Good Citizens Research Articles

Maximize the Impacts of Forgiveness Education with Moral Agency Development

Forgiveness education is more than the teaching of forgiveness. Since forgiveness education cultivates virtuous characters and the best self as the moral self, it sets the foundation for moral agency development. Based on a review of research and the literature about the psychological processes of forgiveness and moral agency, this article illustrates how the forgiveness virtue and moral agency operate and enhance each other for their common roots in the moral self. Due to their symbiotic relationship, promoting moral agency development in forgiveness education is beneficial for the cultivation of mature forgivers, mature moral agents, and good citizens with virtuous characters. To maximize the effectiveness and the impacts of forgiveness education, the GMIRA method is proposed. That is, setting the learning goal of living and being the best self; social modeling towards the goal, and blending the holistic moral agency concept into the existing forgiveness curriculum using the IRA (invitation, reflection, and assessment) strategies. Since moral agency is adaptive, the IRA methods can be flexibly applied to fit individual developmental needs across time and social-cultural contexts in all types of education. This novel idea is open for future research.

The Problem of Civic and Liberal Education: Legislative and Civil-Society Remedies for Our Era

This paper addresses the current state of civic education legislation in higher education. While state-level legislation that aims to improve civics in colleges and universities in the United States is laudable, such laws run the risk of meeting students too late and so must be coupled with renewed legislative focus on civic education at the elementary and secondary level. Civic education aims to make good citizens, to cultivate students’ love of their country, and this may be difficult to effect by the time students reach college. Laws mandating and forbidding certain content from being taught in history and civics classes is also considered. Further, I aim to show the deleterious effect an impoverished civic education has on liberal education, drawing, principally, on lessons from Socrates’s understanding of education as we find it in the writing of Plato.

Keeping silent or playing good citizen? Differential mechanisms of negative workplace gossip on targets reactions

PurposeBased on the Sociometer Theory, this study aims to develop a comprehensive framework explaining how and when negative workplace gossip triggers distinct responses, including employee silence and compulsory citizenship behavior (CCB).Design/methodology/approachTwo scenario-based experiments and a field survey were conducted to examine hypotheses. Study 1 (N = 149) manipulated workplace negative gossip and assessed the mediating effects of state self-esteem. Study 2 (N = 217) manipulated workplace negative gossip and consideration of future consequences (CFC) to verify the stability of the mediating mechanism and test the moderating effect of CFC. Study 3 (N = 321) tested the whole research model.FindingsThe findings indicate that negative workplace gossip decreases state self-esteem, resulting in silence among employees with low levels of CFC, while inducing CCB through state self-esteem among employees with high levels of CFC.Originality/valueThis study not only extends the research of negative workplace gossip by exploring its multifaceted impact on employee responses but also highlights the role of personality traits in shaping individuals’ response strategies.

Weibo Criticism of Fang Fang’s Wuhan Lockdown Diary as an ‘Enemy Within’: Rhetorical Tactics and Discourse Practices of Voluntary Propaganda in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This paper examines the discourse practices of voluntary propaganda on social media in response to Fang Fang’s Wuhan Lockdown Diary during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Analysis of Weibo data reveals the use of negative labeling and grouping tactics to discredit Fang Fang as a ‘public intellectual’ and a traitor in the anti-‘public intellectual’ discourse. Additionally, the positive mobilization tactic was employed through moral teaching in the ‘positive energy’ discourse to portray her as having negative energy, in contrast to the prototype of a good citizen. The analysis highlights the adept use of rhetorical tools by voluntary propagandists in adapting their discourses to specific events. However, it also exposes loopholes in voluntary propaganda, where ambiguous discourses may legitimize criticism of the regime and uphold the liberal sphere in cyberspace. This study sheds light on the discourse practices of voluntary propaganda on social media and their implications for political communication in contemporary China.

Exploring the Cross-Over Effect of Employees' Compulsory Citizenship Behavior on Spousal Family Satisfaction: A Moderated Mediation Model of Complaints and Mindfulness.

Compulsory citizenship behavior (CCB), the "dark" facet of organizational citizenship behavior, typically embodies good citizenship behavior within an organization. This study aimed to examine how employees' compelled engagement in extraneous role behaviors diminishes their spouses' well-being through complaints. Specifically, this study developed and evaluated a moderated mediation model in which employee mindfulness moderates the pathway from complaints to spousal well-being. This moderation is achieved by suppressing employees' behavioral responses and spousal reactions. To validate the proposed model, the author conducted a two-time-point time-lag design to explore the relationships among 386 employee-spouse dyads. The findings confirmed the critical moderating role of mindfulness in these relationships, as elucidated by the time-lag research design. Additionally, this study presents relevant theoretical and practical implications for future studies.

