Chinese higher education has achieved a remarkable expansion in recent years but few studies have examined the civic perceptions and civic participation of contemporary university students. This study aims to fill the gap in the existing literature by accomplishing four main goals: first, to investigate how students view citizenship, civic issues, and civil society; second, to examine how they participate in civic activities, both on and off campus; third, to understand how their civic attitudes and behaviours are being influenced by society, university and family, also by such factors as formal citizenship education curricula, informal educational experiences and the mass media; and fourth, to analyze the impact of higher education expansion on civil society in China. This study adopted a mixed methods approach, and combined findings from a large-scale national student survey across 12 universities and 34 face to face interviews conducted in 3 selected institutions among the 12 that were surveyed. The conceptual framework drew upon social capital theory and both ecological and cognitive psychological theories to generate two analytic frameworks for analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data. The major findings were: (1) university students demonstrated strong patriotism, and a serious commitment to social justice and civic participation, which was partly the result of the distinctive form of citizenship education they received in the Chinese context; (2) half of the survey participants were found to be inactive participants in civic activities, which showed a disconnect between their civic attitudes and civic behaviours; (3) higher socio-economic status (SES) was associated with more active civic participation; (4) the mass media, especially the Internet was found to have a profound impact on students’ civic perceptions; (5) interview participants in the three qualitative case institutions revealed distinctive patterns of civic engagement, which confirmed the importance of university environment, policy, history and culture on student civic participation and citizenship development. This study has made a significant contribution to the existing literature on citizenship issues in contemporary Chinese universities. It has also added to current knowledge on trends of civil society development and the democratization process in China, from the perspective of university students.

Chinese higher education has achieved a remarkable expansion in recent years but few studies have examined the civic perceptions and civic participation of contemporary university students. This study aims to fill the gap in the existing literature by accomplishing four main goals: first, to investigate how students view citizenship, civic issues, and civil society; second, to examine how they participate in civic activities, both on and off campus; third, to understand how their civic attitudes and behaviours are being influenced by society, university and family, also by such factors as formal citizenship education curricula, informal educational experiences and the mass media; and fourth, to analyze the impact of higher education expansion on civil society in China. This study adopted a mixed methods approach, and combined findings from a large-scale national student survey across 12 universities and 34 face to face interviews conducted in 3 selected institutions among the 12 that were surveyed. The conceptual framework drew upon social capital theory and both ecological and cognitive psychological theories to generate two analytic frameworks for analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data. The major findings were: (1) university students demonstrated strong patriotism, and a serious commitment to social justice and civic participation, which was partly the result of the distinctive form of citizenship education they received in the Chinese context; (2) half of the survey participants were found to be inactive participants in civic activities, which showed a disconnect between their civic attitudes and civic behaviours; (3) higher socio-economic status (SES) was associated with more active civic participation; (4) the mass media, especially the Internet was found to have a profound impact on students’ civic perceptions; (5) interview participants in the three qualitative case institutions revealed distinctive patterns of civic engagement, which confirmed the importance of university environment, policy, history and culture on student civic participation and citizenship development. This study has made a significant contribution to the existing literature on citizenship issues in contemporary Chinese universities. It has also added to current knowledge on trends of civil society development and the democratization process in China, from the perspective of university students.

While the challenge of improving young North Americans’ civic engagement seems to lie in the hands of schools, studying alternative ways of teaching citizenship education could benefit the current educational system. In this context, free schools (i.e., schools run democratically by students and teachers), guided by a philosophy that aims at engaging students civically through the democratic activities that they support, offer a relatively unexplored ground for research. The present inquiry is a case study using tools of ethnography and drawing upon some principles of complexity thinking. It aims at understanding students’ citizenship education experiences during democratic activities in a Canadian free school. It describes many experiences that can arise from these activities. They occurred within a school that operated democratically based on a consensus-model. More precisely, they took place during two kinds of democratic activities: class meetings, which regulated the social life of the school, and judicial committees, whose function was to solve conflicts at the school. During these activities, students mostly experienced a combination of feelings of appreciation, concernment and empowerment. While experiencing these feelings, they predominantly engaged in decision-making and conflict resolution processes. During these processes, students modified their conflict resolutions skills, various conceptions, and their participation in democratic activities and in the school. Based on these findings, the study concludes that students can develop certain skills and attitude associated to citizenship education during these activities and become active from a citizenship perspective. Hence, these democratic activities represent alternative strategies that can assist educators in teaching about citizenship.

