Session Information
14 SES 01 B, Reflexive Citizenship and Political Identities.
Paper Session
Contribution
The promotion of reflexive citizens should not only concern promoting knowledge and understanding about citizenship processes and fostering involvement in opportunities to exercise rights and duties (Benedicto & Morán, 2002; Teixeira & Menezes, 2005), but also analyzing the significations and understanding that young citizens, as key actors, have about their roles in the society and the impact that their opinions have in social and political transformations (Emler & Frazer, 1999; Biesta & Lawy, 2006).
Citizens’ participation in decision-making implies access to resources and the mobilization of individual cognitive and social skills. Learning about the rights and duties of citizens, respecting democratic values and human rights and participating in a democratic society should be a mean of preparing children and young people to become responsible and active citizens (Eurydice, 2005).
Participation, taken as an expression, an act of politics, is not a natural competence in humans; it represents a learned skill and it is necessary to create opportunities for children to develop this competence (Gomes, 2003). The process of participation involves having a voice and this implies enhancing the visibility and audibility of the individual child when she is actively involved in different activities in her life contexts.
Many studies in political socialization (Ichilov, Torney-Purta) refer to the relevance of school, family, political interest and frequent participation in voluntary associations for civic culture. In the school context, some authors argue that it is important to change the pupil´s social relationships within the school (Correia, 2001), a task that involves the recognition of children and young people as political actors in their own right and schools as democratic spaces (Puig-Rovira, 2000; Stoer, 1994).
Adelson (1968) refers, in a reflection about adolescent perspectives on law and government, that adolescence is marked by a rapid growth in the comprehension of political ideas. Twenty years later, Berti in 1988, conducted one study with Italian children from 6-15 years old, based in a modified version of the story proposed by Adelson & O’Neil in 1966. The results point out that there is an increase in political skills between 6-15 years old, relating this with cognitive developmental skills: while young children seem to be unaware of conflicts, need for organization, and the function of laws, the 14/15 years old adolescents refer to collective needs and political organization as basic foundations of any society.
More recently Lister et al. (2003), define five models that emerge while studying young people (16/23 years old) and try to understand how young people perceive citizenship and their own transitions as citizens: universal status, respectable economic independence, constructive social participation, social-contractual and right to a voice.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
ADELSON, J., O’NEIL, R. (1966). The growth of political ideias in adolescence: the sense of community. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1966, vol.4, 295-306. BERTI, A. (1988). The development of Political Understanding in Children Between 6-15 Years Old. Human Relations, 1988, vol. 41, nº 6, 437-446. BENEDICTO, J. & MORÁN, M. L. (2002). La construcción de una ciudadania active entre los jóvenes. Ministerio de Trabajo y Assuntos Sociales, Injuve 2002. BIESTA, G. LAWY, R., (2006). From teaching citizenship to learning democracy: overcoming individualism in research, policy and practice. Cambridge Journal of Education, 2006, vol. 36, nº 1, 63-79. CORREIA, J. (2001). A construção científica do político em educação. Educação, Sociedade & Culturas, 2008, nº 15, 19-43. EMLER, N., FRAZER, E. (1999). Politics: the education effect. Oxford Review of Education, 1999, vol. 25, nºs 1 e 2. EURYDICE, (2005). A educação para a cidadania nas escolas da Europa. http://www.eurydice.org. GOMES, L. (2003). Cidadania e Curriculo – fazeres e dizeres de crianças do 1º ciclo de ensino básico. Tese de mestrado. Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto. LISTER, R. (2007). Inclusive Citizenship: realizing the potential. Citizenship Studies, 2007, vol. 11, nº 1, 49-61. LISTER, R., SMITH, N., MIDDLETON, S., COX, L. (2003). Young People Talk about Citizenship: Empirical Perspectives on Theoretical and Political Debates. Citizenship Studies, 2007, vol. 11, nº 1, 49-61 MENEZES, I., MENDES, M., FERREIRA, C., MARQUES, G., MONTEIRO, C., GIÃO, J., AFONSO, R., AMARO, G. (2003). The impact of school education, family, cultural background and political attitudes and experiences in civic knowledge. Journal of Social Science Education, 2003. STOER, S. (2006). Novas formas de cidadania, a construção europeia e a reconfiguração da universidade. Educação, Sociedade & Culturas, 2008, nº 26, 219-238 TEIXEIRA, P., MENEZES, I. (2005). Learning climate in higher education: implications for citizenship education. The affective dimension of education: European perspectives, Edição 2005.
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