Cognitive Classroom Characteristics and Youth Citizenship Knowledge and Skills

• In Event: 46.078 - Effects of School Climate and Composition

Abstract

With concerns being raised with regard to political disengagement and decreases in social cohesion, schools are increasingly expected to develop the citizenship competences of their pupils (Eurydice, 2012). At the same time, schools are dealing with a structural transformation: classrooms are characterized by increasing ethnic and religious diversity, adding to existing diversity with regard to the socio-economic backgrounds and cognitive levels of pupils. How does this structural transformation impact citizenship development of pupils? Using nationally representative samples from the Netherlands, our findings suggest that ethnic and religious classroom diversity are associated with changes and inequalities in youth citizenship knowledge and attitudes, while cognitive and socio-economic classroom diversity impact these citizenship outcomes to a lesser degree.

Authors

• Bram Eidhof, University of Amsterdam

• Geert Ten Dam, University of Amsterdam

• Anne Bert Dijkstra, University of Amsterdam

• Herman G. van de Werfhorst, University of Amsterdam