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Perceptions of Social Studies Students

About Citizenship: A Study of Jordanian
Middle and High School Students
Khaled Alazzi & John J. Chiodo
Published online: 03 Jun 2008.

To cite this article: Khaled Alazzi & John J. Chiodo (2008) Perceptions of Social Studies Students About
Citizenship: A Study of Jordanian Middle and High School Students, The Educational Forum, 72:3, 271-280,
DOI: 10.1080/00131720802046123

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 The Educational Forum, 72: 271–80, 2008
Copyright © Kappa Delta Pi

Perceptions of Social
Studies Students About
Citizenship: A Study of
Jordanian Middle and
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High School Students

by Khaled Alazzi and John J. Chiodo

Abstract
Because of the recent resurgence of interest in citizenship education
caused by world conflicts, the authors studied the perceptions of eighth- and
eleventh-grade students regarding citizenship. Their findings yield insight into
what students believe to be the attributes of a good citizen; which participatory
activities relate to being good citizens; and, finally, what civic activities students
see themselves performing ten years later in life.

The tragedy in Amman, Jordan on November 11, 2005 and the war in Iraq have
brought a wave of patriotism to communities across Jordan. Images of the destruction
and heroism of citizens filled the television screens in schools, homes, and businesses
throughout the country. Jordanians responded to the tragedy and the war with amazing
unity. After November 11, people gave their time and money to help with the massive
cleanup and physical and emotional healing that needed to take place. Young men and
women put aside their jobs and careers to fight terrorism. Jordan was no longer just a na-
tion of individuals or groups seeking support for its own needs. Jordanians were united
under a common concern—for families of fellow Jordanians who perished or those who
were injured in the tragedy of the hotels and for friends and family members serving their
country halfway around the world.

Social studies teachers began to discuss a variety of topics related to the events. Teachers
and students explored in their classrooms such topics as terrorism, the American invasion of
Iraq, Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, and patriotism. Being a good citizen seemed to be-
come the topic of discussion for all teachers; students; and, for that matter, all Jordanians.

Yet, teachers who address the concept of citizenship in the Jordanian public schools
must realize that citizenship is more than the feeling of patriotism that arose out of the
November 11 tragedy and the war in Iraq. Teachers must help students to understand

The Educational Forum • Volume 72 • 2008 • 271

 Alazzi and Chiodo

that political participation to protect

their country is vital to Jordan’s future

Teachers who address the existence as a nation. Simply being

patriotic is not enough.
concept of citizenship in the Historically, Jordan’s founding
Jordanian public schools fathers believed that one of the most
must realize that citizenship important duties of a citizen was to
prioritize the needs of society over
is more than the feeling of one’s own selfish desires. For the late
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King Hussein, as well as others, staying

patriotism that arose out of informed and participating in political
the November 11 tragedy and life were essential qualities of being a
good citizen (Ministry of Education
the war in Iraq. 2002). A more contemporary view of
Jordanian citizenship was influenced
by the American National Council for
the Social Studies (NCSS) in its publications. In The American Citizens Handbook, Morgan
(1968, 32) wrote, “Effective citizenship by individuals continues to require the same four
essential elements: knowledge, thought, commitment, and action.” These four essential
elements were further developed in two other NCSS publications—Social Studies Curriculum
Guidelines (1991) and Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (1994). The latter publication
provided ten curriculum standards for students to know, analyze, and use for the study of
the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic system. Jordanian citizen-
ship education applied ideals, principles, and practices to social studies curriculum.

Important to realize is that citizenship has somewhat of a dual nature: social and po-
litical. The social nature of citizenship deals with how citizens interact with one another,
whereas the political nature involves how citizens interact with the state. Both of these
elements are essential for a citizen to participate in a democratic society.

Though the basic fundamentals of citizenship may not have changed through the years,
civic education has been interpreted differently. In his book, Schooling and the Struggle for
Public Life: Critical Pedagogy in the Modern Age, Giroux (1998, 6) stated, “It becomes all the
more imperative to recognize that categories like citizenship and democracy need to be
problematized and reconstructed for each generation.”

