Abstract
The study investigates Norwegian primary school children's immediate responses to “What do you think of when you hear the word ‘politics’?” It examines children’s perceptions of the concept of politics, their emphasis, and how they communicate their perceptions, providing information about children’s political socialization, knowledge, and understanding as well as early conceptual learning. The data come from group interviews with 36 children (20 second-graders and 16 fourth-graders). The study was not longitudinal but emphasized differences in the content of children’s perceptions. The analysis identifies four different categories of children`s perceptions. These vary according to their emphasis, their apparent associative political knowledge, and their ability for political conceptualization. The different categories show what can be described as an observed development in children’s perceptions. Fourth graders’ perceptions appears broader than second graders’. They display more associative political knowledge, extending beyond keyword concepts and political actors. Fourth graders demonstrate understanding of political concepts, capacity for political conceptualization, and the ability to critically think regarding political issues and to argue for/against them. Both age groups show knowledge of foreign political contexts, suggesting that the political socialization context of children in the 21st century might be a lot broader than that of children a few decades ago.
Response to this Article
Evy Jøsok, Teaching politics as a corrective to pupils’ immediate conceptions.
Recommended Citation
Utler, S. J.
().
“The Blue Party? No, Wait, Is There Really a Blue Party?” A Study of Young Norwegian Children’s Perceptions of Politics.
Democracy & Education,
34
(1), Article 1.
Available at:https://doi.org/10.65214/2164-7992.1731
Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Political Science Commons