Peer-reviewed article
School, friends, or a matter of personality? A multidimensional approach to exploring sources of tolerance among students
2018Lundberg, E.Nordic Studies in Education
What is this study about?
The study examines why some young people are more tolerant than others and the significance of various social and individual factors. Rather than seeking a single explanation, several possible sources of tolerance are analysed simultaneously, including personal characteristics, relationships with friends, and experiences of the school environment. The study thereby offers a multidimensional perspective on how tolerance is shaped during adolescence.
What did we find?
What matters most for young people's tolerance – school, friends, or individual characteristics? The results show that tolerance needs to be understood as the outcome of several factors operating simultaneously. Individual characteristics matter, but young people's social relationships and experiences at school also contribute to explaining differences in tolerance. The study thus shows that tolerance is not merely an individual attitude but develops in interaction with the social environments in which young people find themselves.
Why does it matter?
Tolerance is a central democratic competence in societies where people with different values, identities and lifestyles live together. To understand how tolerance can be promoted, we therefore need to know where and under what conditions it is formed. The study shows why it is insufficient to focus attention solely on the individual or on a single institution: young people's tolerance develops through the interplay between personal characteristics, social relationships and experiences at school.
Citation
Lundberg, E. (2018) School, friends, or a matter of personality? A multidimensional approach to exploring sources of tolerance among students. Nordic Studies in Education 38(2) 155–173
Research area
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