One reason why civic education is difficult to address in the public schools is that
schools encourage conformity and obedience. However, democracy often requires
nonconformity, and that aspect is generally not encouraged in schools. Many schools
teach students to act passively, which also conflicts with the idea of active participation
(Gundara 2000).

Study Background
Because the events of November 11, 2005 and the war in Iraq have caused a resurgence
of interest in citizenship education in Jordan, a study was conducted to determine the

272 • The Educational Forum • Volume 72 • 2008

 Research Reports

perceptions of eighth- and eleventh-grade students regarding their concepts of citizen-

ship. The study aimed to discover what students believed to be the attributes of a good
citizen. Do students currently see themselves as good citizens? Which civic activities do
students see themselves performing ten years later in life? Such information is important
to social studies teachers trying to fulfill their role in educating knowledgeable, thought-
ful, committed, and participatory citizens.

As a subject in school, citizenship is unique in the sense that it is multidisciplinary.

In every class, citizenship is taught in some way, if only by example. Students also learn
about citizenship in many places outside of school. Home, mosque, and community
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organizations all contribute to a student’s knowledge of citizenship. However, a pri-

mary focus of public schools and social studies teachers is to cultivate the concept of
citizenship in children. The Goals 2002 document, established by King Hussein and
the state educators, set a national expectation of citizenship education for the public
schools. Goal 3 of the document anticipated that by the beginning of the 21st century,
Jordanian students would leave grades four, eight, and twelve with demonstrated
competency in core content areas “so that they may be prepared for responsible citizen-
ship” (Ministry of Education 2002, 6). Therefore, determining how Jordanian students
view the concept of citizenship is important if curriculum and teaching in the schools
are to be improved.

Method
The study was designed to survey and interview eighth- and eleventh-grade students
in urban, suburban, and rural schools in Jordan regarding their concept of citizenship.
A total of 509 students took part in this study. Students in the urban setting consisted of
94 eighth-grade middle school students and 98 eleventh-grade students at a senior high.
Students in the suburban setting consisted of 100 eighth-grade middle school students
and 96 eleventh-grade senior high students. Due to the small size of rural schools, three
rural junior high schools were used for a combined total of 53 eighth-grade students;
and one rural senior high was used, consisting of 68 eleventh-grade students (Table 1).
The difficulty of securing permission to conduct the research in the rural schools and
the small student populations led to a smaller research pool for the rural students. In
addition, some student surveys from each of the schools had to be discarded because of
incomplete information.

Table 1. Location of Students by Geographic Area

Eighth Grade Eleventh Grade
Rural 12
26 68
53
Suburban 100 96

Urban 94 98

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 Alazzi and Chiodo

Prior to completing the survey, students did not know that they were going to be
asked questions about their concept of citizenship. The surveys were administered in social
studies classrooms and took approximately 20 minutes for the students to complete.

To gain greater insight into the written comments made by the students, the research-
ers conducted interviews with a limited number of students. The researchers randomly
selected ten students from each of the six pools of students for a total of 60 participants.
Interviews, lasting approximately 20 minutes, were conducted during the school day’s
free periods. During the interviews, the researchers asked a series of prompting ques-
tions to clarify student comments on the questionnaire. Typically, the researchers read
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the students’ answers back to them and asked them to explain or expand on what they
had written. The students’ oral comments provided a greater depth of understanding
compared to the responses on the survey forms.

Students who participated in this study were enrolled in required courses that were
part of the school system’s curriculum. Thus, a variety of academic abilities were assumed
to be present. Teachers who taught the social studies classes for the students in the study
confirmed this to be true. In addition, of the students who participated in the study, none
were identified as having severe learning disabilities.

Research Findings
The researchers conducted a content analysis on the students’ comments and sorted the
responses by key words or phrases to reveal any patterns in the students’ responses. Patterns
were analyzed related to the specific subgroups (e.g., eighth-grade urban), as well as for the
two general groups of students (eighth-grade students and eleventh-grade students).

