Political Socialization in Elementary Schools

Preparing students for intelligent political participation is a central function of social studies programs in elementary schools. 25 years of political socialization research have documented the relation between elementary school instruction and political socialization outcomes: schools and schooling appear to be independent variables in the child's acquisition of political content and attitudes. However, political socialization research has not been able to account for the low levels of political efficacy and participation, and it does not explain why political attitudes become increasingly negative with age. This article argues that our understanding of the ways in which children think about the political aspects of their lives-for example, power, partisanship, authority, justice, fairness-has been limited by functionalist views of schooling and positivist research paradigms. In order to understand the process of political socialization, research should focus on the ways in which individual children appropriate information from their home, neighborhood, and school experiences and use it to construct personal political realities.