La ciudadanía en la adolescenciaUna mirada desde la Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación

Resumen

Citizenship In Adolescence: An Approach From Developmental Psychology And Education Abstract: The aim of this doctoral thesis focuses on knowing the conceptions adolescents have of citizenship and politics. It also focuses on their attitudes and opinion toward immigration and the subject called Citizenship Education. To that end, two studies were conducted. The first study has a transversal nature and the second one has a longitudinal nature. The latter has the form of a panel. In the first study participated 130 students of 2º ESO (mean age: 13;9, n= 65) and 4º ESO (mean age: 15;11, n= 65) from four different schools –two State schools (n= 65) and two Catholic State-subsidised schools (n= 65)– located in Santander (Spain). 28 adolescents participated in the second study in two specific moments: when they were 13;8 years old and when they were 15;8 years old. The adolescents attended two schools: the first one is a State school (n= 13) and the second one is a religious State-subsidised school (n= 15) sited in Santander too. Both the transversal and the longitudinal study were conducted following the clinical interview method proposed by Piaget. Hence, each participant was interviewed individually. The adolescents' notions regarding two civic axes -citizenship and rights and duties- and one political axis –forms of government- were analysed in the first study. Their attitudes toward immigrants and their view of immigration were analysed too. In last place, their perception regarding the subject called Citizenship Education was analysed. Two civic axes were analysed in the second study only: citizenship and the citizen’s rights and duties. The adolescents’ opinion on the subject called Citizenship Education was also analysed. Our results show a progress in the adolescents’ conceptions, between their middle adolescence and the beginning of their late adolescence, with regard to certain civic issues such as the notion of slave; knowledge of a greater number of rights and specific legal documents; and the mechanisms aimed at protecting our rights. There is also a progress with regard to certain political issues, according to the more elaborate and sophisticated representation of democracy and dictatorship evidenced in the beginning of their late adolescence. Likewise, out data have allowed us to identify certain differences in terms of gender that reveal opposing trends. For example, both in the first and the second study, the female adolescents have shown more informed conceptions of the foundations of citizenship, while the male adolescents evidenced greater knowledge of dictatorship as a form of government. As far as the type of school is concerned, although those students from the State-subsidised school have far more advanced conceptions that their counterparts from the State school regarding most of the civic-political issues analysed, the latter have more positive attitudes toward immigration. Finally, the experience of taking the subject called Citizenship Education decreases the perception of its usefulness. Specially, in state-subsidised schools. Additionally, this subject is implemented differently in the different types of schools. While a participative methodology prevails in Statesubsidised schools, the traditional or laissez-faire methods dominate in State schools.