Educating for Social Good: Part 1
This ESRC funded research offers the first, nationwide, multi-disciplinary, critical analysis of how social, civic and philanthropic behaviours and attitudes are facilitated, encouraged and discussed in primary schools in England. We explore how children are taught to engage in active civic engagement, the role of teachers as civic agents and how children’s experience of having some agency impacts their civic journey.
This ESRC research offers the first, nationwide, multi-disciplinary, critical analysis of how philanthropic behaviours and attitudes are encouraged in primary schools in England. We are exploring how individuals are taught to give, particularly formally in school, most commonly as part of citizenship education, and how children’s experience of having some agency (or not) impacts their philanthropic learning experience. We understand this as ‘philanthropic citizenship’ defined as “a dimension of citizenship behaviour, associated with intentions and actions intended to produce public benefit for example helping, mutual aid, volunteering, social action, charitable giving and advocacy.”
From dressing up for Children in Need, donning a red nose for Comic Relief or donating food for the harvest festival, children regularly contribute towards charity. But while children may be involved in these fundraising activities from an early age, our research suggests that they may not always be given the opportunities to meaningfully engage in giving decisions. Encouraging children to give through rewards, such as a red nose or cup cake, means we teach giving as a passive, transactional act, which does not support children to critically engage in the cause behind the giving. In fact, primary school children have huge ideas about equality, giving, empathy and community. Our research explores how school is the vital space where children develop deeper understanding about giving by actively participating in giving decisions, community action, social action and social change, this project seeks to provide a look at what is happening in schools across the country and where we can learn from schools, teachers, school staff and most vitally of all, children.
This is the recording of the webinar launching the report on Wednesday 25th January 2023