Books by Kerry J Kennedy (甘國臻)
This book is concerned with the social and political aspects of regional groupings, particularly ... more This book is concerned with the social and political aspects of regional groupings, particularly how citizenship education fares in regional contexts. The European Union (EU) has revolutionised its political and economic aims into more encompassing social and political goals. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on the other hand, is still moving towards fuller integration in social and economic terms as South East Asian nations seek a greater role on the global stage and particularly in the global economy. Both the EU and ASEAN have drawn up educational frameworks that collectively work to harness educational achievements which in turn work to fulfill social and economic objectives at the regional level. This book portrays citizenship issues affecting the two regions and describes the way citizenship education can reflect and address these issues. Case studies on EU and ASEAN member countries make up the book’s two parts which analyse, among other issues:
The Changing Landscape of Citizenship Education in England
Political Didactics and Political Education in Germany
Rethinking a Conceptual Framework for Citizenship Education in ASEAN Countries
Education for ASEANness: A tool to build an ASEAN community
This book explores new ideas on citizenship and comparative education in regional contexts and will be of interest to researchers concerned with the impact of regionalism on social development and to citizenship educators studying the influence of contexts on the construction of citizenship education.
There is a flourishing literature on citizenship education in China that is mostly unknown in the... more There is a flourishing literature on citizenship education in China that is mostly unknown in the West. Liberal political theorists often assume that only in democracy should citizens be prepared for their future responsibilities, yet citizenship education in China has undergone a number of transformations as the political system has sought to cope with market reforms, globalization and pressures both externally and within the country for broader political reforms. Over the past decade, Chinese scholars have been struggling for official recognition of citizenship education as a key component of the school curriculum in these changing contexts. This book analyzes the citizenship education issues under discussion within China, and aims to provide a voice for its scholars at a time when China’s international role is becoming increasingly important.
Walk into a classroom in Tokyo, New York, London or Rotterdam, and the similarities in structure,... more Walk into a classroom in Tokyo, New York, London or Rotterdam, and the similarities in structure, activity, purpose and style will outweigh differences in language, dress and ethnic characteristics. Learning is regulated and rationed, teaching is a process or one-way transmission of knowledge, students need to be docile and conformist, assessment needs to sift and sort the bright from the not-so-bright, and rewards will be given to those who successfully negotiate this regime. But are these the kinds of places that can meet the needs of the 'net generation'?
The Changing Role of Schools in Asian Societies is concerned with the debate about the nature of modern schooling in Asia. Traditionally schools are historical constructions reflecting the social, economic and political needs of the societies that invest in them. As Asia faces the challenges posed by the 'knowledge economy', its schools have taken on a new and quite different importance. This informative book outlines the broad policy contexts in which these transformations are taking place and the practical strategies that are needed to meet this objective.
The authors argue that the future of Asian societies depends on a transformation that requires a fundamental restructuring of schools as we know them while maintaining their long-held cultural values. This valuable insight:
provides an overview of educational issues in Asian societies
establishes a broad theoretical framework in which these issues can be understood
contextualizes issues by providing country case studies
acknowledges the important role of culture influencing educational priorities.
It should be of interest to all those working in education policy and comparative education.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction - Schools for the 'Asian Education Century': Priorities and challenges Section 1: Cultures and Contexts Influencing Schools in Asia 2. Schools for the 'NET' generation in a diverse Asia 3. Schools and the Economy: A human capital perspective 4. Policy Contexts for Life-long Learning 5. Global Imperatives and Local Values: negotiating change in traditional societies 6. Creating Citizens for Globalized states: Traditional values for new times 7. Examination and Assessment Cultures Section 2 Strategies for Change in Asia's Schools 8. Curriculum Reform: School Based Curriculum Development as a Strategy for Asia's Schools 9. Teaching and Learning: Interaction Between East and West 10. Leadership for School Development 11. Teacher Development: Issues and Challenges 12. Evaluation for Educational Improvement 13. Partnerships for School Development 14. Conclusion - Schools for an 'Education Century' in a Divided Asia
This book is a landmark in citizenship and citizenship education discourse. It combines conceptua... more This book is a landmark in citizenship and citizenship education discourse. It combines conceptual debates with case studies on the question whether the notion of Asian Citizenship can be established, and if yes, what its research agenda would be. The book contains polemic discussion, empirical data analysis, consultancy reflections, and descriptions of citizenship education in Asian and Pacific countries. Its themes include citizenship paradigms, democratization, patriotism, social tolerance, globalization and information society, and colonialism. The volume explores various perspectives on citizenship, including Confucian, Islamic, humanist, global, indigenous, cultural, political, and comparative. The book covers a wide range of countries and regions, including China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Taiwan and Vanuatu.
