Spolne razlike i školsko iskustvo u razvoju svijesti i prakse građanstva mladih
Gender Differences and Educational Experience in the Development of the Sense and the Practice of Citizenship of Young People

Summary/Abstract: Two analyses have been carried out for the purpose of this study. The first refers to the analysis of the gender differences in the development of civil sense (understanding citizenship) and the practice of citizenship (practicing citizenship). The second refers primarily to the analysis of the variables of the “school experience” (the school climate or the perceived opportunity for an open classroom discussion, and the variables of the perceived tasks of classroom learning or education) and how they influence the expected voting behaviour of adults. The findings were compared to similar international comparative studies (the 2001 IEA study, C. Hahn’s study of 1998). Our study has shown that the gender differences regarding the civil political sense and the culture among young people have been diminishing but have not fully disappeared, and that there are significant differences among individual countries in that respect. Our research has shown that there are significant gender differences in their understanding of citizenship; these differences are somewhat smaller for the variable of the practice of citizenship among high-school students. However, those differences are not particularly pronounced. It seems that it is no longer justified to talk about civil political culture as “male culture”, though gender still creates marked differences – but no longer solely in favour of men. We have not come to the end of the road leading to a balanced civil political culture yet, at least regarding gender. And secondly, our study has shown that the political education of students and the perceived tasks of political education in schools influence the expected adult voting behaviour. This confirms the thesis that the clasroom political education is relevant, at least to a limited degree, for the key variables of civil sense and practice.

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