Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-115).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-115). Also available in print.

The reason for my research is that youth who experience marginalization do not have their experiences represented in their civics classrooms, which leads to a lack of civic engagement overall (Kane, Ng-A-Fook, Radford & Butler, 2017; Claes, Hooghe, and Stolle, 2009). I identify cosmopolitanism (Hansen, 2010; Banks, 2009; Pinar, 2009) and pedagogies of digital citizenship (Choi, 2016; Coleman, 2008) as potentially useful orientation and processes to better support marginalized youth in Urban Priority High Schools (UPHS). In this study, I use discourse analysis to analyse the “curriculum as plan[ned]” (Ontario Ministry of Education civic curriculum documents) with and against the narrative inquiry of the “lived curriculum” in an Urban Priority High School (Aoki, 1993; 2003). The findings of my study include that although the Ontario grade 10 civics curriculum (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2018) has possibilities of a cosmopolitan orientation because of some of the language used and concepts introduced in the Citizenship Education Framework and goals, this curriculum cannot be considered cosmopolitan. There are no overall or specific expectations that have students consider their own identity formation and subjectivity (Pinar, 2009), reflective openness (Hansen, 2010), and cultural, national and global identifications (Banks, 2009). While the curriculum as planned was found to be lacking in expectations that align with cosmopolitanism, the findings of my study underscored how digital citizenship projects that invite students to grapple with issues of significance of the self and the Other open up productive spaces of civic engagement for marginalized students. Digital spaces allowed students to narrate their lived experiences that underscored the significance of embracing a cosmopolitan identity in a mandatory course that otherwise does not serve them and illustrates the urgency of these curriculum opportunities if education is working in the name of equity and supporting each youth to become active citizens.

SUMMARY Life in world–wide society defies different states and their citizens so that‘s why recently a great attention has been paid to civic education in many countries Lithuania included. Every nation has its own understanding of the concept of homeland. In 1988, the education for democratic citizenship was declared to be one of the most important aims of the reformed Lithuanian school. At the beginning of the educational reform the integrated curriculum of the civic education was created. The standards of civic development summarize the whole democratic education at comprehensive school. The aspects of democratic education have to pierce the whole school life; they are integrated into all subjects. The problem of education for democratic citizenship is very relevant in Lithuania for understanding democracy, democratic citizenship determines the practical activity of young person. It is necessary to help pupils develop their sense of democratic citizenship and to understand its significance for the political life of nation. When citizenship become the deliberate ideal, then it becomes an integral part of their morality and inner disposition as well as a motive of their practical activity. The aim of this work is to compare the efficiency of Lithuanian and other countries models of democratic education. The author seeks to relevant the theoretical background of democratic education, show the signification of the projects methods of democratic education, define the models of... [to full text]

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 87-90).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-90). Also available in print.

This study examines an educational intervention, which attempts to create experiential learning opportunities, to gain an understanding of the effects of teachers’ and students’ development as active democratic citizens. The educational intervention comes in the form of a youth program entitled ‘Day of Information for a Lifetime of Action’ (DILA). The research answers the following question: does an experiential approach to the delivery of the Grade 10 Civics Curriculum such as DILA affect the development of active democratic citizens - as characterized by civic identity, civic engagement, and civic competence? And if so, how does it influence the students' understanding of their role in a democratic society, their self-reported likelihood of future civic engagement and their self-reported ability to be civically effective?

