Elever och lärare på yrkesförberedande program - deras tankar kring undervisningsmetoder i samhällskunskapämnet
Students and teachers in vocational programmes - their thoughts regarding teaching methods in social sciences
In this examination project I look into what ways upper secondary school students conceive themselves as politically influenced before they voted for the general election of 2010. The purpose is to examine which influences the upper secondary school surroundings and the classes of civic education are contributing with to students before they voted. As a method, I have used personal, semi-structural interviews on eight upper secondary school students who all voted for a party represented in the parliament. I have asked questions about how they believe their parents, the surroundings of their school and the classes of civic education have influenced them. To separate which influences primarily the upper secondary school and the classes of civic educations have had on the students, I have selected two comparison groups of four students in each. One group contains only parent-influenced students whereas the other group contains only not parent-influenced students. My findings show that the upper secondary school surroundings have played an important part to both student groups and the outcome may be theoretically generalized to all upper secondary school students studying natural science. The influences related to the classes of civic education have had a diversified outcome, mostly on not parent-influenced students. Therefore, this piece of result cannot be theoretically generalized to all natural science students. Not parent-influenced students also perceive themselves as more influenced by miscellaneous meaningful people, than do parent-influenced students. I understand the results as students not concurring with their parents politically, are more inclined to chase their political identity among their peer friends and other meaningful people. They are also more open-minded in the teaching moments of political parties, also during the political debate throughout the civic education. Finally, I discuss how the results should be viewed by teachers in civic education and what role the upper secondary school continues to play, as a political socialization agent.