Contents
Series Editor’s Foreword
Introduction
David L. GROSSMAN
Conceptual Debates
1.
Searching for Citizenship Values in an Uncertain Global Environment
Kerry J. KENNEDY
2.
Emerging Concepts of Citizenship in the Asian Context
W. O. LEE
3.
Muslim Views of Citizenship in Indonesia During Democratisation
Mary FEARNLEY-SANDER, Isnarmi MUIS and Nurhizrah GISTITUATI
Historical and Policy Perspectives
4.
Citizenship Education in Hong Kong: Development and Challenges
W. O. LEE
5.
A Solid Foundation: Citizenship Education in Japan
Lynne PARMENTER
6.
A Society in Transition: The Paradigm Shift of Civic Education in Taiwan
LIU Meihui
7.
New Bearings for Citizenship Education in Singapore
S. GOPINATHAN and Leslie SHARPE
Issues and Perceptions
8.
Perceptions of Citizenship Qualities Among Asian Educational Leaders
W. O. LEE
9.
Patriotic Education in a Chinese Middle School
Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER
10.
Promoting Social Tolerance and Cohesion in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
Suzanne MELLOR and Warren PRIOR
11.
The Making of a ‘Good Citizen’ in Malaysia: Does History Education Play a Role?
Anuar AHMAD
Comparative Perspectives
12.
Teachers’ Perceptions of Future Citizens in Hong Kong and Guangzhou
David L. GROSSMAN
13.
Multidimensional Citizenship, Confucian Humanism and the Imagined Community: South Korea and China
Gay Garland REED
14.
Values Education in the Global, Information Age in South Korea and Singapore
Young-Ran ROH
Reflective Analysis
15.
Concepts and Issues of Asian Citizenship: Spirituality, Harmony and Individuality
W. O. LEE
16.
Asian Perspectives on Citizenship Education in Review: Postcolonial Constructions or Precolonial Values?
Kerry J. KENNEDY and Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER
Based on case studies of 11 societies in the world’s most dynamic region, this book signals a new... more Based on case studies of 11 societies in the world’s most dynamic region, this book signals a new direction of study at the intersection of citizenship education and the curriculum. Following their successful volume, Citizenship Education in Asia and the Pacific: Concepts and Issues (published as No. 14 in this series), the editors, widely regarded as leaders in the field in the Asia-Pacific region, have gone beyond broad citizenship education frameworks to examine the realities, tensions and pressures that influence the formation of the citizenship curriculum. Chapter authors from different societies have addressed two fundamental questions: (1) how is citizenship education featured in the current curriculum reform agenda in terms of both policy contexts and values; and (2) to what extent do the reforms in citizenship education reflect current debates within the society? From comparative analysis of these 11 case studies the editors have found a complex picture of curriculum reform that indicates deep tensions between global and local agendas. On one hand, there is substantial evidence of an increasingly common policy rhetoric in the debates about citizenship education. On the other, it is evident that this discourse does not necessarily extend to citizenship curriculum, which in most places continues to be constructed according to distinctive social, political and cultural contexts. Whether the focus is on Islamic values in Pakistan, an emerging discourse about Chinese ‘democracy’, a nostalgic conservatism in Australia, or a continuing nation-building project in Malaysia - the cases show that distinctive social values and ideologies construct national citizenship curricula in Asian contexts even in this increasingly globalized era.
How are students in Asia and the Pacific taught to be effective citizens? Following two successfu... more How are students in Asia and the Pacific taught to be effective citizens? Following two successful volumes previously published in this series, Citizenship Education in Asia and the Pacific: Concepts and Issues and Citizenship Curriculum in Asia and the Pacific, this volume focuses on citizenship pedagogies that are promoted by governments in the region, advocated by scholars, and adapted in the schools and classrooms where citizenship education takes place every day. Thirteen case studies from diverse societies in Asia and the Pacific highlight the ways in which teachers and students think about, experience or plan for citizenship teaching and learning. Different methods – vignettes, student surveys, case studies and literature reviews – are used to portray these experiences, from both macro- and micro-analytic perspectives. The wide array of case studies provides rich information and insights into the realities and possibilities of pedagogies for citizenship across the region.