Intentionen med detta arbete är att uppmärksamma citizenship education som blivit allt mer betydande när det gäller skapandet av nationell enighet/identitet i Kenya. Mer specifikt innebär det att arbetets syfte var att undersöka hur utvalda kenyanska gymnasielärare arbetar med att förmedla kunskapen om citizenship education för att skapa nationell identitet och vilket innehåll som presenteras. Bifrågan blir om lärarna därefter uppmanar eleverna på något sätt att praktisera den kunskap som förmedlas i skolan om demokratiska rättigheter i samhället. För att besvara undersökningens frågeställningar har jag granskat dokument, i form av litteratur och databaser samt genomfört intervjuer, vilka sedan har analyserats. Respondenterna i intervjuerna har fått svara på likvärdiga frågor och ämnesområden där sedan dessa har satts i kontrast mot varandra för att frambringa eventuella differenser. En av slutsatserna visade att citizenship educations betydelse är stor när det gäller att bilda en nationell identitet bland eleverna. Lärarnas arbetsmetoder bestod av enkel traditionell klassundervisning där eleverna inte alls praktiserade innehållet utan lärarna uppmanade sina elever att använda kunskapen som förmedlades utanför skolans värld, till exempel i olika föreningar. Innehållet kretsade kring att försöka förmedla kunskaper om vilka rättigheter och skyldigheter en kenyansk medborgare har, förespråka nationalism samt patriotism. Det visade sig att nationalism och patriotism var de viktigaste delarna när det gällde att bygga upp en nationell enighet/identitet i det demokratiska Kenya.   Nyckelord: citizenship education, nationell identitet, demokrati, Kenya, lärare, samhälle. / The intention of this work is to draw attention to citizenship education that has become increasingly important in the creation of national unity / identity in Kenya. More specifically, it means that the work was to examine how selected Kenyan secondary school teachers are working to convey the knowledge of citizenship education to create national identity and what content is presented. Second reflection is to see if the teachers in any way invite the students to practice the knowledge that they conveyed in school on democratic rights and practice these in the society. In order to answer the survey questions, I examined the documents in the form of literature and databases, and conducted interviews, which were then analyzed. Respondents in the interviews have been asked similar questions and issues where they have been contrasted with each other to bring forth any discrepancies / affinities. One of the findings showed that citizenship educations are of immense importance in terms of forming a national identity among students. Teachers' practices consisted of simple traditional classroom where students didn’t have the chance to practice the content. Instead the teachers asked their students to use knowledge that was transmitted outside the school context, for example, in various compounds. The content revolved around trying to convey the knowledge of rights and obligations that a Kenyan citizen is holding, and also advocating nationalism and patriotism. It turned out that nationalism and patriotism were the main fragments when it came to building a national unity / identity in democratic Kenya.   Keywords: citizenship education, national identity, democracy, Kenya, teachers, society.

This study sought to describe the congruence between Aboriginal student citizenship development, as manifested in behaviour, and the prescribed outcomes of Canadian citizenship for selected secondary schools in Manitoba, as perceived by secondary principals and teachers. Citizenship, the condition of living in a shared society and the standard of conduct that allows those in a particular society to live harmoniously and prosper, has become an important goal for public education in the Province of Manitoba. Citizenship is also prevalent concept within many documents and policy developments.<p>The values of Canadian citizenship used in this study were derived from the framework of six values used in the development of Manitobas most recent Social Studies curriculum (2004b; 2004c). These six civic values are equality, respect for cultural differences, freedom, peace, law and order, and environmental stewardship. These same values were employed in the development of the survey to acquire quantitative data using Likert-scale items. Qualitative data were acquired through a set of open-ended questions on the survey and through interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed with the use of chi square analysis and descriptive statistical measures including ANOVAs. Qualitative data were analyzed through a method of constant comparison in order to establish themes.<p>For the most part, Aboriginal students from Manitoba high schools do behave in a manner congruent with the values of Canadian citizenship. There were some differences in the way principals and teachers perceived Aboriginal student behaviour, that Aboriginal students family backgrounds presented challenges to educational attainment, and that educational administration was a subject that can be dealt with in numerous curricular and extra-curricular forums. There were some exceptions to these findings manifest in both the quantitative data and qualitative data. Amongst other things, the qualitative data suggested that citizenship development should be a localized process with genuine community involvement. The implications of these findings suggest a need for the development of curricula that is congruent with traditional Indigenous ways of learning, provision of opportunities for practical experiences in the area of citizenship development, and increased research into schools on First Nations communities in the area of citizenship development. Such developments may facilitate citizenship development for Aboriginal students through the provision of education that is sensitive to Aboriginal perspectives and circumstances.

