Demokratiforståelse og intensjoner i demokratioppdragelsen. Norske læreplaner mellom 1974 og 2010

Abstract

A democracy requires politically educated citizens who are capable of actively participating in the democracy. The school has played, and plays an important role in this context. This article contains an examination of four separate Norwegian curricula in light of three different understandings of democracy, these being communitarian, deliberative and liberal. Content analysis of the curricula’s general and principle components as well as a study of two subjects has been completed (social studies and Norwegian). This analysis reveals that the range between these understandings of democracy differs among the various curricula, a factor which also affects what is emphasized to students during their democratic cultivation. The role of democratic citizen is a role that must be acquired, in turn requiring clarity with respect to how this role is to be interpreted by the individual.