Amid a devastating pandemic and increasing polarization, how can US colleges and universities help students bridge divides, make their voices heard, and understand their responsibilities to others in a democratic society? This article is an interview of Nancy Thomas, director of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts…

Using a mixed methods design, the researchers investigated understandings and practices of democracy across Round Square, a worldwide network of 180 schools committed to shared values. An extensive questionnaire received 4020 student and 863 teacher returns; additionally, leaders, students, and parents from five case study schools on different…

From the perspective of over 20 years into the transformation process in post-communist countries, it seems important to be able to pose questions about the future of democracy, and, in particular, its social foundations. These questions become all the more significant, when we come to realize that it is the attitudes of 'the young of today' that…

Fourth grade students at a public elementary school in Houston, Texas, participated in a one-week exercise intended to mimic the process of creating a public good through a democratic process. The exercise involved students in four separate classes designing a class party with different characteristics (theme, music, and food) through a voluntary…

The goal of education in countries which regard themselves as democracies is to help develop citizens who can actively participate in the democratic process. Today, more than ever before, schools face the challenge of aligning their philosophies to the democratic national principles of the nation-state in order to produce citizens who are active…

Designed to provide direction to secondary teachers involved in citizenship education, this guide focuses on citizenship responsibility in electing public officials and on legal obligations of members of a democratic society. The material is divided into nine sections. Introductory letters and acknowledgements are followed by a detailed curriculum…

Researchers have been studying children's knowledge, thinking, and attitudes about government for several decades. However, the studies focusing on elementary students, and especially primary students, have little or nothing to say about children's ideas about democracy or democratic government. That is because children at these ages have not yet…

A broad survey of democratic political attitudes of United States and West German students was developed jointly by the Governmental Education Division of the Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia and the Bundeszentrale fur politische Bildung in Bonn. This survey sought to probe twelfth-year students' attitudes toward…

Reports on a study of the political attitudes and views toward elections among 140 Nigerian secondary students. Argues that, if schools are to play a significant role in Nigeria, it is essential for social studies educators to try to improve the current orientation of students toward elections. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 36 U.S. teachers and 114 teachers, administrators, and students in South Africa on their knowledge and opinions of each other's culture. Finds a low level of knowledge among U.S. teachers. Discovers that neither U.S. nor South African teachers include teaching about the South African elections in their curriculum. (CFR)

As part of the IEA study of civic education, US ninth graders were assessed for their civic knowledge, concepts, attitudes, and experiences. The study yielded information about the development of democratic attitudes and dispositions toward social action. US ninth graders rated free expression and free elections as most important for democracy.…