The contribution of schools to societal participation of young adults: The role of teachers, parents, and friends in stimulating societal interest and societal involvement during adolescence

Western European societies are confronted by significant new challenges. Recent welfare state reforms have increased the importance of citizens’ interdependency and governments have been appealing to citizens to participate in society without relying on governmental institutions. Many countries have placed greater responsibility on schools in order to enable and stimulate them to focus on citizenship and contribute actively to students’ participation in society. By using longitudinal data, this book shows in four quantitative empirical studies to what extent schools can contribute the social development of their students during adolescence and additionally their participation in society as adults. The findings show that teachers can increase students’ interest and stimulate their involvement in society by creating positive interrelations with their students and by making students aware of issues that are ongoing in society. In stimulating students to become increasingly interested and involved in society, students become more likely to participate in society as young adults. Additionally, findings indicate that teachers are able to compensate for social inequalities due to adolescents’ home situations with respect to being interested and feeling involved in society. The results therefore show that teachers can contribute to the social development of adolescents and in this way stimulate them to actively participate in society as adults. This thesis confirms—what school policies in many developed countries assumed—that schools can promote societal participation and, to some degree, contribute to overcoming challenges due to eroding social coherence and advancing the transition toward participatory societies