Adolescent citizenship and educational track: a qualitative study on the development of views on the common good

Abstract

a centre for applied Research in education, amsterdam university of applied sciences, amsterdam, the netherlands; b Research institute of child development and education, university of amsterdam, amsterdam, the netherlands; c netherlands institute for social Research -scP, the hague, the netherlands ABSTRACT Studies show adults' attitudes towards citizenship to be related to their educational level. It has been claimed that higher educated people more often possess 'good' citizenship values. However, only limited insight exists into how differences in citizenship attitudes between adolescents from various educational tracks develop over time. In this qualitative longitudinal study, we investigate the perspectives of adolescents from different educational tracks on aspects of citizenship. The results show that adolescents in higher tracks develop stronger political orientations with age and learn to focus more strictly on competition between perspectives and on formal procedures of decision-making. Those in the lower track remained rather uninterested in politics but stick to their emphasis on consensus and inclusiveness. Overall, our study shows that 'good' vs. 'bad' citizenship values do not simply coincide with educational level and provides a more nuanced insight into adolescent developmental trajectories towards citizenship.

Back on track? How civic learning opportunities widen the political knowledge gap in a tracked education system

“…However, the students' perceptions related to their citizenship and involvement at school may not be the same in different contexts (Nieuwelink et al, 2019). Schulz (2009) explains how a measurement invariance test is needed when comparing perceptions.…”

“…On the other hand, these learning opportunities could also differ in kind across tracks, which might have unintentional inequality-enhancing effects as well. Nieuwelink, ten Dam, and Dekker (2019) explain how goals and expectations related to similar teaching and learning practices can differ between tracks, leading possibly to more considerable gaps in civic outcomes.…”

Compensating or reproducing? Students from different educational tracks and the role of school in experiencing democratic citizenship

“…Citizenship is a multidimensional concept that encompasses the wish to promote the public good and to fight perceived injustices, the ability to deal with diverse interests and preferences, and the readiness to discuss with people holding opposing opinions. Citizenship is inextricably connected to democracy (Geijsel, Ledoux, Reumerman, & Ten Dam, 2012;Hattam, 2016;Miller, 2000;Nieuwelink, Dekker, & Ten Dam, 2018). Citizenship and democracy are connected to the political domain but, especially for adolescents, also to other spheres of life, such as the household, voluntary associations and schools (Nieuwelink, Ten Dam, Geijsel, & Dekker, 2017;Sapiro, 2004).…”

“…Students on college-bound track often possess more knowledge of democracy, citizenship and politics than those on vocational tracks. Many studies show that those on the former track possess more positive views towards democracy than those on the latter, but some studies show the reverse relationship (Elchardus et al, 2013;Flanagan et al, 2005;Nieuwelink et al, 2017Nieuwelink et al, , 2018Schulz et al, 2010).…”

The social gradient in adolescent mental health: mediated or moderated by belief in a just world?

“…Associations between adolescent SES and beliefs about the world may depend on adolescents' educational and occupational opportunities (Barreiro et al, 2019;F. Nielsen et al, 2015;Nieuwelink et al, 2018), so further research could investigate if our findings generalise to adolescents in a broader range of educational tracks, adolescents in more rural areas and adolescents in other countries.…”