Mapping elementary students' understandings of the police

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11576/jsse-6865

Keywords:

police, social institutions, phenomenography, civics, teaching

Abstract

Highlights:

– Research on conceptual change in civics is needed.

– Phenomenography is useful for mapping different ways of understanding a particular concept, in this case, the different ways elementary students understand the police.

– Civics teaching can benefit from mapping understandings of phenomena such as different social institutions.

 

Purpose: Investigate first- to third-graders’ understandings of the police.

Design/methodology/approach: Phenomenography is used to analyze elementary students’ understandings of the police as a social institution

Findings: The results indicate three qualitatively different ways of understanding the police. The police as: attributes, activities and as a part of the democratic welfare state.

Practical implications: Civics teaching that aims to develop students’ understandings of the police can benefit from taking the three different ways of understanding into consideration.

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Further information

Published

2024-10-01

How to Cite

Andersson, K., & Larsson, K. (2024). Mapping elementary students’ understandings of the police. JSSE - Journal of Social Science Education, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.11576/jsse-6865

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Section

Article