Jaunimo mokyklų mokinių pilietiškumas

The research done by master degree studies student Diana Petrikiene is based on the main concepts and understandings of National as well as International developments of citizenship education. In the first part of the thesis author presents the short history of Civic Education in Lithuania based on the research work of M. Luksiene (1985) and presented in the articles of I. Zaleskienė (2000). It is shown that Civic education did play a strong role during the historical developments of Lithuanian educational system. The post sovietic educational developments are reflecting on these experiences and on the international ideas coming from democratic states. The first ideas of rebuilding Civic education was developed already in 1988 when the educational reform did start. In the contemporary rapid political transition, civic education is framed within a more progressive forward - looking vision accompanying processes of social and political change. Implementation of citizenship education is foreseen in the national documents (Core-Curriculum and Standards, 2004). Main goals of the citizenship education can be structured and achieved according following areas or the ways on which Citizenship education is organised in Lithuania. 1. Through formal curriculum: a) citizenship education is taught as a cross-curriculum. It means that Civic ideas, concepts, topics are integrated in the new developed curricular, textbooks, teaching and learning materials for whole variety of subjects and are already taught in the different grades, starting from 1st ending with 12th grades. For example, the course “Me and the World” is implemented in the primary school (grades 1-4); the History, Geography, Technology, Native Language and Literature, Political Science, Economics, Philosophy, Moral Education and act. These courses are very interrelated when it concerns educating the conscious and active citizens of Lithuanian State. b) the separate obligatory subject “The basics of Citizenship” is introduced to the 8 grade (one hour per week) and to the 10th grade (one hour per week). 2. Through extra - curriculum activities, the ways on which the school community is organize and school relations with the local communities. One of the most important factors helping for students to understand democracy in everyday life, to exercise the decision making skills and the skills of participation is the way on which school life is organized: does dialogue exist between students, between students and teachers, between teachers and parents, between teachers; does the teachers use democratic methods of teaching; does the students are encouraged to be responsible for the whole school community; does self-government of students exists, ect. In cooperation with local governmental and social institutions students have possibilities to learn about functions of social and political institution in real life; they can obtain necessary knowledge and skill for applying to these institution; they can identify problems their families are facing with; they can study how problems are saluted, act. Extra curriculum activities help students to improve their knowledge, skills and habits which are learned during formal educational process. 3. Through extending relations between students, school, local, Regional, National, European and World communities. Social environment play an important role in the Citizenship education and creates a good possibilities for applying the democratic skills, which are learned during the educational process. At the other hand, such kind of relations can help for further development Civic habits and responsibilities for the People future. The author of the thesis analyses and presents the results of her empirical study on civic achievements (civic knowledge, attitudes, participation skills) of the Youth school students (116 respondents). The results of the study let develop the conclusions and present them in the thesis: civic knowledge of the youth school students are good enough in comparison with the results coming from other research data. Students participation rate in the extracurriculum activities is quite law: only 27 % of respondents do participate.