What we discover from this volume is as diverse and complex as the region itself. Conservative teacher-dominated pedagogies are common in many places, but more progressive pedagogies can also be found. In some places teachers struggle to implement new methods, while in others, students seem to be more radical than their teachers in seeking more engaging pedagogies. Many cases highlight also the pressures of examination cultures that influence teachers’ choices of and students’ preferences for particular pedagogical approaches. From a comparative perspective, the volume shows how pedagogical approaches from other contexts are interpreted locally, and how government directives are adapted in classrooms. It describes how integrated and hybrid pedagogical approaches evolve when teachers in the region struggle to respond to national, global and person-oriented approaches to citizenship education. As curriculum gate-keepers, some teachers in these case studies seek an appropriate instructional space by judiciously choosing pedagogies to suit their own conceptions of citizenship education. For other teachers there are more limited choices, because of strong societal mandates, perceived community expectations, or simply because of a lack of skills to teach in any other way.
Collectively these chapters constitute a remarkable study of the delivery of citizenship education across the region and of the variety of pedagogies that influence the lives of teachers and students in this context.
Papers by Kerry J Kennedy (甘國臻)
Citizenship Teaching and Learning, Apr 1, 2016
Journal of Education and Human Development, 2020
Hong Kong is moving towards a knowledge-based economy. In order to nurture and motivate a populat... more Hong Kong is moving towards a knowledge-based economy. In order to nurture and motivate a population to continuously achieve world-class success, Hong Kong"s education system has been reformed extensively since 1997, with a balanced focus on academic and practical learning. Generic forms of learning outcomes are critical to allow students to demonstrate high flexibility and adaptability in response to ever-changing challenges in the future. By using two well-validated instruments which measure students" achievement of generic learning outcomes and their engagement in schools, the cultural literacy and student engagement scales, this study aims to assess the development of generic learning outcomes of Hong Kong senior secondary school students, the extent to which students are well-equipped with the skills to succeed in a knowledge-based economy. The results of a survey study of 1,715 students inferred that their performances were not up to standard and questioned in particular the success of the New Senior Secondary (NSS) school curriculum. A regression model further suggested that these generic learning outcomes could largely be explained by how schools plan and facilitate students" learning inside and outside the classroom. It is argued that the primary role of NSS schools should focus to provide students with meaningful and useful learning experiences so as to achieve the curriculum goal of fostering their generic learning. This paper will contribute to the discussion of how to better support the NSS curriculum reform in Hong Kong. (234words)
Higher Education Studies, 2018
Students’ mental health is an alarming issue in Hong Kong, thereby increasing concern from psycho... more Students’ mental health is an alarming issue in Hong Kong, thereby increasing concern from psychologists, who attempted to implement positive education programs to equip students with skills to counteract mental health problems. This study followed the practice from positive psychology and conducted a Flourishing Life program based on the framework of the PERMA model in a secondary setting. The aims of the present paper are two-fold: to report the effort of the program and to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. A mixed-method sequential explanatory research design, including survey (n = 495) and subsequent two focus-group interviews (n = 8), was adopted to assess the program’s effectiveness. Results indicated that Forms Two and Three students (Grades 8 and 9) benefited more from the program than the Form One students (Grade 7). Overall, students reported that they had benefitted from the program. Findings provide supporting evidence to the whole-school approach program that operat...
Page 1. for Changing Times New Directions for the Schoo Curriculum in Hong Kong Kerry J. Kennedy ... more Page 1. for Changing Times New Directions for the Schoo Curriculum in Hong Kong Kerry J. Kennedy Page 2. Page 3. CHANGING SCHOOLS FOR CHANGING TIMES This One Page 4. Page 5. CHANGING SCHOOLS FOR CHANGING ...
Presents instances of curriculum development employing deliberation involving teachers
China: An International Journal, Nov 1, 2019
Journal of Curriculum Studies, Jan 2, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Jan 5, 2022
Educational studies, Jul 1, 2013
moral solidarity' and thus more relevant to his Just Community method. Kohlberg noted that Royce ... more moral solidarity' and thus more relevant to his Just Community method. Kohlberg noted that Royce 'had a theory of the early origin of the self in a social community through processes of communication and imitation which led to development' (p. 38). He also observed that Royce attended to the moral dilemmas of conflicting loyalties. While Royce's solution was to invoke a second-order principle, 'loyalty to loyalty,' Kohlberg invoked a second-order principle of 'loyalty to universal principles of justice and responsibility' as his solution (p. 41). Unlike Kohlberg and painter Ivan Aivazovsky whose works are renowned, Josiah Royce is often overlooked as one of the great American philosophers. There are signs, however, that their legacies are coming into better alignment. The most recent evidence of this change is Foust's Loyalty to Loyalty, in which he provides a deep, contextualized understanding of Royce's philosophy of loyalty. Foust, like Aivazovsky, paints a picture of 'the need for loyalty' and makes a provocative case that, perhaps, no virtue is more vital.