ABSTRACT JUSTICE IN SCHOOL PRACTICES: 6th AND 7th GRADE STUDENTS&rsquo / PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR SCHOOL EXPERIENCES &Ccedil / elikkaya, T&uuml / lay M.S., Department of Educational Sciences Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Cennet Engin Demir September 2008, 65 pages This study aims to investigate primary school students&rsquo / perceptions of justice based on their school experiences and to examine whether their perceptions show significant differences with respect to certain background variables. The sample of this study consisted of 526 students from seven primary schools in different neighborhoods in Ankara. The data was gathered through a questionnaire developed by the researcher in order to measure the students&rsquo / perceptions of justice based on their school experiences. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for the analysis of the data. The principal component analysis extracted four dimensions of justice, namely distributive justice, interactional justice, procedural justice and retributive justice. The results of the repeated measures analysis indicated that dimensions can be listed from the most fair to least fair as procedural justice, retributive justice, interactional justice and distributive justice. Students perceived their schools&rsquo / practices most fair with respect to procedural justice and retributive justice. The results of the MANOVA indicated that gender and achievement level has significant effect on students&rsquo / perceptions of justice. Compared to males, female students perceived their school experiences more fair. Results also revealed that compared to low achievers, high achievers perceived their school environment more fair with respect to retributive justice. Principals and teachers should pay attention to the distribution of the grades, praises, punishment, since students perceived their school practices least fair with respect to distributive justice.

The purpose of the study is to investigate 8th grade Turkish students&rsquo / perceptions towards civic concepts and issues like good citizenship, government responsibilities and women&rsquo / s political and social rights and to determine the factors affecting their intentions to participate in electoral, political and civic activities. In order to achieve this aim, a nation-wide survey was conducted with a sample of 2497 students from 60 schools in 21 provinces. The questionnaire developed by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) on civic education was adapted and used as the data collection instrument. The data obtained from the sample were analyzed through both descriptive (mean, frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (ANOVA, Hierarchical Multiple Regression). The results revealed that students value both conventional and social movement citizenship activities to be a good citizen. However, although they plan to participate in electoral and civic activities, more than half of them do not plan to participate in political activities such as joining a party, being a candidate for a local office. Moreover, it was found that the variances in students&rsquo / intentions to participate in electoral, political and civic activities were explained by students&rsquo / background characteristics, their media consumption habits, their discussion practices and discussion environment in classrooms, curricular and extracurricular experiences and finally by their perceptions of good citizenship and participation in school. Findings were discussed around relevant literature both in Turkey and abroad.

