1st Edition

The Development of Political Attitudes in Children

By Judith V. Torney-Purta Copyright 2006
    316 Pages
    by Routledge

    316 Pages
    by Routledge

    Based on a study of 12,000 elementary school children in eight large and medium-sized American cities, this book presents the first large-scale study of political attitude formation in children. The authors view political development from the perspective of a general theory of socialization, and compare the influences of social class, intelligence, teacher attitude, and religious membership on the growth of political attitudes.

    The book outlines the way in which the child's political awareness evolvesfrom identification with authority figures such as father, policeman, the president, to a grasp of more abstract political concepts and the rudiments of political participation. Illuminating a topic of great theoretical concern and practical educational importance, the book is a significant contribution to the fields of political sociology, child development and educational psychology, and an important reference work for all concerned with the processes of socialization and of attitude formation in general.

    The Development of Political Attitudes in Children was based on a major survey, the first of its kind, begun at the University of Chicago in 1960 to as certain information about the induction of children into the political life of the United States, to describe the nature of socialization into citizenship roles, and to examine pre-adult political learning and behavior in terms of other implications for the stability of the political system.

    List of Figures, List of Tables, Introduction to the Aldine Transaction Edition, Preface, 1 The Participation of Children in Political Life, 2 Acquisition of Attitudes and Attachment to the Nation, 3 Attachment to Government and Regard for Law, 4 Strategies for Exerting an Effect upon the Political System, 5 The Family and the School as Agents of Socialization, 6 The Effects of Religious Affiliation and Peer Group Participation, 7 Social Class and Intelligence as Mediating Factors, 8 The Influence of Sex Role Orientation, 9 The Impact of Party Affiliation, 10 Summary and Conclusions, APPENDIX A: Method of the Study, APPENDIX B: Demographic Information, APPENDIX c: Item Combinations and Scaling Descriptions, APPENDIX D: Supplementary Figures and Tables, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX

    Biography

    Judith V. Torney-Purta