The Impact of Violent Media Content and Knowledge of Viable Responses to Cyberviolence on Good Citizenship Behavior Among South Korean Adolescents.

Exposure to cyberviolence among adolescents has become a societal issue in the media-saturated world. In this study, we examine whether or not exposure to violent media content, victimization or perpetration experiences, parental and teacher intervention, susceptibility, knowledge of viable responses when exposed to cyberviolence, and awareness of legal consequences influence the witnessing of cyberviolence among adolescents. Additionally, we investigate the characteristics that lead to good citizenship behavior when adolescents witness cyberviolence. We analyzed annual national survey data from 2018 to 2022 among adolescents in South Korea, including data collected from students ranging from grades 4 to 12. There were patterns that existed across five survey years; adolescents who were more exposed to violent media content, who were younger, and who experienced being perpetrators were more likely to be in an environment where they witnessed cyberviolence. The results also showed that less exposure to violent media content and knowing viable responses when witnessing cyberviolence increased the likelihood of adolescents adopting good citizenship behaviors. Educating adolescents about viable actions they can take when witnessing cyberviolence can lead to good citizenship. Making the online ecosystem a safe space for adolescents requires the attention of several parties: adolescents, parents, teachers, and online platforms.

Membangun Kesadaran Lingkungan Melalui Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan di Sekolah Dasar

Citizenship education plays an essential role in developing children's character, in line with moral, character and character education. This program aims to produce good citizens based on the values ??of Pancasila, which is the culture of the Indonesian nation. Building environmental awareness through citizenship education in elementary schools is very important, because it helps students understand their responsibilities towards the environment. The five principles of Pancasila are basic values ??that have developed into instrumental and rational values, creating a generation that cares about others and preserving nature. This research method uses a qualitative approach with literature study, collecting data from various relevant literature such as books, journals and official documents related to education citizenship in Indonesia. The data collection process began with a literature review through academic databases such as Google Scholar and JSTOR, followed by literature selection based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data is then categorized according to themes to produce an in-depth understanding of this topic. Civic education lessons have an important role in building environmental awareness by introducing the concepts of citizens' rights and obligations and environmental protection. Although there are challenges in integrating environmental education, there are opportunities to develop environmentally caring characters in students. Therefore, it is important to instill environmental awareness from an early age in everyday life, both at school and outside school.

Messy natures: The political aesthetics of nature recovery

Abstract Current aspirations for nature recovery to address biodiversity loss and climate change will involve changing what landscapes look like, which can create challenging aesthetic experiences for members of the public. In this study, we interrogate the role of aesthetics in shaping visions of nature recovery, focussing on the construction and contestation of ‘mess’ and ‘messiness’ in nature recovery. We examine the political aesthetics of messy natures using a qualitative approach investigating visual and text materials across different sites of production in Britain, from newspapers to social media, paying particular attention to visual materials Our results show how the mediated debate around ‘rewilding’ urban environments and a beaver‐themed garden winning a horticultural show are examples of a backlash against untidy environments through a politicised discourse, linking messy nature with left‐wing ideologies, in contrast to the perceived orderliness and conservative ideals of good citizenship associated with tidiness. In contrast, social media imagery of messy and wild gardens demonstrates how mess is consciously framed aesthetically as a desirable ‘look’ for restored nature, symbolising progressive and environmentalist ideals of good citizenship through activities such as nature‐friendly gardening and initiatives such as ‘No Mow May’, which celebrate the aesthetic of a more biodiverse messiness. And finally, we traced how environmental advocacy organisations are prefiguring the future of nature recovery in Britain through commissioned graphical representations that portray a ‘tamed messiness’ and the return of charismatic megafauna. Although these aesthetics may challenge prevailing pastoral aesthetics, they normalise continued inequality in the form of concentrated land ownership, especially in the Scottish Highlands. Policy implications. Our analysis shows that aesthetics play an important role in shaping views of what is ‘natural’, ‘normal’ and ‘good’ and therefore desirable in what a future (recovered) nature looks like. We suggest that nature recovery initiatives take aesthetics seriously, by interrogating how idealisations of ‘how nature should look’ may influence decision‐making alongside ecological and other considerations. Taking aesthetics seriously also opens avenues for engaging with social and environmental justice, where alternative aesthetics can help in imagining more socially and environmentally just futures. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The makings of a moral superpower: Swedish good international citizenship as middle-power nation brand

