A Study Of The Concept Of ‘Citizenship’ Among The Students And Teachers Of The State Of Jammu & Kashmir

Abstract

The aim of taking up this research was to explore the conceptual understanding of the term ‘citizenship’ among the students and teachers of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K); analyze how school education program plays a key role in the promotion of citizenship; and how conceptual understanding of “citizenship” help young students be responsible citizens. Keeping in view the identified needs, an exploratory study was conducted. A total of 512 students and 84 teachers from ten schools in five different districts of J&K were selected as sample of the study by using purposive sampling method. Data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, classroom observations, and questionnaires. The findings of the study indicate that a clear majority of respondents have adopted, whether consciously or not, a legalist perspective of citizenship. The study also concluded that schools and school practitioners play a prominent role in bringing up citizens and the perception of citizenship among students starts from primary school, where students are given the opportunity to imbibe national morals, and knowledge to become responsible citizens. One central implication of the study is that by examining students’ ideas about citizenship, educators can better develop a curriculum aimed at deepening students’ understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens and hopefully can promote more active, informed civic participation.