The examination of the secondary education students' democratic citizenship attitudes towards the formal and hidden curriculum

The aim of this research is the investigation of the secondary education students' democratic citizenship attitudes towards the formal and hidden curriculum. In the study, "Sequential Explanatory" which is one of types of mixed methods research design was used. The scanning model was conducted in quantitative phase and the case study was conducted in the qualitative phase of the study. Cluster sampling was used to collect quantitative data. With this method, 491 (94.60%) students were reached. "Democratic Citizenship Attitude Scale", "Perceived Democratic Family Environment Scale" "Perceived Democratic School Environment Scale", "Perceived Democratic Classroom Environment Scale", "Perceived Democratic Social Environment Scale" and personal information form were instruments used for collecting quantitative data. In the process of collecting qualitative data, maximum variation sampling was used in order to determine the students participating in focus group interviews. Focus group interviews were conducted with 31 volunteer students from the classes with the highest and lowest democratic citizenship attitude scores at each grade level. Extreme or deviant case sampling was used in order to determine the classrooms in which non-participant observations are made. With this approach, the classes with the highest and lowest democratic citizenship attitude scores were selected. Twenty-three hours of non-participant observations were performed in each selected class. In the analysis of formal curriculum, document analysis was applied. At the same time, various qualitative research data such as unstructured student and teacher interviews and field notes were collected. According to the results of the research, it is determined that the students have high democratic citizenship attitude scores. Democratic citizenship attitudes differed significantly in terms of gender, parental education levels and book reading frequency. The hidden curriculum items that affect democratic citizenship attitudes according to the data obtained from student and teacher interviews are collected under four themes: family, classroom, school and society. In the family environment, democratic citizenship attitudes are mostly influenced by family rules, freedom of expression and family pressure according to student opinions. According to the teachers, they are mostly influenced by the attitudes and behaviors of the parents. In classroom, democratic citizenship attitudes are mostly influenced by educational curriculum, tolerance and class rules according to student opinions. According to the teachers, they are mostly influenced by the attitudes and behaviors of the teachers. In the school environment, democratic citizenship attitudes are mostly influenced by lack of democratic practices and pressure according to student opinions. According to the teachers, they are mostly influenced by the value education. In the social environment, democratic citizenship attitudes are mostly influenced by gender discrimination, pressure and income injustice according to student opinions. According to the teachers, they are mostly influenced by the society pressure. The written curriculum influenced democratic citizenship attitudes within the framework of learning-teaching approach, basic skills, value education, assessment and evaluation and principles for the implementation of the program. The educational curriculum in use influenced democratic citizenship attitudes within the context of physical conditions, content, method, classroom relations, assessment and evaluation and decision making processes. The theoretical structural model has been established to determine the direct and indirect effects on democratic citizenship attitudes of perceived democratic environments in the family, classroom, school and social environment. The structural model has been confirmed. In the confirmed structural model, democratic citizenship attitudes were determined to be most influenced by active participation in the classroom.