Democracy offers pathways to decolonisation, representation, accountability, transparency, individual rights, peaceful conflict resolution, social equity and justice, and adaptability, among others. Most of the world population lives in ‘democracies’, but they range from full to flawed and hybrid democracies, and around 36% live under authoritarian regimes. These figures are concerning, particularly as, in recent years, we have seen an increase in the election of governments and the emergence of fringe groups for whom equality and the rule of law are not priorities. Within this context, immediate and long-term strategies to strengthen democracies are required. This study explores one such strategy in education.
Democratic schools enable students to control their personal study plans, run the school with other school stakeholders, and have a voice in all school issues via deliberation and voting. Most schools within Australia fall into the Mainstream school category, which is defined by the absence of these features. Prior research describing the experiences of democratic students exists, but this study compares democratic and mainstream schools in the context of their democratic potential; an area which has yet to be extensively explored.
To answer the key research question, what key similarities and differences emerge between democratic and mainstream schools from the analysis of their policy documents and website content? I analysed data from mainstream and democratic schools (n=4) in Australia using qualitative content and thematic analysis methods. Six themes describing similarities and differences between the two school types vis-à-vis the schools’ salient features as well as beliefs that underpin them were identified. Notable were the stark differences in the conceptualisation of community, schools’ beliefs about students, and students’ voices. Unsurprisingly, students’ voices emerged as a key area of difference, but it was remarkable to discover the ways community conceptualisation and schools’ beliefs about students lead to the structures supporting students’ voices. The interrelated impacts of these three themes on other aspects of schooling are also meaningful. To summarise, a community of equals, with enabling beliefs about students, emerged as necessary for students’ voices and strong democracies to flourish in schools.
My research suggests that these themes are transferable across school systems and can help create authentic democracies in schools and, over time, can influence how democracies function.
Dr. Neha Singh
Dr Neha Singh is an academic at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Education. She specialises in interdisciplinary research with mixed methods, focusing on democracy, well-being, comparative education, and psychometrics. She is also a certified mental health first aider and brings a trauma-informed lens to teaching. She has an MA in Education from University College London and has worked for several years as a teacher, teacher-trainer, curriculum specialist, and researcher in different contexts.