ABSTRACT

The abilities of citizens to make themselves heard and listen to each other are essential for the functioning of democratic societies. Schools are practice grounds for these citizenship competences. This study investigates whether students’ experiences with voice in school are related to their attitudes towards voice (contributing and listening democratically), and how a democratic school culture affects this relation. Overall, 5297 students, from 240 classrooms, in 81 Dutch secondary schools, participated in the study. Results of multilevel analyses revealed that students’ voice experiences at school, their own and those of their classmates, are positively related to students’ attitudes towards contributing and listening democratically. This relation is not affected by a democratic school culture. These findings underline the relevance of opportunities to practice voice at school for all students and of the social nature of practicing voice. More generally, this study illustrates the importance of understanding schools as practice grounds for citizenship.

摘要

公民表达自己意见和相互倾听的能力对于民主社会的运作至关重要。学校是这些公民能力的实践场所。本研究调查了学生在学校的发言权体验是否与他们对发言权的态度（民主地贡献和倾听）有关，以及民主的学校文化如何影响这种关系。总体而言，来自 81 所荷兰中学 240 间教室的 5297 名学生参与了这项研究。多层次分析的结果表明，学生在学校的声音体验，包括他们自己的和同学的，与学生对贡献和民主倾听的态度呈正相关。这种关系不受民主学校文化的影响。这些发现强调了所有学生在学校练习发声机会的相关性以及练习发声的社会性质。更一般地说，这项研究说明了将学校理解为公民实践场所的重要性。