ABSTRACT Sweden has consistently performed positively in global assessments of its nation brand and its contributions to global order. A testament to a century of agile image construction, Sweden’s ‘moral superpower’ branding has evolved in recent decades to encompass ideals of the ‘good international citizen’ that continue to elevate its status amongst middle powers. Despite Sweden’s moral record being imperfect, this article examines the reasons and methods behind Sweden’s overwhelming successes in political nation branding, asking whether these strategies are still viable into the mid-twenty-first century. The article frames Sweden’s moral nation brand through the concept of the good international citizen, which is identified as an integral component of effective middle power strategy in the contemporary international system. As recent geopolitical events have forced Sweden to reconsider its foreign policy objectives and align with more realist, hard power agendas, it argues that of leaning into the good international citizen as normative/behavioural nation branding is required to bridge the gap between Swedish imagery and reality.

Citizens’ Political Knowledge and Participation in Monitoring Local Government Programs in Two Districts of Uganda

Broad political knowledge better equips citizens to discharge the responsibilities of good citizenship, such as monitoring local government programs. Empirical studies show a connection between citizens’ political knowledge and their participation in monitoring activities in contexts other than a decentralized local government system in a developing country. Thus, in this paper, we set out to provide new empirical evidence by assessing the link between citizens’ political knowledge and their participation in monitoring local government programs in Buliisa and Kampala districts of Uganda. We employed a convergent parallel research design. We gathered data using survey questionnaire, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. We analyzed quantitative data using STATA and performed thematic analysis for the qualitative data. Generally, results showed that the level of political participation of citizens in monitoring local government programs was significantly and positively associated with their level of knowledge of local political affairs. This was especially marked in Kampala compared to Buliisa district. Conclusively, the nature of the association between the aforesaid variables could differ depending on the form of local political knowledge and/or the nature of political participation being measured.

Methodological design difficulties spiritual and moral education in modern mathematics education in Russia

Introduction. Comprehension of the methodology of mathematics education from the position of the modern view of education becomes especially demanded, as Russia is currently facing the task of preserving traditional spiritual and moral values. The purpose of this study: to identify and reveal methodological difficulties and errors of designing spiritual and moral education in modern mathematics education, as well as to propose ways to eliminate them. Materials and methods. Comparative analysis, generalization and systematization of scientific ideas of Russian and foreign scientists, allowed to identify differences in the definition of the scope of the category «spiritual and moral values». The study was conducted by the authors for five years (2018- 2023). More than 100 people took part in the experimental work, including students of Bunin Yelets State University, mathematics teachers of higher educational institutions of Voronezh, Elets, Moscow, Orel and other cities of Russia. Results. On the basis of system analysis and experimental work, the reasons for the difficulties in designing education (specifics of the subject of mathematics, differences in the understanding of spiritual and moral values in different civilizations, etc.) were revealed. The greatest divergence of opinions was recorded in the evaluation of the experience of moral education in the Soviet school (46% of respondents were in favor and 48% were against borrowing this experience). At the same time, 82% of respondents agree with the need to form spiritual and moral qualities in schoolchildren in the process of teaching mathematics. Discussion of results and conclusion. Designing spiritual and moral education at present involves a number of methodological errors and difficulties inherited from the Soviet past. The Soviet experience of moral education in the process of teaching mathematics does not meet the requirements of modern Russia, the European experience contradicts national traditions, and the experience of Eastern countries with communitarian consciousness only partially meets the principles of Christian ethics. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development of a conceptual model of designing spiritual and moral education, which includes three levels (education of a good person, education of a good citizen, education of a Christian) and allows to partially eliminate the identified methodological difficulties.

Application and Use of Rhetoric in the Scientific Field of Civic Education

Studying rhetoric means discussing the concept and application of a philosophy of science in a particular scientific field. The philosophy of science is all human thoughts spontaneously respond to every problem in the context of the basic concept of the formation of a science or the relationship between one science and another for the good of mankind In this method to be able to study rhetoric as a use and application in the scientific field of civic education we can use literature study or literature study. A systematic scientific method of literature. In the explanation above, the application of rhetoric in the scientific field of civic education is a form of branch of science that aims to form good and smart citizenship in civic life. So in the delivery of civic education science in delivering learning material can be done by providing logical arguments by showing evidence directly or indirectly to be able to prove scientific Civic education application of rhetoric in scientific midwives Civic education is a branch of the discipline of law and politics packaged in education which aims to form Smart and Good Citizenship. With good, ethical, and emotional delivery supported by the delivery of strong and accurate evidence, and can argue logically in presenting the evidence.

