Democracy in schools: qualitative analysis of pupils’ experiences of democracy in the context of the Norwegian school

Abstract

A limited number of empirical studies have explored pupils’ democratic practice and the direct experiences of school children using a qualitative approach. The aim of the present study has been to analyse pupils’ experiences of the practice of democratic rights in the context of the Norwegian school. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with pupils. Three prominent school arenas were focused on: the mandatory pupil-teacher dialogue, the pupil council and classroom discussions. Three main markers of democracy have been used in the data analysis: contextual openness, participation and the ability to engage in democratic discussions. The findings reveal that all three markers of democracy, although variously distributed, were visible in these school arenas. The findings in the study are discussed in terms of implications for the development of pupils’ future democratic competencies and the educational mandate schools have in preparing young people for adult participation in society.