religiously motivated citizenship discourses has however been partially offset by the power of the vote and other structures inherent in democracy.     

Robust hope,democracy and early childhood education

This paper discusses a recent Australian study of boys' education using case studies to determine successful practices. It focuses on an early childhood site where access to ‘discourses of power’ for students and parents and a valuing of students' ‘action knowledge’ created a particular democratic culture achieving improved outcomes for boys. The data are drawn from focus groups with families, interviews with educators, conversations with children and on‐site observations over two days. The findings are discussed in terms of those factors deriving from Henry Giroux's work on democracy and hope. In addition, we build on the work of Giroux by discussing the site as an exemplar of what we have come to call ‘robust hope’.     

我国农村基层民主自治的法律演进、实践困境与路径选择

从农村基层民主发展的进程来看,我国村民自治经历了由"大民主"向"制度民主"演进的阶段,其中《中华人民共和国村民委员会组织法》扮演了重要角色。法律在完成重大修订后,扩大了农村基层民主自治的参与范围,进一步规范了村级民主选举、民主议事、民主管理和民主监督的程序。但基层民主建设毕竟是长期和系统的工程,我国村民自治之路仍存在村民参与内在动力不足、自治权与行政权冲突等问题,需要在主体定位、宏观政策、民主程序、制度保障等多方面形成路径合力,以确保农村基层民主建设稳步发展。     

From voting to engaging: promoting democratic values across an international school network

Using a mixed methods design, the researchers investigated understandings and practices of democracy across Round Square, a worldwide network of 180 schools committed to shared values. An extensive questionnaire received 4020 student and 863 teacher returns; additionally, leaders, students, and parents from five case study schools on different continents were interviewed. All stakeholder groups were found to value democracy highly, but saw its implementation in their schools as challenging and limited. While staff and parents espoused more holistic understandings of democratic practices and cultures, students focused primarily on systems of election and representation. A philosophically informed framework for developing ‘responsible leadership’, and a values-led approach to school improvement, are offered to deepen students’ democratic agency through informed, active, and reflective engagement with people, situations, and curricula.     

History,identity, and the school curriculum in Northern Ireland: an empirical study of secondary students' ideas and perspectives

This study reports results of an empirical investigation of secondary students' conceptions of history and identity in Northern Ireland. Interviews with 253 students from a variety of backgrounds indicate that they initially identify with a wide range of historical themes, but that these identifications narrow as they study the required national curriculum during the first 3 years of secondary school. Often, they draw selectively from the formal curriculum in order to support their developing identification with the history of their own political/religious communities. This process is most apparent among boys, at predominantly Protestant schools, and in schools located in areas of conflict. These findings suggest that to address history's role in ongoing community conflict, educators may need to challenge more directly the beliefs and assumptions held by students of varied backgrounds, as well as to provide a clearer alternative to the partisan histories encountered elsewhere.     

和谐社会视野中学生民主素养的培育

调查表明,日常生活中普通人滥用权力的现象普遍存在,许多是“两面人”：一面是滥用权力的受害者,一面是滥用权力的害人者。这导致了社会中很多不和谐事件的发生。虽然这是由于部分公职人员权力滥用的示范与传递效应,但更多的是由于人们与部分公职人员一样,缺少民主意识所导致。民主是防止权力滥用的最根本方式。因此,改变这种状况,需要提高人们的民主意识,培养人们的民主精神和行使民主权利的能力,以监督自身和他人权力的运行。教育无疑在公民民主素养的培育方面起着重要作用。具体而言,提高学生的民主素养可通过以下途径来进行：通过讨论协商的办法实施道德教育;实行班级自治,在班干部选举中提高学生的民主意识与参与能力;建立和谐的师生关系等。     

Teachers' democratic and efficacy beliefs and styles of coping with behavioural problems of pupils with special needs

This study examines how teachers actually cope with behavioural problems of included students. In order to understand the impact of individual differences on teachers' coping strategies, the authors looked at the relationship between these strategies and teachers' democratic beliefs and self‐efficacy. Participants were 33 teachers in Israel, who teach inclusive classes (1st–3rd grade). Data were collected through classroom observations, teacher interviews and questionnaires. In the interviews, teachers reported that they preferred helpful strategies as a solution to behavioural problems; however, classroom observation revealed that teachers actually used more restrictive responses. These results indicated that there is a gap between teachers' hypothetical knowledge and their applications of this knowledge in authentic classroom situations. In addition, positive correlations were found between teachers' democratic beliefs, teacher efficacy and the use of helpful strategies in regard to different behavioural problems. Practical implications for teacher education are discussed.     

Democratic school leadership reforms in Kenya: cultural and historical challenges

In this article we discuss students’, teachers’ and school principals’ perceptions of democratic school leadership reforms in Kenya. The article is based on a study that was conducted in two phases. In phase one (conducted between September and December 2007), interviews were undertaken with 12 school principals in which understandings of democratic school leadership were explored. These data were then used to develop a rationale for selecting the case schools. The second phase (conducted between January and April 2008) was an in‐depth case study of two schools. The findings reveal that school principals have made efforts to inculcate democratic school leadership by involving teachers in decision making on school matters. The principals also allow students to participate in matters such as election of prefects and holding class and house meetings. However, most teachers and principals do not support what they referred to as ‘full democracy’ for students and instead prefer what they called ‘partial democracy’ based on historical and cultural factors.     