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc eBooks, 2017
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Books by Kerry J Kennedy (甘國臻)
The Changing Landscape of Citizenship Education in England
Political Didactics and Political Education in Germany
Rethinking a Conceptual Framework for Citizenship Education in ASEAN Countries
Education for ASEANness: A tool to build an ASEAN community
This book explores new ideas on citizenship and comparative education in regional contexts and will be of interest to researchers concerned with the impact of regionalism on social development and to citizenship educators studying the influence of contexts on the construction of citizenship education.
The Changing Role of Schools in Asian Societies is concerned with the debate about the nature of modern schooling in Asia. Traditionally schools are historical constructions reflecting the social, economic and political needs of the societies that invest in them. As Asia faces the challenges posed by the 'knowledge economy', its schools have taken on a new and quite different importance. This informative book outlines the broad policy contexts in which these transformations are taking place and the practical strategies that are needed to meet this objective.
The authors argue that the future of Asian societies depends on a transformation that requires a fundamental restructuring of schools as we know them while maintaining their long-held cultural values. This valuable insight:
provides an overview of educational issues in Asian societies
establishes a broad theoretical framework in which these issues can be understood
contextualizes issues by providing country case studies
acknowledges the important role of culture influencing educational priorities.
It should be of interest to all those working in education policy and comparative education.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction - Schools for the 'Asian Education Century': Priorities and challenges Section 1: Cultures and Contexts Influencing Schools in Asia 2. Schools for the 'NET' generation in a diverse Asia 3. Schools and the Economy: A human capital perspective 4. Policy Contexts for Life-long Learning 5. Global Imperatives and Local Values: negotiating change in traditional societies 6. Creating Citizens for Globalized states: Traditional values for new times 7. Examination and Assessment Cultures Section 2 Strategies for Change in Asia's Schools 8. Curriculum Reform: School Based Curriculum Development as a Strategy for Asia's Schools 9. Teaching and Learning: Interaction Between East and West 10. Leadership for School Development 11. Teacher Development: Issues and Challenges 12. Evaluation for Educational Improvement 13. Partnerships for School Development 14. Conclusion - Schools for an 'Education Century' in a Divided Asia
Contents
Series Editor’s Foreword
Introduction
David L. GROSSMAN
Conceptual Debates
1.
Searching for Citizenship Values in an Uncertain Global Environment
Kerry J. KENNEDY
2.
Emerging Concepts of Citizenship in the Asian Context
W. O. LEE
3.
Muslim Views of Citizenship in Indonesia During Democratisation
Mary FEARNLEY-SANDER, Isnarmi MUIS and Nurhizrah GISTITUATI
Historical and Policy Perspectives
4.
Citizenship Education in Hong Kong: Development and Challenges
W. O. LEE
5.
A Solid Foundation: Citizenship Education in Japan
Lynne PARMENTER
6.
A Society in Transition: The Paradigm Shift of Civic Education in Taiwan
LIU Meihui
7.
New Bearings for Citizenship Education in Singapore
S. GOPINATHAN and Leslie SHARPE
Issues and Perceptions
8.
Perceptions of Citizenship Qualities Among Asian Educational Leaders
W. O. LEE
9.
Patriotic Education in a Chinese Middle School
Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER
10.
Promoting Social Tolerance and Cohesion in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
Suzanne MELLOR and Warren PRIOR
11.
The Making of a ‘Good Citizen’ in Malaysia: Does History Education Play a Role?
Anuar AHMAD
Comparative Perspectives
12.
Teachers’ Perceptions of Future Citizens in Hong Kong and Guangzhou
David L. GROSSMAN
13.
Multidimensional Citizenship, Confucian Humanism and the Imagined Community: South Korea and China
Gay Garland REED
14.
Values Education in the Global, Information Age in South Korea and Singapore
Young-Ran ROH
Reflective Analysis
15.
