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…

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.…

Notes that previous research has shown that ordinary citizens are generally incapable of acting on the basis of beliefs about policy. It is suggested that the linkage between beliefs and attitudes can only be understood by looking at the purposes pursued by political activity. If political activity is viewed as serving symbolic ends, it is argued…

An investigation of a cognitive-perceptual model to measure adolescents' feelings of political alienation is reported. The model hypothesizes that fundamental to the political alienation process is a feared actual or potential loss of freedom; this process is called psychological reactance. The sample consisted of 460 senior high school students…

Suggests that while the availability of television in a community affects the dissemination of political information, it is family politicization that is at the root of the causal chain to political interest, media use, and political information. (TO)

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)

The effectiveness of sex research models which measure adolescents' feelings of political alienation is investigated and discussed and a new model is formulated. The six models include life dissatisfaction, personal depreciation, critical perceptions of political reality, irrational beliefs, perceptions of political threat, and cognitive…

This paper reviews trends in political education in China and examines implications of the new market emphasis on political education in institutions of higher education. Trends toward increased academic openness and cross fertilization among academic fields after the Cultural Revolution are identified. Reforms during this period are seen to have…

Two waves of telephone interviews with a sample of 141 voters were used in a study of political communication effects during the 1974 congressional election in the Illinois 24th Congressional District. Seven variables specified by the combined-effects model were derived from the interviews and factor analyzed. Two factors were found and…

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)

In post-Communist Russia, schools have become the site where a new culture and morality will be formed. With the collapse of the rigidly controlled Russian school system, a new paradigm must be created to guide education. To many, a political and ethical void exists in Russian schools. Until 1988, schools in the Soviet Union operated under a…

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)

Asserts that the role of biologically transmitted individual differences needs to be explored fully, examines the assumptions underlying the emphasis on childhood in empirical research, and examines the nature, persistance and later impact of two sorts of orientations which may be acquired in childhood, political attitudes and party…

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…