Research on Institutional and Policy-Based Support for Reducing Civic Empowerment Gap in America

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K14010
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Education
• Research Institution: Osaka International College
• Principal Investigator: Furuta Yuichi 大阪国際大学短期大学部, その他部局等, 准教授 (20791958)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 市民性教育 / アメリカ / 教育政策 / 教育制度

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Many disadvantaged youth in the United States are suffering from a profound "civic empowerment gap", which is a widespread marginalization of those youth from civic engagement and civic education. This research focuses on how state government and district office can help reduce this gap through their institutional and policy-based supports. Through a case study of the state of Illinois and Chicago Public Schools, it became clear that they tackle with the severe problem of civic empowerment gap through multi-dimensional support. While state government creates and supports a new mandate, well-designed civics course, district office and other agencies help schools make a school-wide environment so that students can learn citizenship throughout their school life. It was implied through our school-site visit that this kind of multi-dimensional approach could be effective.

Free Research Field

教育学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本でも18歳選挙権／成人の動きを背景に、主権者教育や市民性教育への注目が高まっている。ただし種々の制約ゆえに、それらも限定的な実践にとどまりやすい傾向にあり、またその機会も必ずしも幅広い子どもに十分に保障されているとは言い難い。こうした中で、本研究で明らかにした市民性教育を広範かつ持続的に展開するための制度的・政策的支援の構造は、日本において幅広い子どもや学校において実践を推し進めるうえで示唆に富む。また、公民科や社会科といった特定の科目だけでなく、学校全体で市民性教育に取り組むという、市民性教育を視点とした学校づくりの重要性も示唆される。