Who Calls the Shots? The Insiders and Outsiders of (Un)just Participation in Slovenian Elementary Schools

Abstract

The article deals with inequalities in exercising the right to participate in elementary schools in Slovenia. We chiefly focus on the participation of children in various participatory practices such as class communities represented by class representatives, school communities in some cases represented by school representatives, the Children’s Parliament etc. Our findings (based on thematic analysis of 15 focus groups with 157 children) show that class representatives and forum participants are most often selected based on their personality traits (eloquent children actively involved in class and outside school activities, children with exemplary behaviour who are driven, independent, reliable, trusted and popular among classmates and teachers) and/or their high educational attainment. They are perceived to have better opportunities and talents than other children and, in principle, come from families which are not socio-economically deprived. On the contrary, pupils from disadvantaged socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, children with behavioural, emotional and learning difficulties do not receive the opportunity to actively participate and are (at best) merely represented. Using both the Rawlsian approach to the conceptualisation of justice (1971, 1999) and the recognition approach (Fraser, 2001), we assess whether the arrangement and practice of child participation in schools in Slovenia may be considered just. We argue that, according to the first approach, the arrangement of child participation in elementary schools in Slovenia can be considered just under certain conditions whereas, according to the second approach, less so. Child participation lacks substantive equality in participation outcomes even though in principle all children have the same right to participate.