Good Citizenship: What Students In Rural Schools Have To Say About It

Abstract

Political events both in the United States and around the world have led to a resurgence of interest in citizenship education. With this in mind, we conducted a study in rural schools to determine the perceptions of eighth and eleventh grade students regarding citizenship. We wanted to find out what rural students believe are the attributes of a good citizen; what activities they are currently participating in that are related to good citizenship; and what citizenship activities they see themselves performing ten years later in life. The results of the study indicate that students' views of citizenship were grounded in community service or what we consider civic engagement, rather than in political engagement. For these students, voting and holding political office belonged in the future; their focus was on the present. Therefore, we suggest that the concept of citizenship may be age-appropriate – that is, students function as citizens within the limitations of their age and their environment. Consequently, while they do not have full rights and responsibilities under the law, students participate in activities that constitute being a good citizen, and these activities may lead to various forms of political engagement in the future.

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