Democratic culture in secondary schools: an analysis of students attitudes and the potential of play based activities in curricular and extrcurricular contexts

Democratic culture rests upon active participation of citizens in public life while its foundations in school context are viewed through developing dialogue skills, tolerance, cooperation and collaborative problem solving. The general aim of the research was to determine to what extent students’ attitudes toward democratic culture are expressed and examine what kind of play-based activities could be implemented in curricular and extracurricular contexts in order to additionally foster democratic culture in schools. The research was conducted using a specially designed questionnaire with 10 statements, based on Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture. The results indicate that students place high value on their abilities and personal rights, while the assessment of the level of respect for different attitudes and opportunities to participate in school activities are limited. The biggest differences in attitudes were observed in relation to the school year the students are attending, while demographic characteristics and elective courses did not show statistically important difference. In the discussion, the authors indicate that play-based activities implemented in both curricular and extracurricular contexts make a significant contribution to the development of competences for democratic culture. Moreover, continuous support through training, mentorship, and the exchange of examples of good practice is essential in order to improve these activities furthermore and empower democratic culture among students. Finally, the research findings indicate the need for further analyses of differences in students’ attitudes and for the development of strategies which enable greater participation and tolerance within school communities.