Differentiating Citizens in a Democracy: Examining Citizenship Education in Singapore

• In Event: Democratic Citizenship in Education 1

Abstract

Across and within democratic societies, youths’ experiences of education for citizenship vary widely. A growing body of research suggests that students’ experiences of democratic citizenship education will differ according to how academic programs, community culture, socio-economic status, and gender intersect with prevailing conceptions of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity. This qualitative study explores how democratic citizenship education is enacted in two secondary schools with very dissimilar academic programs and policies. A key finding in the study is fissures in perceptions of civic engagement and democratic rights between students from the two schools, thus suggesting that academic programs and policies can differentiate the manner in which students are prepared to fulfill their roles as citizens.

Authors

• Theresa Alviar Martin, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University

• Li-Ching Ho, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University