Questions the extent to which citizen participation at the local level is purposive (as opposed to supportive). Participation in activities related to local schools is used as an example of a type of activity which is generally supportive. Relevant participation literature is reviewed. (Author/DB)

Michael Oakeshott, an English political philosopher, wrote extensively about education and how people learn political skills. Much of what he wrote may have interesting implications for instructional systems design. This paper is an explication of two aspects of Oakeshott's writings. The first deals with the nature of knowledge and its…

This paper reviews the book "Sociology of Education" (Browne and Foster, editors). The paper begins with the observation that the study of the sociology of education is an important part of teacher training, but is often forgotten after graduation in the first year of classroom experience. Problems which impede the incorporation of educational…

Examines teacher education policy development in China in light of changes in China's political and social goals following the death of Mao Tse-tung in 1976. China's most important current goal is to become a modernized nation by the year 2000. Challenges and opportunities of teacher education with regard to this goal are discussed. (DB)

Despite obvious and fundamental differences, contemporary library issues strikingly familiar to those of the west also beset the Soviet library world--issues that so far have been bridged in only technical apolitical areas. Governmental insistence on the centrality of ideology to library service remains an international stumbling block.…

Both a classification of the relatively new standards-setting consortia and a theoretical basis for their emergence are developed. It is noted that the theory is based on the confluence of political theory and the theory of markets, and the implications of these consortia for the standards-setting process are considered from theoretical and…

Reviews the articles appearing in this issue. Points out the relationship between justice and tolerance for minority groups and citizenship education. Cautions against government use of education to discourage critical reflection on societal issues. (CFR)

Four books, published 1997-99, draw on diverse disciplines in 18 countries to examine the meaning of civic identity and the contributions of formal and informal institutions to it during late childhood and adolescence. The books move beyond a narrow view of outcomes and inputs of political socialization to encompass activist social movements and…

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, legal and sociopolitical sectors began to view children as a social group of their own, and European countries passed laws for the protection of children and introduced compulsory school attendance. This paper asserts that measures like these led to a far-reaching new definition of childhood on a…

Relying upon the conceptual constructs from international relations, politics, and sociology, this study analyzes education policy and political socialization processes in the developing multiethnic/national societies with specific reference to Pakistan. The paper descriptively analyzes Pakistan social studies curriculum as an instrument of…

Children and youth in rural American communities generally learn social studies/citizenship knowledge, skills, and attitudes from a variety of sources and to about the same extent as their nonrural counterparts. Although rural schools as a class are well within the educational mainstream, learning opportunities in rural schools vary widely. (BRR)

The theory and practice of political science and social studies instruction should be reformulated and reassessed in the light of political socialization studies, particularly with respect to designing curricula and selecting textbooks, planning instructional strategies, and structuring school climates and political systems. (RM)

Assesses the role of the larger social system in determining policies and objectives of the educational system in the United States, Great Britain, and West Germany. Emphasizes the role of social/political education in trying to relate to recent economic trends such as the economic boom of the 1950s and 1960s and the economic crisis of the 1970s.…

Reviews research on children's knowledge of politics. Covers research on authority figures, national symbols, national identity and geographic location, international politics, and peace and war. Three theoretical frameworks for understanding children's political thinking are discussed. Lists 39 references. (RJC)

Highlights ideas of Paulo Freire that are relevant to the meaning of democratic teaching. Freire believes that the traditional curriculum leads teachers and students to conform, and he advocates "conscientization" or a democratic approach to teaching in which the learner actively participates in understanding and defining the personal…