Mothers' Perceptions of Citizenship, Practices for Developing Citizenship Conscience of Their Children and Problems They Encountered

Abstract

Family plays an important role in the development of citizenship awareness of children. The purpose of the present study is to figure out the citizenship perceptions of mothers, their practices for developing citizenship conscience of their children and to explore the problems they have encountered. In this study, critical case sampling method has been employed to collect data. The study was conducted in 2008 in a primary school where children from low and middle socio-economic levels were educated. The data of the study were gathered from .29 mothers through semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the majority of mothers perceived "citizen" as a person who accepts the values and ethics of the society and defined this person as a good citizen. While most of the mothers declared that they taught the mainstream moral norms and values to their children at home, only a few mothers stated that they informed their children in political literacy at home. Additionally, mothers stated that they faced with some problems due to economic conditions, educational issues, social environment, and communication instruments while they were enriching their children's citizenship awareness. This study suggests that mothers ought to be educated about active citizenship and they should be encouraged to participate in the learning activities in schools.