Democratic School Culture Research Articles

Adolescents’ participation opportunities and student well-being in school

At school, it is important that young people are in an environment in which they feel well and have a positive attitude. To increase the positive attitude toward school as an indicator of the well-being of students, it is essential to know which factors influence it. Recent studies have indicated that participation opportunities at school might have a positive impact on the well-being of students. However, participation encompasses a wide range of different actions, decision-making processes, and forms of communication. This article explores different aspects of student participation—democratic school culture, active co-design, pseudo-participation, and the co-determination of students in the classroom and in teaching—and its relationships to student well-being. This article has an exploratory design and uses representative secondary data (n = 1,526) of students in the 8th to 10th grades in Vorarlberg (Austria) for a multilevel analysis to examine different aspects of student participation that promote or reduce student well-being. The results show that a democratic school culture has the strongest correlation with student well-being. Students’ co-determination and active co-design in the classroom and in teaching are also positively related to student well-being. Pseudo-participation has a weak negative effect on student well-being. The results suggest that in order to promote student well-being, it is important to increase the democratic culture of schools, to involve students in as many decisions as possible, and to let them have a real say in the class.

Students’ development of deliberative competences: The contribution of democratic experiences in urban schools

IntroductionA democratic school culture has been identified in previous research as a lever for the development of deliberative competences. However, the antecedents of deliberative competence development at school level are less examined. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of student characteristics (age, gender, finality), urban school contexts (location of the school, socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the student population) and different dimensions of the perceived democratic school culture (fair support, responsibility, co-decision, discussion, acceptance) on students’ mastery of three deliberative competences: tolerance, curiosity, and empathy.MethodsA multilevel analysis of a survey, completed by 5,165 Dutch-speaking Belgian secondary school students was conducted.ResultsThis study revealed the importance of the perceived fair support from teachers, opportunities to discuss, and acceptance by peers at school for the mastery of deliberative competences. Furthermore, urban schools were discovered to be strong negative predictors of all three competences, although fair support and discussion opportunities appear to partially compensate for this effect.DiscussionThese results highlight the importance of a democratic school culture, especially in urban schools, for developing empathy, tolerance, and curiosity. Moreover, the detailed results of this study could guide urban school teams in shaping democratic learning environments.

Practicing voice: student voice experiences, democratic school culture and students’ attitudes towards voice

ABSTRACT The abilities of citizens to make themselves heard and listen to each other are essential for the functioning of democratic societies. Schools are practice grounds for these citizenship competences. This study investigates whether students’ experiences with voice in school are related to their attitudes towards voice (contributing and listening democratically), and how a democratic school culture affects this relation. Overall, 5297 students, from 240 classrooms, in 81 Dutch secondary schools, participated in the study. Results of multilevel analyses revealed that students’ voice experiences at school, their own and those of their classmates, are positively related to students’ attitudes towards contributing and listening democratically. This relation is not affected by a democratic school culture. These findings underline the relevance of opportunities to practice voice at school for all students and of the social nature of practicing voice. More generally, this study illustrates the importance of understanding schools as practice grounds for citizenship.

초중고 학생들의 학교생활만족 관련 변인들 간 구조적 관계

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the structural relationship among elementary, middle and high school students' democratic school culture, learning-centered curriculum, and school life satisfaction, and to confirm the mediating effect of learning-centered curriculum in the relationship between democratic school culture and school life satisfaction.
 Methods In this study, through a survey on school life satisfaction for 3,087 elementary, middle and high school students in K province in September 2022, a research model was set up with school life satisfaction as a dependent variable, democratic school culture as an independent variable, and learning-centered curriculum as a mediating variable. And descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation model (SEM) analysis were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 22.0.
 Results First, the fit of the causal model between elementary, middle and high school students' school life satisfaction, democratic school culture, and learning-centered curriculum was good, and the causal relationship between the variables was reasonably predicted. Second, both the direct effects of the democratic school culture and the learning-centered curriculum on the school life satisfaction of elementary, middle and high school students had a significant effect. Third, the partial mediating effect of the learning-centered curriculum was confirmed in the relationship that the democratic school culture of elementary, middle and high school students affects school life satisfaction.
 Conclusions The significance of this study is to confirm that the learning-centered curriculum plays a significant mediating role and is an important influencing variable between the democratic school culture and school life for elementary, middle and high school students.

