Historically, education for active citizenship has not been a high priority in Finnish schools. In this discursive study of Finnish social studies textbooks for grades 4-6, we investigate how students are encouraged to practice active citizenship, where the focus of active citizenship lies, and how active citizenship is limited in antidemocratic…

This research intended to examine the effect of mindset, democratic parenting, democratic teaching, and school environment on global citizenship among 2,226 ninth-grade students and 80 social studies teachers from 80 classrooms in public schools. The research instruments included a student questionnaire to measure global citizenship, democratic…

The 2016 presidential campaign and its aftermath have underscored the extreme polarization of the electorate, the dismissal of people with opposing views, and the widespread acceptance and circulation of one-sided and factually erroneous information. In addition, only a small proportion of those who are eligible actually vote, and a declining…

The new Social Studies curriculum recently introduced in Alberta proposes to encourage students to affirm their place as citizens in a democratic society. Grounded in Biesta's (2007) argument that regardless of a Program of Studies' best stated goals and intentions, if a school is not structured democratically the chances of the program being…

Many have suggested that issues of democracy are fundamentally related to school curricula and contexts (Conant, 1948; Dewey, 1944; Dimitriadis and Carlson, 2003; West, 2004). Current social theorists have suggested that a globalized social, economic, and cultural structure has necessitated a rethinking of the relationships between individuals,…

This study examines teacher perceptions of academic freedom and how these perceptions relate to the teaching of controversial issues. By drawing on the literature of the field and recent research, we describe threats, challenges, and variables at work that have led to the decline of academic freedom. We then explore the imperative of academic…

Describes Lawton (Michigan) Elementary School's "Road to Success" program, which emerged from concern for students' knowledge of civics and ability to participate as effective citizens. Explains that an important aspect of the program is its focus on Core Democratic Values. (CMK)

Discusses the failure of schools to provide effective citizenship education, arguing that all teachers (not just social studies teachers) be citizenship educators, that the hidden curriculum be openly recognized, and that school climate provide settings in which students can experience concretely the meaning of democratic ideals. Calls for…

In recent years, political and social studies have been under revision in the individual states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Many states have issued framework guidelines for the various school branches and levels to provide teachers with orientation aids. Progressive educators see the goal of political and social studies as being more than…

This is an exploration of the discrepancy between expressed and enacted democratic beliefs using a written self-report questionnaire incorporating personality scales and indices, direct ideological questions, and projective questions to be answered narratively. High school students (n=412) of varying race and social class were studied in three…

Argues that social studies teacher educators verbally promote the concept of social studies as education for democratic citizenship but do not practice democracy in their classrooms. Contends that social studies teacher education programs should be considered as an apprenticeship in democracy. Acknowledges that this approach is not easy to…

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…

Urges a reframing of the social sciences curriculum in terms of the socioeconomic interests of the disadvantaged. Proposes a curriculum specifically designed to expose the ideological and political advantages enjoyed by the dominant culture. Includes specific activities to promote empowerment among the disadvantaged. (MJP)

The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of dimensions of trust and inter-relationships between those dimensions during the adolescent years. Drawing from survey data collected at the beginning and end of a semester in eighty middle- and high-school social studies classes, relationships were assessed between: social trust,…

The late 1970s can be characterized as an era of practical concerns in civic education. There is a trend toward useful applied learning which can be evaluated by the actions or skills it produces. Current civic education programs are similar to curriculum reform efforts of the 1930s in that they are committed to educating citizens to function…