Education for democracy: political participation and practise in schools

Ensuring education for citizenship involves incorporating it into schools by providing students with opportunities to participate in democratic processes. This paper uses data from two previous research studies where a secondary data analysis was conducted. The first study presented compared three different schooling types (traditional, democratic and active learning schools), to see how they promoted democratic participation. The second study gathered data in secondary schools aiming to understand students’ involvement and interest in actively participating in democratic processes. It was found that teaching methods that encourage self-regulation and active learning tend to promote students’ involvement in decision-making processes. While secondary schools may have the apparatus for involving students in decision-making this is regarded as tokenistic by students and they do not feel that they have a say at school. Active citizenship and democratic attitudes within schools can give students the chance to participate and learn how to participate in democratic society beyond and after school. A more holistic approach is required when considering democratic participation and citizenship in schools. Not only the different arenas for participation need to be considered but also how teaching methods can be used to promote democratic participation within the school as a learning environment.