Teachers and children who were in schools on September 11, 2001 harbor unique, personal, and accessible memories of the events that occurred that Tuesday morning. Educational research has attended to this (inter)national crisis in a multitude of ways, yet there exists a gap in the literature that attends to how today’s preservice teachers remember the crisis through the lens of citizenship. To add complexity, adolescents who were in classrooms on September 11 are now adults, and some are studying to be teachers. This dissertation study aims to highlight how preservice teachers remember 9/11, how they understand citizenship, and how they plan to teach about 9/11 as an historical event to elementary students. This study presents the findings of a qualitative instrumental case study of five elementary preservice teachers’ memories of September 11, 2001 as experienced as adolescents in school. The author investigates how the preservice teachers’ memories intersect with understandings of citizenship, and how the young teachers plan to teach about 9/11 in an elementary social studies setting. Preservice teachers in the study participated in two interviews and one think-aloud lesson planning session with the researcher. Data analysis indicate the preservice teachers’ understandings of citizenship are still evolving, yet the crisis of 9/11 further complicates—or interrupts—more critical notions of citizenship. The participants’ memories of 9/11 are vivid and include reactions of their classmates and teachers. When participants were asked to create a lesson plan for elementary students, they felt overwhelmed by the amount of resources on the topic, and that they did not know enough about 9/11 to teach about it effectively. Findings suggest the singular understandings of citizenship held by participants are temporal and contextual. During a time of crisis—and specifically during and following 9/11—citizens succumbed to more belligerent notions of citizenship, and later, their memories contribute to their still evolving teacher identities. Drawing from their own civic understandings and memories of 9/11, four of the five preservice teacher participants planned to use their lessons about 9/11 to teach children how citizens come together in a time of crisis. One participant chose to design a week-long unit of instruction that allows students to examine the events of 9/11 in more critical ways. Finally, the study raises questions about the drastic range of possibilities in teaching 9/11 in elementary school, and exposes how teachers choose to include and exclude certain images, narratives, and accounts from the story. / text

My dissertation study is two-year interdisciplinary project that combined case study and oral history methods to craft the life history of West Middle School. The goal of this project is to gain knowledge of how a school's identity, image and culture are shaped by outside forces such as education policy and demographic shifts over time. To this end, I ask teacher participants to narrate the life history of West Middle School, while paying particular attention to shifts in educational policy, to a changing student population and to citizenship education. The aim of exploring these issues is to present a holistic view of schooling. My theoretical framework draws upon the theories of figured worlds, hidden curriculum and social reproduction as entry points for understanding the complex world of West Middle School. I use case study methods such as observation along with oral history interviews and archival data to construct West's life history. The data sources include teacher interviews, an extensive yearbook archive, district school board meeting minutes, and school district boundary maps. The findings of the study are presented in two chapters. Chapter five presents key themes from the teachers' interviews describing the cultural environment and public image of West Middle School. Teachers characterize the school's image and reputation in terms of exceptionalism and the school's identity in terms of family and guardianship. Chapter six discusses citizenship education at West. The main themes in this chapter draw attention to teachers' understanding of good citizenship in pointed terms of respect, responsibility and civic duty. Central conclusions include a nuanced understanding of contradictions within the West Middle School community, the ways in which diversity is simultaneously valued and assimilated, and the ways in which West's positive reputation acts as social and cultural capital. Implications for teacher education include creating spaces where pre-service teachers can engage in deeper learning about school communities and coming to see teaching as a political rather than passive act. Finally, implications for research call for expanding methodological frameworks to include bending and combining methods toward gaining a rich understanding of the complexities of schools. / text

Global citizenship education (GCE) has recently emerged as a dynamic approach to education capturing the interest of various stakeholders, including academics, educators and international organisations worldwide. In an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, GCE is seen as a transformative pedagogy that can empower learners to resolve growing global challenges, building a more just and sustainable world. This study explores how GCE is “transferred, translated and transformed” (Cowen, 2009a; 2009b; 2006) into contemporary national education policy and practice, through a comparison of experience between Greece and Sweden. Based on a qualitative research approach, the study first examines the discourse of international organisations, such as UNESCO, the European Union and Oxfam, in order to better understand efforts to promote GCE and its implications for teaching and learning. National education curricula on citizenship-related subjects are then analysed to identify how they address GCE, while a third level of analysis involves exploring how primary school teachers and students perceive and implement the particular concept. To this end, document analysis, interviews and focus groups have been employed as methods to gather relevant data. The findings of the study indicate that international organisations have developed a powerful GCE discourse, elements of which can be seen in national education policy and school practice, yet with different emphasis between countries as a result of diverse socio-economic, political and historical contexts. In Greece, the focus on ethnocentrism and Europeanism hinders the effective delivery of GCE, whereas in Sweden, the strong commitment to human rights and internationalism allows to integrate the concept in school practice. The predominant form of global citizenship promoted in both countries is moral cosmopolitan, while critical and postcolonial approaches to the concept do not appear to have been recognised or implemented in practice. Considering all three phases of shape-shifting educational ideas, as defined by Cowen (2006), the study concludes that although policy support for GCE is evident in international and national policy discourse, actual implementation in schools is weak.