코로나 19 전후 초등학교 아동의 학교생활만족 영향 요인 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting school life satisfaction of elementary school students before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify influence factors affecting School Life Satisfaction.
 Methods On school life satisfaction in K province from 2019 to 2022, a survey measuring democratic school culture, learning-centered education, and communication and caring community as influencing factors for school life satisfaction as a dependent variable targeting 5th and 6th graders in elementary school was conducted, and the final 4,843 response data were analyzed. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 22.0 program.
 Results It is estimated that elementary school students’ satisfaction with school life did not change at the level of general concern before and after COVID-19. Also, it can be seen that it increases, and among the sub-influencing factors(democratic school culture, learning-centered education, and communication and caring community), it can be seen that the democratic school culture factor had the greatest impact on elementary school students' satisfaction with school life.
 Conclusions There is a research significance in providing policy implications and basic data for school innovation in order to improve the quality of life and happiness of students through school education.

Leadership matters in democratic education: Calibrating the role of Principal in one democratic school

Abstract Through a series of conversations, Fintan McCutcheon and Joanna Haynes explore McCutcheon's reflections on school leadership in the contexts of the Educate Together movement (in the Republic of Ireland) and, specifically, in his aspiration to build an optimally democratic school in Balbriggan. Much of the academic and professional literature on school leadership depicts the role of school leaders as expressing a strong vision for the school, with charismatic communication and strategic skills, and putting explicit emphasis on high educational standards. On the ground, the school leader is required to maintain executive governance standards, is accountable to a range of hierarchies and audiences and is in a custodian role to traditions of school culture and human resource relationships. Taken together, these academic, professional and contractual obligations can corral the school leader into practice of limited scope, obstructed by protocol, risk-averse and curtailed in creativity and, in relation to developing a democratic school, lacking in the necessary room for innovation. The conversation focuses on the rough ground of incident and messiness, identified through critical moments of school life when the aspirations to be democratic, to lead democratically, to teach democracy and to create a sustaining democratic school culture are lived-out. Through this dialogue, the conversants observe a practice of school leadership grounded in practical reason. The dialogue touches on and threads congruence between the on-the-ground risk-taking, rule-breaking, action orientation, nuanced dialogue, passionate engagement and deep reflection that characterise day-to-day school leadership practice. It concludes with ideas concerning the dynamics of forms of democracy that can prevail.

초등 혁신학교의 민주적 운영 원칙에 관한 문화기술적 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the principles of democratic management of innovative elementary schools. Methods For this purpose, qualitative data were collected and analyzed through participatory observation and Focus Group Interviews from Gwangju OO Elementary School and 14 teachers operating as an innovative school. and literature data (internal departments) of the school were also analyzed in parallel. Results The operating principles for creating a of democratic school culture in innovative elementary schools were found to be shared philosophy, autonomy and spontaneity, professional learning community, curriculum reorganization, and principal's leadership. Conclusions For the democratic management of innovative elementary schools, it is necessary for members to form a community by sharing the school philosophy, and to develop professionalism and reward through the formation of relationships between teachers. It is also necessary to ensure that a democratic school culture is formed through the professional leadership of the principal and the cooperation of teachers.

