The participation of youths-students in secondary schools: learning, generational relations, and political inventiveness

Abstract

This study addresses initiatives concerning training and encouraging the participation of secondary school students. Data originated from the collaborative study Smart citizens for participatory cities (2017-2018), conducted by researchers affiliated to universities in Argentina, Brasil, Spain, and Mexico. The objective of this qualitative study was to understand the “gap existing between youths’ civic experience in the formal education sphere and their lives as citizens.” First, a bibliographic survey was performed on the secondary education structure and public initiatives directed to youth sectors and segments in each participating country. Next, discussion groups were organized in each school, and the students’ sociodemographic data were collected (i.e., nature of the teaching institutions, school year, age group, sex/gender, and whether the students had a paid job). In Brazil, 58 female and male students, aged between 16 and 19, belonging to urban middle-class families living in different cities in the state of São Paulo, participated. Interpretation of pedagogical propositions, school dynamics, and culture intended to train and encourage student participation was based on the sociology of youth and education. How students appropriate these propositions, and the meanings they assigned were also addressed in addition to their learning and experiences participating in school life. In addition to intergenerational tensions and intergenerational inventiveness permeating the actions within schools, this study highlights the critical role adult generations play in the political learning of younger generations.