Levels of democracy in primary education : an international comparative study

Abstract

This study is a comparative international inquiry between two schools set in two different geographical levels. It compares and contrasts levels of democracy between a Maltese primary state school coined as Peprina Primary and Summerhill School, a private, self-governing school in Leiston, England. Three degrees of democratic measurements, the thin, thick and robust are distinguished. Empirical data are collected through personal observations, interviews and focus groups. Data is also gathered through a review of philosophical, sociological and psychological scholarly articles and books. A triangulation of three different levels of participants construes the qualitative research and produces an in-depth investigation. The democratic thinness of Peprina Primary reveals dysfunctional relationships between the Directorates of Education, the College System, teachers and students. The school operates in an ambiance of fear from the bureaucracy of the Education Directorate and College System, fear of future academic failure and fear of trust. On another level, students express disapproval towards the banking system of education, imposed academic-based curriculum and minimal agency to the school political system. Where democracy is robust, as in Summerhill School, and staff and students enjoy equal political and social status, the community life prevails over these forms of fear. Staff and students enjoy inner happiness and self-fulfillment as they thrive to cultivate a strong sense of personal responsibility and ownership to learning.