사회과에서 2022 개정교육과정 민주시민교육에 대한 소고

Objectives The purpose of this study is to explore ways to revitalize democratic citizenship education emphasized in the general outline of the 2022 revised curriculum. To this end, the meaning, domain, and principle of democratic citizenship education were examined, and concrete practice cases were presented through the reorganization of the integrated social curriculum in the Department of Social Studies. Methods The concept, domain, and principle of democratic citizenship education, the goals and content elements of democratic citizenship education in the social studies curriculum, and methods of democratic citizenship education in social studies were theoretically explored. For the application of democratic citizenship education in the high school integrated social studies department, a core topic was extracted from the textbook <Democratic Citizens Living Together>, a textbook approved by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, and practiced research was conducted. Results Three examples of classes were presented by reorganizing the curriculum according to the core themes and elements of an integrated society. First, social issues as a controversial issue, second, the 2.28 movement as a place-based learning, and third, examples of peace and unification classes linked with creative experiences for fostering peace sensitivity were presented as discussion learning and project learning. Conclusions As emphasized in the general summary of the 2022 revised curriculum, in order for democratic citizenship education to be reflected in all subjects, it is necessary for teachers to design the curriculum for school curriculum design through subjects and non-curricular activities. In addition, various methods need to be explored, such as training to strengthen teacher competency, accompany democratic practices and values, prepare standards such as ordinances and laws, and establish a democratic school culture and self-government activities.

Democratic School Culture: Investigating An Educational Practice of Democracy in Schools A Study on Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education Project in Turkey

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the views on democratic school culture in schools and provide a conceptual framework for democratic school culture. The sample of the study, which used a descriptive survey design, consisted of 516 primary school and 378 secondary school students, 592 school administrators/teachers, and 609 parents of students from pilot and volunteering schools in 10 provinces in Turkey within the scope of “Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education Project” (Edirne, Elazığ, Istanbul, Konya, Manisa, Mardin,Sakarya, Mersin, Samsun, Yozgat).Data were collected using “Democratic School Culture Scales” developed in the project. The data collected were evaluated under five dimensions: (i) Communication, Interaction, and Cooperation, (ii) School and Learning Environment, (iii) Identity and Belonging, (iv) Responsibility, and (v) Decision-making Process. According to the opinions of students, administrators-teachers and parents, it was identified that there was medium and high level democratic school culture in the schools. It was concluded that the project made a contribution in this sense.Teachers, administrators and parents had high mean scores in communication, interaction and collaboration dimensions and students had high mean scores in identity, sense of belonging, and responsibility dimensions Significant differences were found in the democratic school culture dimensions in terms of education level and type of duty. We recommend that new activities and training programs be designed for areas in need of development, to create and sustain a democratic school culture.

Critical consciousness among rural adolescents: the roles of school connection and positive relationships with teachers

Critical consciousness (CC) has been linked to academic and civic engagement for students from marginalized backgrounds, but little work has examined CC for students from more privileged groups. In addition, research indicates that school characteristics may promote the development of CC, but this literature has yet to be fully developed. Specifically, research on school climate has focused primarily on structural and instructional aspects (e.g., democratic school culture, classroom discussions of current events) but has not examined more emotional and relational aspects, such as feelings of connection to teachers and school community. Thus, the current study expands the literature by examining relations between the agency and action components of critical consciousness and two indicators of school climate (school connection and positive relationships with teachers), using a predominantly White sample of middle and high school students (ages 13–18) from a rural school district. Results indicated that both school connection and positive relationships with teachers were positively related to critical agency. School climate variables were generally unrelated to critical action, with the exception of a negative relation between positive relationships with teachers and critical action for middle school students.

A cultura escolar democrática no Colégio Universitário da UFMA (1980-1995)

Aborda-se o conjunto de práticas e representações culturais do Colégio Universitário da Universidade Federal do Maranhão (1980 a 1995), e a materialização da cultura escolar democrática via práticas escolares. Avaliam-se práticas educativas, pedagógicas e culturais que transformadas em rituais escolares denunciam a gramática escolar e sua identidade como Colégio de Aplicação. Utilizam-se pressupostos teórico-metodológicos da história cultural para cruzar dados extraídos de jornais, dispositivos legais, arquivo escolar e entrevistas. Concluiu-se que a integração política entre modos de conhecimento e exercício do poder mediada por táticas de apropriação na busca do sucesso escolar aponta o COLUN como instrumento de inserção/ascensão social num processo de emancipação contínua via educação

The Moroccan Bachelor New Reform: the Incorporation of Soft Skills through Project-Based Learning

