The School as a Social Field and Its Role in Political Socialization: A Case Study of Upper-Secondary Students in Markazi Province
Keywords:
Educational scholars, School, Social unitAbstract
This study aims to explore the role of the school as a social field in shaping the political socialization of upper-secondary students in Iran’s Markazi Province. A deductive quantitative design was adopted. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire based on theoretical and operational definitions of political socialization and four independent variables: communication with teachers, communication with peers, perception of extracurricular programs, and academic performance. A sample of 381 students was selected via stratified random sampling from a population of 45,059. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics included means and standard deviations, while inferential analyses involved Pearson correlation, ANOVA, and multiple regression. Inferential analysis revealed a significant relationship between teacher-student communication and students’ political socialization (p < 0.05). Peer networks were also significantly and positively correlated. Perception of extracurricular programs emerged as a significant predictor of political awareness, social commitment, and civic engagement. Academic performance was likewise significantly associated with political socialization. Multiple regression confirmed the predictive power of all four variables in explaining variance in political socialization. School serves not only as an educational institution but also as a critical agent in political socialization. Through both formal instruction and informal interaction, it contributes to shaping political identity and reproducing dominant sociopolitical norms in line with Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital and symbolic power.
Downloads
References
Amaruddin, H., Khafid, M., & Atmaja, H. T. (2020). Role of School: Habitus and Policies Towards Character Education. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.29-6-2019.2290241
Bogale, A. B., & Kibret, B. T. (2023). The Role of Parents, Schools, and Social Media Use in Influencing Civic Engagements of School Adolescents in Government Schools in Addis Ababa. Bje, 23(3), 83-101. https://doi.org/10.4314/bdje.v23i3.6
Brezicha, K. (2018). Reimagining Education's Role in the Imagined Community: Toward a More Comprehensive Theory of Political Socialization. The Good Society, 27(1-2), 29-60. https://doi.org/10.5325/goodsociety.27.1-2.0029
Collins, L., DuCassé, W., & Forsyth, R. (2021). Understanding the Political Landscape in Schools. 13-23. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197585160.003.0002
Cvrček, T., & Zajíček, M. (2013). School, What Is It Good For? Useful Human Capital and the History of Public Education in Central Europe. https://doi.org/10.3386/w19690
Dardiri, A., Purwastuti, L. A., Cathrin, S., & Priyoyuwono, P. (2020). The Role of Schools in Developing Political Education for the Novice Voters. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201221.057
Dinata, E. (2023). Legal Politics of Law Number 18 of 2018 Concerning Islamic Boarding Schools. Scientia, 2(1), 482-486. https://doi.org/10.51773/sssh.v2i1.198
Frederiks, G. H. (2017). Educational Developments, the Role of the School Library and the Teacher-Librarian in the Education of Blacks in South Africa With Special Reference to a Sample of Schools in the Cape Peninsula. Education Libraries, 18(2), 19. https://doi.org/10.26443/el.v18i2.66
Habibi, R. K., & Kusdarini, E. (2021). Strengthening Political Participation Through Education in Schools. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.210305.066
Hapsari, W. P., Sujati, K., & Haryanto, H. (2020). Exploring Children's Politics in School Setting: Evidence From Private School in Yogyakarta. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.4-8-2020.2302502
Jiajie, Z., & Wenming, Y. (2023). A Study of "Walking Classroom" in High School Civics Class With "Red and Green"—Take the Red Cultural Resources of Zigong City as an Example. Adult and Higher Education, 5(17). https://doi.org/10.23977/aduhe.2023.051703
Koskimaa, V., & Rapeli, L. (2015). Political Socialization and Political Interest: The Role of School Reassessed. Journal of Political Science Education, 11(2), 141-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2015.1016033
Kučerová, S. R., Šmíd, J., Navarová, E., & Doležal, M. (2024). School in the Rural Municipality as an Issue of Politics: Czech Mayors' Attitudes Towards the Role and Support of the Local Elementary School. European Countryside, 16(2), 251-268. https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2024-0014
Mahmood, N. A., & Mustafa, A. A. (2024). School of Law and Its Role in Training Lawyers in the South of Kurdistan (1908-1945). Twejer, 7(1), 535-564. https://doi.org/10.31918/twejer.2471.19
Mariën, S. (2017). Assessing the Role of Television, the Family, and the School in the Development of Political Trust in Adolescence. Social Science Quarterly, 98(3), 818-835. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12433
Rostovskaya, A. E. (2015). State University of Management’s Scientific School “Risk Management and Security Assurance for Social-Economic and Political Systems”. Upravlenie, 3(3), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.12737/13331
Smith, D. S. (2023). Visions of Deliverance: Social Scientization, Functionalism, and the Expansive Purposiveness of State Schooling in Nineteenth-Century British Parliamentary Politics. Social Science History, 47(4), 609-640. https://doi.org/10.1017/ssh.2023.13
Sohl, S., & Arensmeier, C. (2014). The School’s Role in Youths’ Political Efficacy: Can School Provide a Compensatory Boost to Students’ Political Efficacy? Research Papers in Education, 30(2), 133-163. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2014.908408
Thamrin, M. (2024). Socialization to Islamic Boarding School Caregivers in the Context of Increasing Community Political Participation in the 2024 Election in Jember Regency. J. Of., 2(4), 129-138. https://doi.org/10.32528/jhce.v2i4.2627
Zaiko, I. V., Zorin, V., & Lukanina, Y. (2022). School as an Agent of Political Socialization in Russia: Problems and Prospects of Development. Socium I Vlast(2), 53-63. https://doi.org/10.22394/1996-0522-2022-2-53-63
Викторович, Т. В. (2021). Regional Features of the Study of Elitogenesis (On the Example of the Rostov Scientific Elitological School). State and Municipal Management Scholar Notes, 4(4), 298-302. https://doi.org/10.22394/2079-1690-2021-1-4-298-302
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 رویا زنگباری (نویسنده); حسین اژدریزاده; محمد حسین پوریانی (نویسنده)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
