Learning active citizenship: conflicts between students’ conceptualisations of citizenship and classroom learning experiences in Lebanon

Abstract

Education for active citizenship continues to be a critical response for social cohesion and reconstruction in conflict-affected areas. Oftentimes, approaches to learning and teaching in such contexts can do as much harm as good. This study qualitatively examines 435 students’ reflections of their civics classroom learning experiences and their existing conceptualisations of good citizenship. The majority of students revealed notions of citizenship representing high levels of engagement in community-building activities. Furthermore, students either described or illustrated how the prescriptive nature of the textbook and memorisation of material contradicted their notions of active citizenship. While details of how students conceptualised active citizenship illustrated formal and informal learning opportunities, the findings suggest that civics as currently instructed in classrooms may, by and large, be undermining the aims of education in Lebanon for active citizenship.

Keywords:

• citizenship education
• post-conflict
• classroom learning
• qualitative
• student conceptualisations
• active citizenship
• civics

Acknowledgements

The author is thankful for the technical support of Professor Hugh Starkey at the Institute of Education, University of London, in the development of the student survey pack and revisions of the analyses. Also, the author is grateful to all of the students for participating so enthusiastically and to the teachers and principals who showed interest and provided access to their classrooms.