Participatory Theory of Democracy and Participation in Schools

• In Event: Poster Session: Political Methodology & Political Science Education & Civic Engagement
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Participatory Theory of Democracy and Participation in Schools

Abstract

While liberal theories of democracy view democracy as an institution to aggregate pre-existing individual preferences, participatory theories of democracy argue that preferences are as much formed as revealed when individuals take part in democratic decision-making. In this view, empowering individuals to make decisions in schools, local governments, and workplaces transforms them to become more knowledgeable of their own values and link their interests to those of others in the community. I test these claims of participatory theories of democracy using survey data on student participation in school decision-making from OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Korean Education Longitudinal Study. I find that those exposed to more student participation in their schools have a stronger sense of their own preferences, are more attentive to others' interests, and more closely link their interests those of their community. Using the Korean Education Longitudinal Study's panel structure, I further find that the effect of student participatory practices persists beyond the years of school participation, on par with the effect of decision-making practices at home. These findings lend support to the view that democratic practices develop individuals' capacities to know what they want and shape more public minded interests, and that schools are one place that these processes can happen.

Author

• Euiyoung Emily Noh, Vanderbilt University