Two political socialization issues were explored for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old youth. The first issue was the extent to which there is a general orientation among American youth toward tolerance. The second issue was the relationship of tolerance among youth to political knowledge and orientation to political participation. A major objective of the…

Information on assessment of citizenship achievement is presented in this report which compares 1970 first assessment results for the two sexes, four regions of the country, and four community sizes. Age groups assessed were 9, 13, 17, and 26 through 35 age group; geographical regions were Northeastern, Central, Western, and Southeastern; and…

A survey of student attitudes and knowledge vis a vis the American political system is presented. Student performance in the areas of social behavior, political attitudes, political knowledge, and political education is described for 13- and 17-year-olds for seven variables--geographical region, sex, race, parental education, size and type of…

The goal of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study has been to examine, in a comparative framework, the political socialization of adolescents as they prepare for their roles as citizens of democracies. Approximately 90,000 students from the modal grade for 14-year-olds from…

Discusses the ambiguous attitude toward literacy in ancient Athenian society. Asserts that few Athenian citizens could read, yet reading was regarded as intrinsic to democratic practices. Maintains that the democratic power of writing rests in the active, social interaction of citizens. (CFR)

Research on the impact of college on students is reviewed, focusing on how the college experience develops citizenship and participation in a democratic society. This includes studies on changes in students' political and social attitudes, attitudes toward gender roles, moral reasoning, and psychosocial dimensions relevant to citizenship (e.g.,…

Uses the journalists' tool of "who,""what,""when,""where," and "why" to examine the nature of Canadian citizenship. Notes, in particular, the tradition of a "loyal subject" to the crown. Although largely symbolic, this tradition has engendered a respect for and obedience to the law of the…

Although issued by the National Assessment program, this collection of interpretations of its citizenship findings does not necessarily reflect the views of the program. It is not the purpose of the program to interpret its own findings, but rather to encourage widespread examination of the assessment results through such efforts as this document.…

Discusses factors influencing development of political attitudes of Hausa primary and secondary students in Kano State, Nigeria. Describes influences from traditional socialization agencies and schools in terms of attitudes toward citizenship, authority, and political participation. Finds schooling's emphasis on bureaucracy contributes equally to…

Posits a skeptical critique of the early claims of increased and efficient citizen participation in government due to information technology. Recent experiments have been costly and only marginally successful. Further research suggests that advanced information technology will have little effect on voter apathy. (MJP)

Argues forcefully for increasing and improving citizenship education and civics in the public schools. Maintains that many individuals' disparaging of the political process rises from a lack of experience with assessing an argument on behalf of a political position. Fully documents young people's lack of political participation. (MJP)

Many young South Africans sacrificed their educational aspirations, even though limited, in pursuit of social and political goals. Reclaiming this generation that was lost to education so that they can be productive citizens in a democracy is discussed. Vocational training in particular is required. (SLD)

This ERIC Digest on teaching about the Bill of Rights in the schools examines the status, the deficiencies, and means to improve citizenship education. Currently, the Bill of Rights is taught at least four times during the elementary and secondary grades. Constitutional rights and liberties are stressed in K-12 curriculum goals for social studies…

The purpose of this paper is to use data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress to describe changes in performance within the subject area of social studies and citizenship education. The items from the citizenship and social studies national assessments illustrate that trends over time are not uniform within these subject areas. The…

The paper reviews literature dealing with children's social and political development and examines how changing orientations in child development research relate to citizenship education. The paper is intended for use by elementary school educators as they develop and implement citizenship education and law-related education programs. The paper is…