Teachers play a crucial role in the political socialization of adolescents. Using Q-Methodology, we explored high school teachers' conceptions of good citizenship in post-genocide Rwanda. Teachers ranked 50 statements, describing a 'good citizen', on a 9-column grid, anchored by 'least important citizenship behaviour' and 'most important…

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…

This article examines recent UK government policy and proposals relating to immigration and citizenship, and the ways in which these policies are presented as means of securing allegiance and integration. From 1997, the incoming Labour government emphasized the importance of informed, active citizenship and social justice. From 2001, the emphasis…

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…

Reviews the 1984 book of Bernard Semmel, "John Stuart Mill and the Pursuit of Virtue." (JDH)

Reviews Alvin Moore Jr.'s 1983 translation of Tage Lindbom's "The Tares and the Good Grain." (JDH)

Meanings of "citizenship," a concept that has informed teaching practices since nation-states first institutionalized schooling, are shaped over time and through cultural struggles. This article presents a conceptual framework for the discourses that currently construct the meanings of citizenship in contemporary Western cultures,…

Implying that the school is not hospitable to open inquiry, the findings of this study suggest that some of the difficulties that confront attempts to implement a curriculum based on "the new social studies," particularly with respect to nationalistic instruction. (JH)

Discusses how President Clinton's view of citizenship is flawed, leading to his attempt to recast big-government programs, such as AmeriCorps, as instruments of individual and community empowerment. The debate over school lunch funding is offered as an example of Clinton's refusal to turn over power, responsibility, and resources to local control.…

Schools fail to provide understanding and skill in the process of social scientific inquiry and the ability to analyze political decisions and values, and fail to develop within students an understanding of the capacities and skills needed to participate effectively and democratically in politics. To remedy some of these weaknesses, the movement…

Questions considered are: What are the modal political beliefs and attitudes of junior high school students? What are their capabilities for political learning and what suggestions for improving instruction can be derived from studies of their political learning? (Author/VW)

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…

A number of third-grade social studies texts were analyzed with regard to six categories: civic orientations, benefits received, value words, symbolic references, authority figures and hero images. The political world...presented in these textbooks is one in which authority is benevolent and social conflict is minimal. (Author)

This paper proposes that research and scholarship regarding nationalistic education be encouraged in order to increase our understanding of this form of values education. Nationalistic education, defined as those educational activities designed to develop a belief in national values, usually incorporates three dimensions: (1) development of…

The goal of civic education, as discussed in this paper, is responsible political activism. Although the word activism tends to conjure a negative image of a revolutionary student body for some, the term is used here to express active participation in the decision making process, respect for others' opinions, and upholding one's beliefs. In this…