The patterns that became evi-

dent in the student responses were

Four categories emerged somewhat similar to those in previ-

from the student responses
on the questionnaires. These
categories were helping
others, obeying rules and
laws, patriotism–loyalty, and
respect for others.
ous studies (Hess and Tourney 1974;
Branson 2001; Johnson and Vanneman
2001; Hickey 2002). Four categories
emerged from the student responses
on the questionnaires. These categories
were helping others, obeying rules and
laws, patriotism–loyalty, and respect
for others. These appeared in relation
to all three questions the students were
asked.

The first survey question asked

students what it means to be a good citizen. The category of helping others received
the largest number of responses to this question. At least 50 percent of the eighth- and
eleventh-grade students in rural, suburban, and urban areas responded that helping others
was an important aspect of being a good citizen (Table 2). Suburban eighth-grade students
had the highest response rate, with 71 percent indicating that being a good citizen meant

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Table 2. What It Means to be a Good Citizen

Question 1: In your own words, can you tell me what it mean to be a good citizen?
Eighth Grade Eleventh Grade
n r % n r %
Response category: Helping others
Rural     53 35 66 68 34   50
Suburban 100 71 71 96 55    57
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Urban     94 64 68 98 63 64
Response category: Follow/obey the rules/law

Rural     53 19 36 68 34 50
Suburban 100 20 20 96 21     22
Urban     94 23 24 98 19 19
Note.  n = total number of students in the group; r = total number of responses by students in
the group; % = percentage of responses of the total group.

helping others, especially in the community. Students mentioned that they acted as good
citizens by participating in activities such as picking up trash, recycling, helping the elderly,
volunteering at Special Olympics, assisting in mosque-related projects, and participating
in Boy Scout or Girl Scout community activities. Typical student responses about volun-
teering included “helping out by volunteering or donating money to a fund like Feed the
Children,” or “working in the community doing good things for people.”

The second category of responses related to obeying rules and laws. The highest num-
ber of responses to this category was made by rural eighth graders (36 percent), whereas
the lowest number of responses (19 percent) came from urban eleventh graders (Table 2).
Many student responses related to school rules and traffic laws. Statements characteristic
of student responses were “Drive safe, obey laws, and help people,” “Follow the rules in
school,” and “Obey all the rules and try to be involved.”

Beyond the first two categories, the students’ answers varied greatly. Generally, the
responses fell into the categories of patriotism–loyalty and respect for others. When asked
about the qualities of a good citizen, many students responded with virtuous characteris-
tics, such as “honesty,” “good-hearted,” “loyal,” “courteous,” “being polite,” “doing nice
things for other people,” “don’t cause harm to others around you,” “be patriotic,” “work
hard,” “be kind and generous to others,” “be responsible,” “stay out of other people’s
business,” and “stay out of fights.”

The second survey question asked students what they currently do that demon-
strates good citizenship. Again, the students overwhelmingly mentioned helping others

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 Alazzi and Chiodo

as the main way they exhibit good citizenship. The percentage of responses ranged from
34 percent for rural eighth graders to 51 percent for suburban eighth graders (Table 3).
Many respondents mentioned helping with mosque or school programs. Several students
said that they participate in community service activities as part of school clubs, such as
the National Honor Society. Many students said that they do chores around the house or
take care of their siblings. As with the first question, obeying rules and laws was the sec-
ond-most stated response to the question, “In your own words, can you tell me whether
you do anything that demonstrates good citizenship.”

The third question asked students what they anticipated doing in ten years that will
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demonstrate citizenship. This seemed to be the most difficult question for students to
answer judging from the lower number of responses and the comments made in the fol-
low-up interviews. Eighth graders were more uncertain about what they will be doing in
ten years than eleventh graders.

Many students expressed that being employed is an aspect of citizenship, and they
responded to question three by discussing their intended careers. Some comments the
students made were, “Following my job’s rules and being nice to my co-workers,” “I will
be a respected physician and be active in my community,” “I will be an engineer and work
in the community,” and “Ten years from now, I will open a daycare center.”

