How Schools Influence the Citizenship of Adolescents: Understanding the Relationship Between School Community and Citizenship Strategies

• In Event: 18.044 - Democratic Citizenship in Education SIG Paper Session 2

Abstract

Citizenship competences of adolescents are developed within different social contexts: that of their peers, family and school. This paper aims to better understand the functioning of this last context by focusing on schools-as-communities. We argue that the characteristics of the school community might mediate how schools’ citizenship strategies impact students’ citizenship competences. To get more insight in the interplay between citizenship strategies and the characteristics of the school community, we performed an exploratory multiple-case study research. In six secondary schools we conducted semi-structured interviews with a broad array of actors: principals, team leaders, teachers, mentors, janitors and students. Results indicate that the effectiveness of certain citizenship strategies depends on the characteristics of the school community in which they are implemented.

Authors

• Willemijn Rinnooy Kan, University of Amsterdam

• Virginie Marz, Université Catholique de Louvain

• Anne Bert Dijkstra, University of Amsterdam