This dissertation is a historical examination of citizenship education in the United States, beginning in the late nineteenth century with the Progressive era, and extending into the 1970s with multiculturalism. It focuses on the thought of education scholars, historians, and. political theorists throughout the twentieth century. It examines their efforts to define citizenship in the United States, and how that idea should be presented to students in the classroom. In doing so, this dissertation examines the manner in which the events of the twentieth century dramatically influenced the collective understanding of what being a "good citizen" means in the United States; and it considers the consequences of these changes in relationship to how children have been taught to engage in social and political life. It begins with a discussion of civic learning under the educational philosophies of social pedagogy and social efficiency in the Progressive era. It continues with an examination of the consequences of World War I and the Great Depression on the thought of educational scholars concerning citizenship education. This is followed by an analysis of the transition from Progressive education to Essentialist education in the middle of the century, and the consequences this had on civic education in the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement. This dissertation concludes by considering how the events of the twentieth century have influenced citizenship education in the era of standardization and globalization. Ultimately, this study finds that our understanding of citizenship, as it is expressed in the school curriculum, is profoundly influenced by our collective understanding of civic ideals and the American identity. These ideals and this identity are an evolving construct that is, in turn, influenced by the ideas and events of the period. Therefore, what is often perceived as a decline in citizenship education in schools, is actually a shift in the values of citizenship.

Guided primarily by critical constructivism as the theoretical framework, this dissertation examines the extent to which civic education in Kenya creates dialogic spaces where issues of social difference, peace and democracy are addressed. The participants of the study included four history and government teachers; four Form 1 classes; principals of the two high schools and one curriculum developer. History and government was selected because one of the course’s objectives is to develop responsible and active citizens who would participate in fostering peace and democracy. In this study, peace is conceptualized as the absence of both direct and structural violence, and democracy is conceived, not merely as majority rule, but as exercising one’s opinions where citizens’ contributions influence decisions and have control over public policies that govern their lives. Using observations, interviews and document analysis, the study focuses on pedagogical practices, educators’ and students’ views about civic education in two public schools in Nairobi. The two sites were selected because the students came from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds and the schools offered co-education. Therefore, the schools’ student demographics provided the kind of social differences that are the focus of this study. In the analysis, attention was paid to the official curriculum and the way teachers enacted the curriculum to foster peace and social justice. Findings indicate that although the official curriculum stated the course should foster peace and social justice, the enacted curriculum gravitated towards transmission of facts. Consequently, the enacted curriculum did little to empower students to think critically; it hardly created opportunities to encourage discussion of societal issues that would promote peace and democracy. Several factors such as prescribed official curriculum, standardized examinations, lack of resources, students’ inadequate English skills, and inadequate teacher training influenced and shaped teachers’ pedagogical practices. Despite this, teachers struggled to exercise their agency by navigating through some of these challenges to achieve what they believed were the objectives of the course. These findings pointed to the need of establishing ways of addressing these challenges in order to make civic education more relevant and meaningful to students and to the Kenyan society.

Guided primarily by critical constructivism as the theoretical framework, this dissertation examines the extent to which civic education in Kenya creates dialogic spaces where issues of social difference, peace and democracy are addressed. The participants of the study included four history and government teachers; four Form 1 classes; principals of the two high schools and one curriculum developer. History and government was selected because one of the course’s objectives is to develop responsible and active citizens who would participate in fostering peace and democracy. In this study, peace is conceptualized as the absence of both direct and structural violence, and democracy is conceived, not merely as majority rule, but as exercising one’s opinions where citizens’ contributions influence decisions and have control over public policies that govern their lives. Using observations, interviews and document analysis, the study focuses on pedagogical practices, educators’ and students’ views about civic education in two public schools in Nairobi. The two sites were selected because the students came from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds and the schools offered co-education. Therefore, the schools’ student demographics provided the kind of social differences that are the focus of this study. In the analysis, attention was paid to the official curriculum and the way teachers enacted the curriculum to foster peace and social justice. Findings indicate that although the official curriculum stated the course should foster peace and social justice, the enacted curriculum gravitated towards transmission of facts. Consequently, the enacted curriculum did little to empower students to think critically; it hardly created opportunities to encourage discussion of societal issues that would promote peace and democracy. Several factors such as prescribed official curriculum, standardized examinations, lack of resources, students’ inadequate English skills, and inadequate teacher training influenced and shaped teachers’ pedagogical practices. Despite this, teachers struggled to exercise their agency by navigating through some of these challenges to achieve what they believed were the objectives of the course. These findings pointed to the need of establishing ways of addressing these challenges in order to make civic education more relevant and meaningful to students and to the Kenyan society.