Of the four categories developed from the student responses, the most commonly
mentioned activity that the students planned to be doing in the future is community service

Table 3. Activities That Demonstrate Good Citizenship

Question 2: In your own words, can you tell me whether you do anything in your
school, home, or community that demonstrates good citizenship?
Eighth Grade Eleventh Grade
n r % n r %
Response category: Helping others

Rural     53 18 34 68 34 50
Suburban 100 51 51 96 40 42
Urban     94 45 48 98 36 37
Response category: Follow/obey the rules/law

Rural     53 9 17 68 10 15
Suburban 100 11 11 96 19 20
Urban     94 7 8 98 12 12
Note.  n = total number of students in the group; r = total number of responses by students in
the group; % = percentage of responses of the total group.

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 Research Reports

(Table 4). Another element of citizenship—voting—was mentioned by all groups, except

eighth-grade urban students. Several students used the phrase, “I will probably be vot-
ing,” as a citizenship activity. Still others made statements such as, “I will have a job and
pay taxes, voting, and upholding the laws,” “I will obey the laws, try to be involved, and
vote,” and “I will run for a political office and vote.”

During the follow-up interviews, the students were asked questions that probed
the political side of citizenship. Other than voting for the president, governor, and state
officials, their comments did not demonstrate much depth. Students seemed to have a
hard time relating to the political aspects of citizenship.
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The political aspect of citizenship seemed to be separate or distant from the students’
future. Very few times were the terms country or nation mentioned in their comments. Yet,
the term community was evident in the vast majority of the responses to all three questions.
Once again, this was reiterated in the student interviews. Eleventh graders were the only
group that referred to the terms nation or world. Seventeen percent mentioned the term
nation, whereas only 11 percent mentioned the term world.

No major differences were detected in the responses between the eighth- and elev-
enth-grade students in all three geographic areas. Other than the fact that no eighth-
grade urban students mentioned voting, the responses seemed to be fairly consistent.
Eleventh-grade students tended to respond with more detail in their written answers
on the questionnaire, as well as when responding in the interviews, thus causing a

Table 4. How Citizenship Will be Demonstrated Ten Years in the Future

Question 3: In your own words, can you tell me ten years from now what you will
be doing in your home, community, state, or nation that demonstrates citizenship?
Eighth Grade Eleventh Grade
n r % n r %
Response category: Community service?
Rural 53 9 17 68 10 16
Suburban 100 7 7 96 21 22
Urban 94 0 0 98 18 18
Response category: Voting

Rural 53 9 17 68 48 71
Suburban 100 7 7 96 21 22
Urban 94 0 0 98 18 18
Note.  n = total number of students in the group; r = total number of responses by students in
the group; % = percentage of responses of the group total.

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 Alazzi and Chiodo

slightly higher percentage in the response categories when the data were tabulated.
However, the increase in detail in the written and oral responses simply may be at-
tributed to maturity.

Discussion
The most important finding in this

The most important finding
in this study is what was
not said. Most eighth- and
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study is what was not said. Most eighth-
and eleventh-grade students did not re-
spond to the political side of citizenship.
Rather, their view of citizenship was

grounded in community service and

eleventh-grade students did
not respond to the political
side of citizenship. Rather,
their view of citizenship was
grounded in community
service and the social side of
the concept.
the social side of the concept. Eleventh
graders were more apt to focus on the
political aspect of citizenship (voting)
than eighth graders; but, even so, the
response was low—20 percent). One
eighth-grade girl stated that she might
be Prime Minister of Jordan someday,
but few students in either group sug-
gested that political service was a re-
sponsibility of citizenship.

Students had a difficult time visual-

izing themselves as future citizens. The
nebulous answers received on the third question of this survey supports Conover and
Searing’s (2000) idea that students do not have a clear picture of themselves as active citi-
zens in the future. Conover and Searing concluded that students will not be civic-minded
in the future unless they can foresee themselves doing specific activities.

Several previous research studies reveal that in students’ minds, the social responsi-
bilities supersede political responsibilities (Etzioni 1993; Baldi et al. 2001; Branson 2001;
Torney-Purta 2002). However, the fact that students do not embrace the political side
of citizenship may not be cause for alarm. Students strongly advocated the importance
of activity in the social side of citizenship. Urban, suburban, and rural students at both
the eighth- and eleventh-grade levels shared examples of various types of participa-
tion in the social side of citizenship. Students explained how they took an active part
in their school and community. They elaborated that schools offering clubs and courses
related to community service, mosques providing teen-related activities, and commu-
nity organizations such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts all develop the social aspect of
being a good citizen.