Securitisation, Scapegoat, Identity Politics: Why Did President Duterte Mark Record-High Approval Ratings Despite His Failure to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic?

This paper delves into the Philippines’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the enforcement of a rigorous lockdown and the paradoxical rise in President Rodrigo Duterte's approval despite the virus's unmitigated spread. While conventional analyses lean on securitisation to explain military involvement in pandemic control, this paper argues that COVID-19 was not securitised in the Philippines. Instead, the government targeted the “pasaway” (undisciplined) as a supposed threat to national security, employing identity politics. By presenting the undisciplined as adversaries, the government garnered support from perceived “good citizens.” Despite human rights concerns and a lack of evidence linking the undisciplined to virus transmission, the narrative of cracking down on them garnered widespread approval. This challenges traditional securitisation explanations, suggesting that the emphasis on a “scapegoated enemy” and identity politics played a pivotal role in shaping public perception and elevating presidential approval ratings.

Current and Future Directions for School Media Specialists

School media specialists have served as technological experts for their schools and have been pioneers with digital natives, helping create good digital citizens and addressing digital gaps for learners and advocate for access no matter what barriers students face. School of Library and Information Science programs have focused on creating a curriculum that will help create a school technology expert for every school library. This served schools well during the COVID-19 shutdowns, where the school had to find new ways for students to learn remotely.School media specialists have now become the target of hate in their schools. This has become increasingly complicated with states legislating what can be put in school libraries and how teachers can address historical events. School media specialists are required to make decisions on access or potentially losing their jobs. While these are important areas, they are just a small part of the job for school media specialists. The American Association of School Librarians has increased the expected role for school media specialists, having them often serve as teacher, instructional partner, information specialist, and program administrator, all in addition to serving as the expert technologist at their school. However, not all school media programs take this approach to pedagogy for school media.School media specialists create technological opportunities for schools and are a key source for teachers seeking to reach students with diverse learning styles while informing and building relationships with families on internet safety and other important topics. Teachers depend on school media specialists to provide resources and support for the classroom while school media specialists also support students’ intellectual freedom. Ultimately, the focus for school media specialists has been to try to create a school library that represents everyone’s values. While this sounds ideal, it has been a difficult road for the profession.The position of school media specialist has changed dramatically over the last four years. This panel seeks to address research contributions to scholarship on school media specialists and how Schools of Library and Information Science are changing their programs to prepare school media specialists for the workforce. There will be a moderator and a panel comprised of four faculty members who are educators, practitioners, and researchers specializing in school media. Their perspectives and expertise will be present in this discussion, along with the following discussion topics:What are your current research findings telling you?What are practitioners experiencing?What is working with educational pedagogy in school media?What is not working with educational pedagogy in school media?What new technologies have you incorporated into the curriculum?What changes are being made at Schools of Information Science programs to help ready students for the current environment?The panel will explore questions of education, research, and practitioner-based experiences to address concerns impacting school media specialists. The information will inform the future discussion and curriculum pedagogy for school media specialists. The panel discussion will be formatted around the expertise of the faculty with school media. These discussions will inform pedagogical teaching practices in school media programs and hopefully provide a framework for improvement.

Making citizens, procedures, and outcomes: Theorizing politics in a co-productionist idiom.

The literature engaging political theory in STS often puts forward a deficit model view of STS, in which homegrown STS ideas about politics, such as co-production, are either treated as having an insufficient account of the political or not read as political theory at all. This article challenges the deficit discourse by reading co-production as a full-blown political theory in its own right, in particular by showing how it investigates normative questions of 'the good' that are central to any theorization of politics. Where political theory often concerns itself with the construction and application of universal political ideals-such as of the good citizen, legitimate procedures or smart outcomes-co-production looks at empirical sites where citizens, procedures, and outcomes articulate understandings of the good held by political actors in situ. By looking at the making of citizens, procedures, and outcomes in practice, we can better understand co-production as political theory. In particular, co-production elaborates on how the making of citizens, procedures, and outcomes constitute (and are constituted by) ideal normative positions, including: authoritative views about what citizens may claim to know, culturally-situated understandings of procedural legitimacy, and political values and ideologies embedded in seemingly 'objective' measurements of outcomes.