Recent debates about the bachelor in Morocco show that teaching learners to maintain positive attitudes and take over responsibilities for social and political processes is an essential educational asset of soft skills, mainly for schools that adopt project-based instructions. To engage students in this newest reform, significant preconditions of democratic school culture are set as effective outcomes to generate ethical behaviors. Today, social and political issues tend to provide meaningful opportunities to engage students in proper activities, specifically by using project-based learning. This paper aims at examining important venues that Moroccan school leaders, along with the bachelor outcomes, wish to implement to foster democratic participation within and outside school life by adopting project-based learning. It questions the challenges and perspectives of this implementation along with the progress of Moroccan educational institutions. Hence, the paper adheres to a meta-analysis technique, whereby a unique examination of the various already conducted studies came out with conclusions: perspectives and challenges. The typical meta-analysis method disengages readings of various scholarly academic sources related to school effectiveness concerning the implementation of project-based instruction, specifically after a long journey of debates about the bachelor. Because of its descriptive nature, this method allows the researcher to explore the wide-range of pitfalls that provide potential opportunities for alternative conclusions which are adopted in restructured and well-run approaches. The significant results and conclusions drawn from this paper are profoundly and qualitatively discussed and analyzed.

Using Project-Based Learning to Develop Social and Political Practices as Life-Long Learning Skills

Recent research shows that teaching learners to maintain positive attitudes and engage in social and political practices is an important educational asset, mainly for schools that adopt project-based learning. To set an efficient background for schools to support students’ understanding of both political and social participation, important preconditions of democratic school culture form effective outcomes to generate ethical behaviors. Today, social and political measures of project-based learning in schools provide important opportunities to engage learners in life-long activities. Thus, the central aim of these measures is to promote the efficiency of decision-making within schools, which shape all classic criteria for both functioning political and social integrity. This paper aims at examining important venues that school leaders wish to implement to foster new ethical participation within and outside school life by adopting project-based learning. It attempts to unravel the timely challenges of such implementation and the different perspectives for the progress of many educational institutions. Hence, the paper adheres to a meta-analysis technique, whereby a special examination of the various already conducted studies came out with conclusions: perspectives and challenges. Owing to its generative, and diagnostic nature, this method allows the researcher to explore some pitfalls which provide potential opportunities for alternative conclusions to be adopted in well-run approaches. The major results and conclusions drawn from this paper are to be deeply and qualitatively discussed and analyzed.

THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTING, TEACHER’S PERSONALITY, PEER CONFORMITY AND ISLAMIC SCHOOL CULTURE ON THE STUDENT’S EXTRAVERSION PERSONALITY AT SMP IT NURUL ILMI MEDAN, INDONESIA

This study aims to describe the factors forming the extraversion personality of students at Nurul Ilmi Middle School Medan. The research sample consisted of 60 students taken with Simple Random Sampling techniques from all classes. This research is a quantitative descriptive research that is to find out the value of variables independently with correlation techniques. The instruments used in this study were the scale of big five personality, the scale of parenting, the scale of the teacher's personality, the scale of peer conformity and the scale of school culture. The results of the study using multiple linear regression analysis showed that democratic parenting provided the most effective contribution in shaping the extraversion of students compared to other variables. While the teacher personality variables and permissive parenting contributes negatively to the formation of students' extraversion personalities. Thus, it can be concluded that increasing democratic parenting, peer conformity, and school culture can shape the personality of students’ extraversion is increasing. Article visualizations:

Democracia y Justicia Social en las Escuelas: Dimensiones para Pensar y Mejorar la Práctica Educativa