As educators, we also must bear in mind that middle and senior high school students
are limited when it comes to the political side of citizenship. The reality is that they cannot
vote in a political election, they cannot run for a political office, and they cannot become
Prime Minister—at least not yet. All the textbook readings, all the class discussions, and
all the simulations do not relate to their present world. Voting and political office are the

278 • The Educational Forum • Volume 72 • 2008

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world of their future, and students are not focusing on these activities at their age. Thus, the
authors suggest that citizenship is age appropriate. At ages 13 to 16, citizenship translates
into activities that focus on the social aspects of the concept. When one grows older and
buys a house; raises a family; and pays taxes to local, state, and national governments,
the political side of citizenship becomes more meaningful (Morgan 1968).

Note that the authors are not advocating that schools discontinue the political
aspects of citizenship. The knowledge and skills related to the political side of citi-
zenship are important to students’ futures. What the authors suggest is that students
may be developing a solid foundation regarding good citizenship through the de-
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velopment of the social aspects of citizenship. Teachers must continue to emphasize

both aspects of citizenship. Educators must find ways to make the political side more
meaningful to their students. Because the social side of citizenship requires active
participation by students, applying this teaching method to the political side also
may be useful.

Service learning has found its way into middle and senior high school social stud-
ies curriculums and, not surprisingly, students think of citizenship as “helping others”
when 83 percent of all high schools require some type of community service learning
(McLaughlin 1992). When students define citizenship, they may be reacting to the change
in the curriculum in the new century, which now encourages service learning.

Conclusion
The data from this study paint a positive picture of young people in Jordan. The
study revealed that students are altruistic and believe that citizenship is best defined as
service to others in their community. The responses do not reveal greed, selfishness, or
apathy, which previous studies by Tudball (2004) indicated regarding Jordanian youth.
In Tudball’s interviews with teenagers, some indicated that citizenship meant “nothing.”
Some respondents also expressed a desire to denounce their citizenship (Tudball 2004).
The humanitarian responses in this study demonstrate that students want to contribute
to their community. One poor eleventh grader in the authors’ study indicated that he
understood the reciprocity of citizenship. He wrote, “I hope to be able to help by donating
money back to all of the foundations that have helped me so far.” Overall, the students in
this study seemed to understand the importance of respect, tolerance, justice, and caring
for their fellow citizens.

The American founding fathers’ perception of citizenship was moral. They believed
that the success of the nation depended on the character, self-reliance, and responsibil-
ity of the citizens (Pangle and Pangle 2000). This study revealed that many teenagers
still associate citizenship with “virtue,” and the youth today want to contribute to the
communities where they live. Ironically, their perception of political immorality hinders
their political participation. Students prefer to do the honorable act of helping others
rather than participate in the often-disdained arena of politics. Findings from the 1998
New Millennium Young Voters Project (2000) reiterated this sentiment: “Young people
don’t trust politicians because they have been raised in a time period dominated by
political scandals, and their parents are just as cynical (Barth 1991, 77).” However, a

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 Alazzi and Chiodo

democracy requires politically active and informed citizens. Teachers must stress both
aspects of citizenship.

Teachers, parents, and community members must teach hope, not cynicism. The
educational system, parents, and the community have effectively taught students the
most important aspect of citizenship: helping others. Now, educators must find ways to
broaden the concept of citizenship by teaching students that political activism is also a
tool for helping others in a democratic society.

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Khaled Alazzi is a researcher of Social Studies Education at the University of Oklahoma,

Department of Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum. Currently, he teaches Middle
Eastern Studies and Methodology at the University of Central Oklahoma. Previously, he taught
junior high and high school social studies in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His research interests are in mul-
ticultural education and citizenship education. Recently, he published in the Journal of Social
Studies Research; the Social Studies, International Education; and International Journal of
Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity.

John J. Chiodo is a professor of Social Studies Education at the University of Oklahoma. He has
published numerous research articles and scholarly publications in the past 25 years related to
social studies education, bilingual education, and teacher education.

280 • The Educational Forum • Volume 72 • 2008