The politics of future citizens (The Jossey-Bass behavioral science series) - Hardcover

Niemi, Richard G

9780875892252: The politics of future citizens (The Jossey-Bass behavioral science series)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0875892256 ISBN 13: 9780875892252

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 1974

Previous research on the growth of political awareness in children-political socialization-was limited in several important respects; it was conducted almost exclusively on white, urban, American children; it was based largely on mass questionnaire data; it gave little attention to the relationship between early learning and adult behavior; and it was confined to brief periods in the life of the child. So, while research on political socialization has produced theories of potential consequence for political science, psychology, and education, they are theories founded on highly questionable assumptions. To correct these deficiencies, new research, promising fresh data, new interpretations, and original viewpoints, is now underway. This book presents some of the first findings. Base on relatively untried methods, such as three-wave panel analysis and in-depth interviews with children, contributors report the differences in political viewpoint of majority and minority group children; weigh the effect of the general political climate and the politics of the family; assess the relationship between language environment and political belief; offer new measurements in the stability of party ties; provide a comparative perspective by analyzing the transmission of political attitudes I Sweden; describe the latest research on the curriculum of political education; and present a theory that shows how generational change contributes to the periodic "critical elections" in American history. The issues central to this book-how children learn about politics, the nature of the politics they learn, and the effects of this learning on individual lives and the political system-take on an added significance at a time when the darker side of political institutions is in full view.

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