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Democracy, the role of schools in a democracy and the role of democracy in schools

University of British Columbia

This thesis is in two parts. First, the relationship between different models of democracy is explored to determine if certain forms are more democratic than other forms. Second, the relationship between the more democratic models and schools is examined. This research draws on literature from Political Science, Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Education. In the first part of the thesis, the Representative, Participatory, Capitalist and Liberal forms of democracy are compared and contrasted. Components of the Representative and Capitalist Democracies were found to exist quite prominently in today's society. Unfortunately, these two forms are not found to be the more democratic forms. The Participatory and Liberal Democracies are, respectively, close cousins to the Representative and Capitalist Democracies and are found to be more democratic. The Participatory and Liberal Democracies can be realised more fully if autonomy in the private sphere and participation in the public sphere are fostered. Schools can play an important part in promoting autonomy and participation for a democracy. The roles of schools in a society, which Dewey explored, all allow for autonomy and participation. There needs to be a Political Education to foster participation and a Social Education to foster autonomy. Autonomy and participation can be realised by teaching critical thinking and competent dialogue in schools. Any such education, to be justified, must not infringe on parents' rights. To promote critical thinking and competent dialogue, structures in the school need to be democratic. The structures which need to be democratised include authority and how teachers teach the hidden and prescribed curricula. Authority needs to be more democratic by including the input of parents, teachers, the state, and students in their final years of secondary school. Teachers are an important link to teaching the prescribed and hidden curricula. They need to understand the importance of competent dialogue and critical thinking whenever they teach students. This understanding needs to be stressed in teacher-training programs.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-07-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/10431

Educational Studies

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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