There is a growing concern about the lack of political interest and engagement among Western youth. This has led to a revival of political socialization studies. One recent finding is that (late) adolescence is key to understanding the development of interest for politics. This study builds on this finding by examining political interest among…

Starting from a political socialization perspective, this study examined the development of political participation during adolescence and early adulthood. We explore the effect of parents, peers, school media, and voluntary associations on political participation. Self-reported data were collected from 3,025 Belgian adolescents at three points in…

The present article deals with the crucial question: Can peace education facilitate change in the sociopsychological infrastructure that feeds continued intractable conflict and then how the change can be carried? Intractable conflicts still rage in various parts of the globe, and they not only cause local misery and suffering but also threaten…

In this article, the authors review the state of civic education in schools. They point out that students typically "take only one semester-long course on American government"--unlike the situation in the 1960s, when it was common "for students to take multiple courses in civics covering not only the structure of American government, but also the…

This article argues that the field of education and conflict is, in many ways, "stuck in its emergence" because it has yet to develop common theoretical understandings, useful analytical tools, and shared conceptual frameworks to unify and sustain a mutual endeavour by scholars working on a diverse range of topics and cases. In a…

Several studies indicate that adolescents in the United States think about political issues that have relevance to their lives in ways that differ from their thinking about issues that do not have such relevance. Proposes (1) a model of moral or social reasoning; and (2) two categories of reasoning: instrumental and symbolic. (BC)

This study incorporates the perspective of deliberative democracy in proposing a framework for evaluating relationships between civic education and political development. Findings support a conception of deliberative learning as a process in which interactive curricula result in the diffusion of discursive inclinations to families and peer groups.…

Proposes that educators abandon the Educational Psychology Paradigm which regards human behavior as phenomena without purpose and explore the Social Paradigm which studies people as human beings. Four basic features of the Social Paradigm are explored and, their meaning for an ethical approach to an educator's professional life are appraised. (RM)

The 19th-century emergence of a centralized, state-controlled school system helped stabilize government and legitimize a state model during a revolutionary period in French history. The centralized model assisted national integration goals by fabricating a symbolic public space. This ambitious political construction may be coming apart. (Contains…

Tests a model which relates student political attitudes to the degree of participation in extracurricular activities. Subjects were 3,087 high school students. Findings showed that political attitudes are predictors of participation in the political arena in high schools. (AM)

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)

The university is seen as a major political socialization environment that engenders feelings of academic disaffection among students. A study, based on a survey of students enrolled at three midwestern universities in 1974, investigates the antecedents and consequences of felt academic disaffection for students. (Author/MLW)

The theoretical framework proposed here treats political alienation as a normal outcome of the incompatability between egalitarian goals and social inequalities in democratic systems. The framework is applied to the role of education in the United States, a stable democracy, and in West Germany, an emergent democracy. (Author/SJL)

Proposes an interactive model of political development that predicts that socialization effects of communication will be moderated by age, such that younger children will be influenced less than older children by the same communication source. Test the model on 290 children in grades 5 through 12. Finds strong support for the model. Discusses…

Supports the argument that social values have an impact on family environment, determining the political information and communication activity the child is exposed to and shaping parent-child relations. (PD)