ABSTRACT

A limited number of empirical studies have explored pupils’ democratic practice and the direct experiences of school children using a qualitative approach. The aim of the present study has been to analyse pupils’ experiences of the practice of democratic rights in the context of the Norwegian school. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with pupils. Three prominent school arenas were focused on: the mandatory pupil-teacher dialogue, the pupil council and classroom discussions. Three main markers of democracy have been used in the data analysis: contextual openness, participation and the ability to engage in democratic discussions. The findings reveal that all three markers of democracy, although variously distributed, were visible in these school arenas. The findings in the study are discussed in terms of implications for the development of pupils’ future democratic competencies and the educational mandate schools have in preparing young people for adult participation in society.

摘要

数量有限的实证研究使用定性方法探讨了学生的民主实践和学童的直接经验。本研究的目的是分析学生在挪威学校背景下实践民主权利的经历。该研究采用定性方法，对学生进行半结构化访谈。三个著名的学校领域被集中在：强制性的师生对话、学生委员会和课堂讨论。数据分析中使用了民主的三个主要标志：背景开放性、参与性和参与民主讨论的能力。调查结果表明，民主的所有三个标志虽然分布不同，但在这些学校舞台上都是可见的。