Concepts and Issues of Asian Citizenship: Spirituality, Harmony and Individuality
W. O. LEE
16.
Asian Perspectives on Citizenship Education in Review: Postcolonial Constructions or Precolonial Values?
Kerry J. KENNEDY and Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER
What we discover from this volume is as diverse and complex as the region itself. Conservative teacher-dominated pedagogies are common in many places, but more progressive pedagogies can also be found. In some places teachers struggle to implement new methods, while in others, students seem to be more radical than their teachers in seeking more engaging pedagogies. Many cases highlight also the pressures of examination cultures that influence teachers’ choices of and students’ preferences for particular pedagogical approaches. From a comparative perspective, the volume shows how pedagogical approaches from other contexts are interpreted locally, and how government directives are adapted in classrooms. It describes how integrated and hybrid pedagogical approaches evolve when teachers in the region struggle to respond to national, global and person-oriented approaches to citizenship education. As curriculum gate-keepers, some teachers in these case studies seek an appropriate instructional space by judiciously choosing pedagogies to suit their own conceptions of citizenship education. For other teachers there are more limited choices, because of strong societal mandates, perceived community expectations, or simply because of a lack of skills to teach in any other way.
Collectively these chapters constitute a remarkable study of the delivery of citizenship education across the region and of the variety of pedagogies that influence the lives of teachers and students in this context.
Papers by Kerry J Kennedy (甘國臻)
The Changing Landscape of Citizenship Education in England
Political Didactics and Political Education in Germany
Rethinking a Conceptual Framework for Citizenship Education in ASEAN Countries
Education for ASEANness: A tool to build an ASEAN community
This book explores new ideas on citizenship and comparative education in regional contexts and will be of interest to researchers concerned with the impact of regionalism on social development and to citizenship educators studying the influence of contexts on the construction of citizenship education.
The Changing Role of Schools in Asian Societies is concerned with the debate about the nature of modern schooling in Asia. Traditionally schools are historical constructions reflecting the social, economic and political needs of the societies that invest in them. As Asia faces the challenges posed by the 'knowledge economy', its schools have taken on a new and quite different importance. This informative book outlines the broad policy contexts in which these transformations are taking place and the practical strategies that are needed to meet this objective.
The authors argue that the future of Asian societies depends on a transformation that requires a fundamental restructuring of schools as we know them while maintaining their long-held cultural values. This valuable insight:
provides an overview of educational issues in Asian societies
establishes a broad theoretical framework in which these issues can be understood
contextualizes issues by providing country case studies
acknowledges the important role of culture influencing educational priorities.
It should be of interest to all those working in education policy and comparative education.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction - Schools for the 'Asian Education Century': Priorities and challenges Section 1: Cultures and Contexts Influencing Schools in Asia 2. Schools for the 'NET' generation in a diverse Asia 3. Schools and the Economy: A human capital perspective 4. Policy Contexts for Life-long Learning 5. Global Imperatives and Local Values: negotiating change in traditional societies 6. Creating Citizens for Globalized states: Traditional values for new times 7. Examination and Assessment Cultures Section 2 Strategies for Change in Asia's Schools 8. Curriculum Reform: School Based Curriculum Development as a Strategy for Asia's Schools 9. Teaching and Learning: Interaction Between East and West 10. Leadership for School Development 11. Teacher Development: Issues and Challenges 12. Evaluation for Educational Improvement 13. Partnerships for School Development 14. Conclusion - Schools for an 'Education Century' in a Divided Asia
Contents
Series Editor’s Foreword
Introduction
David L. GROSSMAN
Conceptual Debates
1.
Searching for Citizenship Values in an Uncertain Global Environment
Kerry J. KENNEDY
2.
Emerging Concepts of Citizenship in the Asian Context
W. O. LEE
3.
Muslim Views of Citizenship in Indonesia During Democratisation
Mary FEARNLEY-SANDER, Isnarmi MUIS and Nurhizrah GISTITUATI
Historical and Policy Perspectives
4.
Citizenship Education in Hong Kong: Development and Challenges
W. O. LEE
5.
A Solid Foundation: Citizenship Education in Japan
Lynne PARMENTER
6.
A Society in Transition: The Paradigm Shift of Civic Education in Taiwan
LIU Meihui
7.
New Bearings for Citizenship Education in Singapore
S. GOPINATHAN and Leslie SHARPE
Issues and Perceptions
8.
