Schools as Sites of Activism: Students' Political Socialisation and Activism at School

Abstract

This paper explores students' political socialisation and activism at school. It draws on research from two datasets: interviews with 24 activists aged 15–25, and data from a national survey of 1600 school students in Wales. Wales offers a unique perspective as a case study for the enactment of young people's civil and political rights, given the focus on children's agency and citizenship in Welsh policy and legislation. The political socialisation of young activists in the study largely occurred outside of school through engagement with social movements and social media. However, participants also viewed school as a space for activism. They described attempts to change their school policies on a variety of environmental and social justice issues. They were sceptical about institutional forms of participation, such as school councils, and preferred student-led advocacy groups or more disruptive forms of activism as more effective avenues for change-making. Participants did not readily connect their activism to ideas encountered in lessons, suggesting that the official curriculum did not sensitise them politically. However, the hidden curriculum—including informal conversations with politically engaged teachers and witnessing strike action—did appear to foster their motivation for change. The research indicates that young people are claiming expertise on social justice issues and challenging hierarchical models of teaching and learning in line with critical pedagogic principles.