Individuals are typically identified as gifted largely on the basis of competence in limited contexts, but their performance in the real world, both as children and adults, often lags far behind their competence. Thus, the identification of the individuals as "gifted," however useful in theory, is much less useful in practice. This…

The focus within the European tradition of democratic education has increasingly been on personal traits or character traits, values, and skills, rather than on broad structural features or systemic issues. This is reflected in a recent publication by the Council of Europe titled "Competences for Democratic Culture: Living Together as Equals…

Inspired by the Studies on authoritarian personality and based on contemporary research on authoritarianism in Brazil, we will analyze the construction of the idol aura surrounding former president Bolsonaro, which allowed the far right to be elected and remain in power until the last elections in 2022. We see his rise as mostly due to the digital…

Purpose: Faced with increasing systemic constraints and pressures, secondary school English teachers often implement transactional approaches to pedagogy and curriculum aimed at improving student results on external exams, which are then used to rank schools. Despite the pressure to teach this way, teachers acknowledge the power of literature,…

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between democratic classroom management attitudes of teachers and critical thinking dispositions of students. The study group consisted of 530 students from public high schools located in Altindag district of the province of Ankara. The data was collected with the use of "Democratic Classroom…

Research on the opinions of Russian and French college students reflect different national views as to the qualitity of personality that are necessary for the head of a modern state. (Contains 1 table and 3 notes.)

This paper presents a theoretical argument for the introduction of Philosophy for Children (P4C) in schools for the realization of quality education in Africa. While I acknowledge that there is a multiple range of attributes of quality education, I isolate open-mindedness as a value that strives to prepare learners to engage in inquiry and equip…

This report examines the short-term effects of the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) on students' non-cognitive skills and civic values. While a growing number of studies have evaluated K-12 school voucher programs along academic dimensions, few have focused on the development of non-cognitive skills and civic values. This study aims to address…

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.,…

Written by a prominent array of scholars and practitioners, this book elucidates the complexities, contradictions, and confusion surrounding adolescence in American culture and education. For too long, harmful public myths and lies have portrayed teenagers as a principal cause of our nation's social ills. Similar unfair charges have been lodged…

Analysis of a questionnaire administered to 168 Jamaican college students reveals that they seem to reflect a societal profile of high authoritarianism. Respondents who do not share this antidemocratic personality perspective exhibit an attitude of powerlessness and alienation, yearn for societal change, and adopt a higher level of…

A seventh-grade teacher's get-acquainted exercise (involving desirable character traits) led to signing a class constitution that governed rules of conduct for both teachers and students. While involved in this democratic process, children gained practice in creating the kind of culture in which they wished to live. (MLH)

When considering democratic education, educators talk about teaching the "whole child," creating caring classrooms, building communities of learning where every student has access to knowledge, and teaching students how to be active citizens (Goodlad and Keating 1994; Noddings 2002; Apple 1993). These are not practices that are done…

Examines human qualities that undergird citizens' commitment to the common good in diverse societies, suggesting that community service fosters such qualities. Planned interactions across social barriers are necessary to develop qualities of citizenship for pluralistic nations. (SM)

An assessment of a four-stage conceptual model reveals that critical thinking has indirect positive effects on political participation through its direct effects on personal control, political efficacy, and democratic attitudes. The model establishes causal relationships among selected personality variables (self-esteem, personal control, and…