Perceptions of Citizenship Qualities Among Asian Educational Leaders
W. O. LEE
9.
Patriotic Education in a Chinese Middle School
Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER
10.
Promoting Social Tolerance and Cohesion in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
Suzanne MELLOR and Warren PRIOR
11.
The Making of a ‘Good Citizen’ in Malaysia: Does History Education Play a Role?
Anuar AHMAD
Comparative Perspectives
12.
Teachers’ Perceptions of Future Citizens in Hong Kong and Guangzhou
David L. GROSSMAN
13.
Multidimensional Citizenship, Confucian Humanism and the Imagined Community: South Korea and China
Gay Garland REED
14.
Values Education in the Global, Information Age in South Korea and Singapore
Young-Ran ROH
Reflective Analysis
15.
Concepts and Issues of Asian Citizenship: Spirituality, Harmony and Individuality
W. O. LEE
16.
Asian Perspectives on Citizenship Education in Review: Postcolonial Constructions or Precolonial Values?
Kerry J. KENNEDY and Gregory P. FAIRBROTHER
What we discover from this volume is as diverse and complex as the region itself. Conservative teacher-dominated pedagogies are common in many places, but more progressive pedagogies can also be found. In some places teachers struggle to implement new methods, while in others, students seem to be more radical than their teachers in seeking more engaging pedagogies. Many cases highlight also the pressures of examination cultures that influence teachers’ choices of and students’ preferences for particular pedagogical approaches. From a comparative perspective, the volume shows how pedagogical approaches from other contexts are interpreted locally, and how government directives are adapted in classrooms. It describes how integrated and hybrid pedagogical approaches evolve when teachers in the region struggle to respond to national, global and person-oriented approaches to citizenship education. As curriculum gate-keepers, some teachers in these case studies seek an appropriate instructional space by judiciously choosing pedagogies to suit their own conceptions of citizenship education. For other teachers there are more limited choices, because of strong societal mandates, perceived community expectations, or simply because of a lack of skills to teach in any other way.
Collectively these chapters constitute a remarkable study of the delivery of citizenship education across the region and of the variety of pedagogies that influence the lives of teachers and students in this context.
Kerry J Kennedy
One of the unique features of the International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS 2009) was the inclusion of regional modules specifically for students in Europe, Asia and Latin America. This provides the opportunity to examine in more detail how different regional contexts might influence student understanding of citizenship and citizenship responsibilities.
The importance of context is particularly highlighted in Asia where varieties of democracy and multiply constructed cultures, religions and social mores provide unique challenges for both citizenship and citizenship education. Important attempts have been made to highlight the distinctiveness of these Asian contexts, (Lee, 2004, 2008) so that the philosophical contours are well known. Yet there have been very few comparative empirical studies seeking to understand the views of students across the region so this remains an important area for investigation.
This paper provides an introduction to the design of the ICCS 2009 Asian Regional Module indicating its conceptual underpinnings. A preliminary analysis of Korean, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Indonesian and Thai student responses to questions in each of the conceptual domains is provided. An assessment of these results is made for better understanding Asian students’ conceptions of citizenship and implications drawn for practice in citizenship education in Asian contexts.
Hong Kong has witnessed recently the emergence of the ‘post 80s’ generation’ as a new force in local politics. Initially styling themselves as the Anti-Express Railway Group (八十後反高鐵青年), they have signalled a new wave of civic engagement that appears to be more radical and less accommodating than traditional democracy advocates. Yet how did they become radical?
This presentation will review studies and present new analyses to show that when the ‘post 80s’ generation’ were adolescents they were by no means radical. Growing up in Hong Kong and going to school in the 90s did not provide an environment to nurture radicals. Based on a survey of a representative sample of adolescents towards the end of the century, the picture that emerges is of young people who, while socially conscious, were politically conservative and averse to being involved in the formal political system. Protest was the last thing on their minds and any illegal activities were not considered an option in relation to civic values. This was the ‘post-80s’ generation at age 15.
McLeod (2009) has suggested that political socialization research should be more focused on post adolescence than children and this seems to be good advice in the present case. The later years of schooling , post school experiences , mass media, home life and peer interactions seem to provide the main socialization contexts in which the ‘post 80s’ emerged from their relative conservatism to become radical. This suggests that democracy itself may not be a necessary condition for nurturing civic engagement. Rather, it maybe the very absence of democracy that serves as a socializing agent to turn conservative 15year olds into radical 20 year olds.