La democracia y la justicia social se implican mutuamente. Esta afirmación, válida para la sociedad en general, lo es también para las escuelas. Con las ideas sobre Justicia Social de Nancy Fraser como marco, este artículo propone cinco dimensiones para avanzar en la Justicia Social y en la Democracia en las escuelas. En primer lugar, Redistribución de oportunidades y beneficios de la educación, como forma de romper el círculo perverso de la desigualdad desde la escuela; Reconocimiento de valores culturales y diversidad social, como segunda dimensión a través de la cual se cuestionan los valores culturales dominantes en la educación y se fomenta el respeto y el aprendizaje de las distintas identidades, perspectivas y estilos de vida de los miembros de la comunidad educativa. La tercera dimensión hace referencia a la Gobernanza escolar, gobernanza basada en la distribución de responsabilidades, la proactividad y la cooperación en redes plurales. La cuarta dimensión es Currículum crítico y participativo y la quinta y última, Cultura escolar democrática. Estas dimensiones invitan a identificar los conceptos abstractos en la forma concreta en que se realizan en las escuelas y, a partir de allí, reflexionar sobre ellos y sugerir prácticas que nos ayuden a mejorarlas.

Control and agency in student–teacher relations: a cross–cultural perspective on Finnish and Korean comprehensive schools

ABSTRACT Drawing on a cross-cultural, qualitative study in Finnish and Korean comprehensive schools, we explore how teacher control and student agency are manifested and exercised in the teaching and learning practices of the “official school” and in the student–teacher interactions of the “informal school”. We also elaborate on how students reflect on control and agency. Bernstein’s concepts of framing and classification are employed as a theoretical lens with which to examine control, agency and hierarchy. Data consists of school observations and interviews with students aged 12 to 14 and their teachers, conducted in six schools. The findings indicate that student agency is intensively constrained in their participation in teaching-learning practices. The analysis also reveals a paradox where students do not welcome increasing their agency through student-oriented lessons. Moreover, the controlling and caring roles of teachers and the exertion and limitation of student agency appear differently in the Finnish and Korean schools studied. Students seem to desire a refined balance between control and agency while revealing conforming and self-critical attitudes towards the school system and teacher control. Finally, our analyses of control, agency and hierarchy among school members leads this article into a discussion of democratic school culture from a cross-cultural perspective.

Mock elections as a way to cultivate democratic development and a democratic school culture

Over the last decades, many European Union countries have invested in strengthening participatory learning in citizenship education policy and practice. This survey study provides insight into how high school teachers in the Netherlands advance critical democratic citizenship and a democratic school culture in the context of mock elections. A quarter of the schools that organized mock elections in 2017 participated in the study. Analysis reveals that attention for critical, valuerelated teacher aims and teacher aims directed at strengthening a democratic school culture is still limited in mock election-related education. It also shows that half of the participating schools offer less than one hour of mock electionrelated educational activities, and that one-third of the teachers would like to offer additional educational activities.

Active Citizens: Evaluation of a Community-Based Education Program

This study analyses the Active Citizens program conducted in seven Czech elementary schools in 2017/2018. The data were obtained in a mixed-design research study containing pre/post experimental/control groups (N = 114), eight focus groups with selected students (N = 56), and group interviews with teachers (N = 14). The mean age of the students was 13.8 years. The study focuses on the students’ and the teachers’ perception of the process, the program’s barriers and benefits, and on the impact of the program on the students’ self-efficacy and on perceived democratic school culture. The analysis revealed that while the participants felt empowered because of their experience, they started to perceive their school environment as less democratic than before the program. The program also likely influenced girls more than boys as the latter seem to have been unaffected. Finally, the implications of the findings for the practice are discussed.

A Case Study on Operation of Teachers' Consultative Body to Promote the Democratic School Culture

A Case Study on Operation of Teachers' Consultative Body to Promote the Democratic School Culture

English

In this study; the perceptions of the students studying at sport high schools about democratic school culture were analysed in accordance with different variables. Participants of the research consisted of 216 students studying at Sport High Schools in Sakarya and Batman Provinces of Turkey. The data were collected with the Democratic School Culture Perception Scale (DSCPS). The estimated Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was .92. For the analysis of data, Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H tests from non-parametrical tests as well as descriptive statistical techniques were benefited from. According to the results of the research, the students’ perceptions about democratic school culture did not vary in gender and number of sibling but varied in the relevant grade level. Key words: Democracy education, democratic education, democratic school culture, sport high shool, student.