Establishing the Instances of Empathy and Friendship among Youth Peer Groups Involved in the Four Juvenile Sports Clubs Sports participation can develop the minds and bodies of young people. In this world of growing online interaction, young people can be

Sports participation can develop the minds and bodies of young people. In this world of growing online interaction, young people can benefit from what sport gives to them and develop them into good citizens. Within this paper, the instances of empathy and friendship among youth peer groups from 11 to 18 years old involved in the four juvenile sports clubs are identified. As a result of this paper, the young sporting participants demonstrated consistent empathy, are affected by others’ emotions, and are aware of their feelings. Within this article, a discussion of the results occurs to emphasise how these sporting clubs are a place for developing good human skills as well as providing obvious benefits of sports participation.

Local Income Inequality and the Value of Corporate Tax Responsibility

ABSTRACT Corporate tax responsibility, or the obligation of companies to pay their “fair share” of taxes, is increasingly perceived as a component of firms’ social responsibility. Considering tax payments through the redistributive function, we examine how the association between corporate tax responsibility and firm value varies based on the presence of a salient social issue—local income inequality. Firms headquartered in areas of average income inequality have a negative relation between effective tax rate (ETR) and firm value, consistent with traditional economic theory and prior research. However, as local income inequality rises above average, the relation between ETR and firm value becomes more favorable (i.e., less negative). We interpret these findings as evidence that the relation depends on the salience of tax payments as a social issue. Further, the results are substantiated by firms whose socially responsible tax payments are consistent with their reputation as good corporate citizens. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: D22; H23; H25; H32.

Citizenship Traditions and Cultures of Military Service: Patriotism and Paychecks in Five Democracies

Why do people think that soldiers and officers join the military? In this article, we report and explain unique survey results of nationally representative populations in five democracies—France, Germany, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Beliefs about motivations for military service vary significantly by nation. In Israel and France, large majorities endorse intrinsic accounts of service motivations—that is, those centering on patriotism and good citizenship. The U.S. population is nearly evenly split between extrinsic accounts—ascribing service to the pay and benefits received or to the desire to escape desperate circumstances—and intrinsic ones. A large majority of U.K. and Germany-based respondents hew to extrinsic service accounts. We argue that the most plausible explanation lies with prevailing national citizenship discourses, in combination with the military’s operational tempo. This research has implications for public support for military recruitment, the use of force, and democratic civil–military relations.

Taiwanese youth’s imagination of good citizens through environmental policy controversy deliberations

What does it mean to be a good citizen when coping with sustainability challenges in politically polarized and values-conflicting contexts? This study explores Taiwanese students’ imagination of good citizens as they deliberate over a highly controversial local environmental policy. Tracing five focal students’ learning trajectories, this study unpacks how the students perceive their own and the adult stakeholders’ roles in this controversy. Results revealed students’ consistent distrust of the adult stakeholders. Nevertheless, they developed expectations of the stakeholders as they learned more about the political complexities of this issue. Students’ imaginations about good citizens include four elements: engaging in public issues, respecting different opinions, rational communication, and addressing the local’s concerns and needs. Based on the results, I argue that pluralistic values are needed for preparing citizens to cope with sustainability challenges in multicultural and pluralistic societies.

The comparative politics of solidarity: Political party discourse across three welfare state regimes

AbstractParty political conflict plays an essential role in shaping welfare policies, while they are simultaneously also shaped by these policies. As political parties grapple with the wicked challenges of our times, new forms of solidarity and solidarity conflicts arise across welfare regimes. Despite their significance, these dynamics have not received much recent attention. Our article aims to fill this gap. Through content analysis of party manifestos, we compare the solidarity frames of political parties within and between three distinct welfare regimes—Flanders (Belgium), Sweden, and the United States. Our results confirm our expectations drawn from political feedback literature: while party ideology influences parties' solidarity frame preferences and solidarity conflicts between parties, these preferences and conflicts are also influenced by a welfare regime's societal solidarity norms. Our article highlights the value of analyzing solidarity frames and political solidarity conflicts within welfare‐state regimes to better understand welfare politics and policies.Related ArticlesKönig, Pascal D. 2015. “Moral Societal Renewal or Getting the Country Back to Work: Welfare State Culture as a Resource and a Constraint for Policy Discourse.” Politics & Policy 43(5): 647–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12130.Mioni, Michele, 2021. “The ‘Good Citizen’ as a ‘Respectable Worker:’ State, Unemployment, and Social Policy in the United Kingdom and Italy, 1930 to 1950.” Politics & Policy 49(4): 913–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12425.Wagle, Udaya R. 2014. “The Heterogeneity Politics of the Welfare State: Changing Population Heterogeneity and Welfare State Policies in High‐Income OECD Countries, 1980‐2005.” Politics & Policy 41(6): 947–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12053.