Type of education and civic and political attitudes

In addition to increasing cognitive skills and preparing students for the labour market, one of the core tasks of education is to prepare citizens for participation in democracy. Considering the ideal of democratic equality, it is important to know the degree to which civic outcomes of education are distributed equally. One feature of the education system that can lead to differential civic outcomes is tracking, that is, the sorting of students into different types of education. In this study, we examine the relationship between type of education (general/academic or vocational) and five attitudinal dimensions of civic and political engagement between the ages of 14 and 49 years in the Netherlands. By using panel data from the Netherlands Longitudinal Lifecourse Study (n = 5,312) and applying linear fixed effects models, we can observe the effect of a transition in the type of education on the within-person change in our outcome variables. The findings demonstrate that transitions in the type of education have little effect on intention to vote, trust in institutions or ethnic tolerance. However, students making transitions in general/academic education develop higher levels of interest in politics and generalised trust than do students in vocational education or people outside the education system. This point suggests that general/academic education fosters civic and political participation.     

Metaconceptually-enhanced simulation-based inquiry: effects on eighth grade students’ conceptual change and science epistemic beliefs

This study investigated the effects of metaconceptually-enhanced, simulation-based inquiry learning on eighth grade students’ conceptual change in science and their development of science epistemic beliefs. Two experimental groups studied the topics of motion and force using the same computer simulations but with different simulation guides: one enhanced with metaconceptual scaffolding, while the other was not. The findings led to the following conclusions: (a) metaconceptual scaffolding enhanced simulation-based learning by significantly reducing science misconceptions, but it was not as effective in changing students’ mental models which consisted of multiple interrelated key concepts; (b) students’ beliefs about the speed of learning and the construction of knowledge were strong predictors of conceptual change learning outcomes; (c) epistemologically more mature students did not benefit more from metaconceptual interventions than those with less mature beliefs; (d) further interventions are needed to promote the development of students’ science epistemic beliefs in inquiry learning.     

教育民主的主体间性本质和方式

不同信仰和追求对民主的理解有很大差别,甚至完全相反。一种信仰追求的民主在另一种信仰看来很可能是虚假的甚至是专制的。但不同民主在追求平等、自由、自主等方面则是一致的,而民主与主体间性又有密切联系,它们追求的目标和坚持的原则具有高度的一致性。教育民主是运用民主方式提高民主素质的教育。师生主体间的自我确认、自由自主、平等交往、主动对话、相互理解、共同发展等教育方式也就是民主教育的方式。     

社会冲突与制度调适

社会冲突是社会的常态,关键是要实施有效管理。社会冲突的管理失败,会导致严重的社会暴力冲突。而社会冲突管理的成败,从根本上来说取决于政治制度的是否民主。只有民主制度才能减少并及时疏导社会冲突,预防社会暴力冲突。要预防社会暴力冲突,要有效管理社会冲突,需要探索合理的民主制度。在中国,扩大党内民主,完善人民民主,探索行政民主,都是需要思考的方向。     

Children's self‐regulated learning profile in language and mathematics: The role of task value beliefs

This study explored the self‐regulated learning (SRL) profile of upper elementary (fifth and sixth grade) school children who were differentiated in their task value beliefs (low and high) in language and mathematics. Students' SRL profile involved their teachers' ratings of achievement outcomes and SRL behaviors. The subscale of task value beliefs from the Motivational Self‐Regulated Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) was administered to the children, and their teachers completed a battery of scales and measurements concerning students' achievement and SRL behaviors. The results confirm previous evidence indicating that SRL involves high levels of motivation, metacognition, and strategic action. Furthermore, the results support the domain‐specific character of task value beliefs. Differences in teachers' evaluations about the achievement outcomes and SRL behaviors regarding the two groups of students (low and high in task value beliefs) were found significant mostly in the domain of mathematics. Students with high value beliefs in mathematics were described as more cognitively, metacognitively, and motivationally competent learners as compared to students with lower value beliefs. The results suggest that future intervention studies should focus on strengthening task value beliefs in “threatening” school subjects, such as mathematics, from the elementary school years. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Ethnicity and education for democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article reviews recent global political changes and describes how they have helped to recreate interest in a democratic agenda in Africa. In the past, two of the major obstacles to democracy in post-independence Africa have been ethnic conflict and the resulting authoritarian political systems. However, there have been exceptions to this and neither authoritarianism nor democracy have become fully institutionalised. If, in the future, democratic political institutions in Africa are going to be sustained by a supportive political culture, then schools will have to consciously educate for democracy rather than support authoritarianism as they tend to do at the moment. In particular they will need to educate for ethnic tolerance and mutual respect and this will require changes both in classroom and whole school organisation.