Public institutions of higher education are charged with "preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy" (American Association of State Colleges and Universities [AASCU] 2003, 1). Many institutions have fulfilled this mandate by becoming educational partners with Debate Watch, a program of the Commission on…

This study explores secondary social studies teachers' beliefs about the concept of citizenship. The development of citizenship in young people is an often-stated goal for schooling in the USA. The most prominent social studies professional organization, the National Council for the Social Studies, describes education for citizenship as the…

In this article we present insights from research which has sought to deepen understanding of the ways in which young people (aged 13-21) learn democratic citizenship through their participation in a range of different formal and informal practices and communities. Based on the research, we suggest that such understanding should focus on the…

We raise questions about young people's participation in light of findings from a project ("Democracy through Citizenship") funded by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Limited, and managed by the Institute for Citizenship. Following a six-month feasibility study the project took place over a three-year period in one local authority in the…

Asserts that the emphasis on explaining individual differences in political orientations among preadults accounts for "the disappointing contribution of political socialization research to political understanding." Argues that "possessing an explicit model of democratic citizenship would provide greater political meaning to empirical data."…

Civic education, democratic principles, peace and war are tangled together in many ways. When teachers teach children to be citizens, they inform them of processes and practices in which they can and should engage; they inform them of the relations they are to have with their state through its proper institutions; they teach them what they can…

A central aspect of education has always been the passing on of norms and values. This task is not fulfilled if pupils only learn the meaning of established norms and values. It is also about making pupils believe in them and to act according to them. Thus, teaching is also a kind of political socialization. The values taught change historically…

Proposes a definition of a culturally pluralistic democratic society and suggests that there can be no final reconciliation of ethnic identification and melting-pot pressures. Examines the role public education must play to enhance ethnic identity while promoting societal cohesion. (JDH)

Discusses Canadian national unity and the social studies curriculum. Suggests regarding Canada as a political whole composed of many cultures. A new K-12 social studies curriculum, which includes a comprehensive program in Canadian citizenship, is needed. The elementary, middle, and secondary students would study citizenship, Canadian political…

Investigated the influence of gender, ability, and grade level on the political attitudes of ninth and twelfth grade students. Among the conclusions were that low ability subjects are less likely to support fundamental freedoms and that females have greater respect for law and law officials. (GEA)

Subsidies to education are often justified by arguing that society derives political benefits from education in terms of individuals who perform better as citizens. Since these benefits are external to the student and therefore do not provide him with incentive to invest further in his education, society must devise a means of subsidy that will…

Nearly every college mission statement expresses the desire to educate students who not only have mastered a body of academic knowledge and skills but also will be responsible and engaged citizens. However, it is not clear how well colleges are achieving these traditional civic and democratic goals. The Carnegie Foundation conducted a 3-year study…

At the core of democratic citizenship is deliberation: citizens' tendency and capacity for debating issues of common importance. This study considers civic organizations--often found to be political mobilizers--as political microcultures: environments for political discourse that structure participants' understanding of the practice of…

Civic education and its call for social studies to prepare students for citizenship in a participatory democracy have been limited to the political domain and touted as participation with the already existing political domain. This paper is a reflection of how engaging with and challenging heterosexism, homophobia, and heteronormativity in a…

Eight papers focus on a variety of themes concerning the character of citizenship and the nature of education in modern society. For example, one paper explores the thesis that the traditional basic categories in which the requirements of citizenship have been conceived--ruling and authority, obedience and loyalty--have already broken down and…