Findings suggest that many of the primary conceptions about foreign affairs are formed early in life and, for the most part, persist. (Author)

Presents a review of the burgeoning field of Canadian political socialization research as it applies to children and youth, and considers some implications of recent findings for the Canadian studies curriculum. (Editor)

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)

Discusses five generalizations based on political education correlational research and assesses their implications for teachers of citizenship education. Conclusions include: l) knowledge can be influenced more directly than attitudes, 2) the quality of civics instruction is critical in shaping attitudes, and 3) a more realistic picture of…

Research exploring political awareness and attitudes toward the structure of political and social authority in the United States among elementary school students is provided. (DE)

Presents study results exploring the potential of a civics curriculum in developing a willingness to acknowledge the civil liberties of unpopular groups. Includes an overview of research on political tolerance and literature focusing on the shortcomings of traditional civics curricula. Argues that adolescence is an ideal period for teaching issues…

In comparison with an introductory psychology course, an introductory economics course tends to make students more conservative. (DE)

Designed to investigate the political orientation of Black children and, further, to use the findings for determining the need for appropriate political education programs, this study describes the political attitudes of 707 Black elementary school children (283 rural and 404 urban) from Northern Florida. Through questionnaires, and follow-up…

A growing number of educational programs seek to promote young people's participation in political and civic affairs. A common strategy for doing so is to provide students with opportunities to make a difference in their communities. Much research demonstrates a strong connection between a person's sense about making a difference efficacy and the…

Student attitudes and the educational consequences of the introduction of controversial course materials into the social studies curriculum are explored. (Author/DE)

Original survey data dealing with the attitudes about international relations of secondary students in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, area are analyzed. Student opinions were measured in three areas: (1) international interest, knowledge, and information sources; (2) international conflict and the balance of power; and (3) international…

The initial evaluation of an elementary school international relations simulation indicates that the simulation had most impact on participant beliefs. (DE)

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an introductory college psychology course on student attitudes, specifically social liberalism. A 30-item true/false test instrument, developed at Michigan State University and purported to measure student attitudes on a dimension of liberalism-conservatism, was used in the studies. Data…

The author uses a national sample of high school seniors and utilizes the school as the unit of analysis to study the effects of family background and school characteristics on political orientation. The results indicated parental education to be the most consistent predictor. (DE)