Investigation of active citizenship perception amidst high school teachers and students

Investigation of Active Citizenship Perception Amidst High School Teachers and Students Active citizenship is vital for any country looking to improve democratic understanding, increase social cohesion and strengthen its democracy. An active citizen who can fulfill his duties and claim his rights knows that all citizens in the society are connected and can focus beyond individual gains and can help strengthen the ties in the community. Active citizens that are aware of their responsibilities against the society, that knows the meaning of rights and freedoms and can execute them, who participate in the decision-making process and volunteer would help improve the democracy in the country. The aim of this research is to analyze the active citizenship perception among high school teachers and students according to different variables. The forming of students' active citizenship perception is related to appropriate school environment in addition to teachers' active citizenship understanding and their capabilities. In this research, students taking education and teachers working in İzmir district for the 2021-2022 education semester are included. The total number of students is 8298 while total number of teachers in the study is 1139. In the research, first an active citizenship scale is developed and have been tested for reliability and validity. Afterwards data is collected and analyzed using SPSS and LISREL statistical package programs. According to the results of the research, teachers' perception of active citizenship and its sub-dimensions differ according to gender, father's education level, whether there is anyone in the family working in a non-governmental organization, and the amount of reading they do besides their own field of education. Meanwhile, education level of teachers' mothers, , education level of teachers, the seniority of teachers' and daily internet usage does not show any significant difference in terms of active citizenship among teachers. Student active citizenship perception and its sub-dimensions depend on the class, the type of school attended, the gender of the students, the education level of the father, the grade point average, the perceived family income level, whether there is someone in the family working in a non-governmental organization, the average daily usage time of the internet and how often other than textbooks. books, magazines etc. It shows a statistically significant difference according to what they read. In terms of mothers education level, students' perception of active citizenship and its sub-dimensions does not show any significant difference. Keywords: Active Citizenship, Teacher Active Citizenship Perception, Student Active Citizenship Perception, Teacher Active Citizenship Scale, Student Active Citizenship Scale