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Social Gaps in the Forms of Learning and Political Engagement: 11–16-Year-Olds in England

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Part of the book series: Education, Economy and Society ((EDECSO))

Abstract

This chapter tests our theory of social reproduction of political engagement using the Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (CELS) dataset. First, it tests if young people (11–16) from more disadvantaged backgrounds have less access to the learning for political engagement in the form of political activities at school and an open classroom climate. Then, second, it tests if young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds actually gain more from political learning experiences at school. These hypotheses are tested in this chapter in the context of lower secondary education in England. The findings show that it is access to political learning that is creating the highest barrier to disadvantaged youth political engagement and that access to citizenship education slightly reduces inequalities in political engagement.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The effect of open climate on joining a political party in Round 3 is insignificant though. The effects of the learning sources do not change in models without the interaction terms. These models can be obtained from the authors upon request.

  2. 2.

    We only have measures for open classroom climate in Rounds 2 and 3, so from ages 13–14 to 15–16.

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Hoskins, B., Janmaat, J.G. (2019). Social Gaps in the Forms of Learning and Political Engagement: 11–16-Year-Olds in England. In: Education, Democracy and Inequality. Education, Economy and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48976-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48976-0_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

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