Learning from, through and about Differences: A Multiple Case Study on Schools as Practice Grounds for Citizenship

Willemijn F Rinnooy Kan,Monique Volman,Virginie März,Anne Bert Dijkstra

doi:10.3390/socsci10060200

Willemijn F Rinnooy Kan, Monique Volman + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10060200

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Abstract

Learning to relate to others that differ from you is one of the central aims of citizenship education. Schools can be understood as practice grounds for citizenship, where students’ citizenship is not only influenced by the formal curriculum, but also by their experiences in the context of teacher–student and student–student relations. In this article we therefore investigate how the practice of dealing with difference is enacted in schools. Data were collected through an exploratory multiple case study in four secondary schools, combining interviews and focus groups. Despite the differences between the schools in terms of population and location, in all schools the reflection on the enactment of ‘dealing with differences’ was limited in scope and depth. ‘Being different’ was understood primarily in terms of individual characteristics. Furthermore, in all schools there was limited reflection on being different in relation to teachers and the broader community. Finally, relevant differences for citizenship were confined to the category of ‘ethnic and cultural diversity’. This article calls for preparing teachers to consider a broader array of differences to practice dealing with differences with their students and to support students in reflecting on the societal implications of being different from each other.

Highlights

Increased participation in education, migration, emancipation have made schools more diverse in their composition and have created new challenges for teachers in the recent decades
Differences between students were mainly understood in terms of individual characteristics
At School 3, the analysis showed that diversity in the teacher population was considered important; the ambition was to have a teacher population that reflected the surrounding environment within which the school was located

Summary

Introduction

Migration, emancipation have made schools more diverse in their composition and have created new challenges for teachers in the recent decades. The reality of classrooms that are becoming increasingly diverse, e.g., academically and socio-culturally, is an invitation to researchers and practitioners alike to reflect on the most desirable way to deal with these changing teaching and learning environments. Differences between students have been studied from an array of perspectives, often related to individuals’ academic capacities, with the goal of increasing educational equality and ensuring equity of access to high-quality learning (e.g., Lindsay 2007; Steenbergen-Hu et al 2016; Thijs and Verkuyten 2014; Tomlinson et al 2003). Citizenship of adolescents has been conceptualized in different ways

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