Report
Fostering tolerance and social trust and preventing value conflicts among young persons: How does school context play a role?
2019Lundberg, E.Conference report, Nordic Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time. Örebro University
What is this study about?
This extended conference report builds on a contribution to the conference Nordic Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time at Örebro University. The report discusses the significance of the school's social environment for the development of tolerance, social trust and values among young people. Based on research on young people's democratic development, it addresses both how schools can foster trust and tolerance and how experiences in the school environment can contribute to tensions and value conflicts.
What did we find?
The report highlights that young people's tolerance and social trust are not shaped solely by individual characteristics and family background; the school's social context also plays a role. Relationships between students, experiences of safety and vulnerability, and the school's social climate can be linked to how trust and tolerance develop. The school thus emerges as an important environment for young people's social and democratic development.
Why does it matter?
School is one of the few societal institutions where almost all young people regularly meet people with different experiences and backgrounds. The report shows why the school's democratic significance should therefore not be limited to teaching about democracy. The everyday experiences, relationships and social environments that schools offer can also matter for how trust, tolerance and democratic values develop during the adolescent years.
Citation
Lundberg, E. (2019) Fostering tolerance and social trust and preventing value conflicts among young persons: How does school context play a role?. Conference report, Nordic Education in a Democratically Troublesome Time. Örebro University
Research area
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