The dilemma of Children’s citizenship education: locating the child in the two approaches of

Hooshyar, Zahra; Shamshiri, Babak; Izadpanah, Amin

The dilemma of Children’s citizenship education: locating the child in the two approaches of "educating the future citizen" and "educating the active citizen"

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Master's student in Philosophy of Education, Shiraz University, Iran

² Associate Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Shiraz University, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Shiraz University, Iran.

Abstract

Generally, there exists a latent futuristic approach in almost every education which assumes childhood as a station to achieving a so-called ideal adulthood. The dominance of this view in citizenship education, which distinguishes the child as a future citizen, entering the society and acting actively only happens in adulthood. However, two major approaches in citizenship education can be identified in educational systems; the conservative approach and the progressive approach. In this study, we have tried to investigate the position of the child in these approaches through a reflective analysis. We have also embarked on identifying and analyzing each of these approaches’ goals in citizenship education. findings show that in the conservative approach, focuses on educating future citizens and the child has a passive position since children are educated for adulthood. The progressive approach, maintains an active position for the child, focuses on empowering the child to be an active member of society while being a child. This study concludes with a proposition of a life-world approach to children’s citizenship education which takes into account the goals of the active/progressive approach, considering the realities of the community in which the child lives, and the child is accepted as a social actor.

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