Children's participation in school: An analysis on decision making competences and children's citizenship

Children's participation in co decision making processes in particular settings such as school is a crucial element to consider the possibility of a childhood citizenship. Contemporary debates on citizenship argue the need to rethink private and public spheres and underline the need to take into account lived experiences and an extended view beyond formal rights and duties perspectives. To consider them as citizens, therefore, we must be able to see them as political subjects with specific political action carried out in everyday life settings. Children's competences to co decide, to create rules and to analyse different options can be seen as an important question to argue on children's citizenship. Moreover, if school are viewed as a particular setting of political socialisation where children are able to display political competences on collective life, citizenship can be there studied. However complexities in such contexts must be pointed out, namely on power relations, alliances and interdependent relations between children and adults, as well as opportunities and structures made available for children’s participation to be put in place.  On analysing them, complexities and tensions can be observed suggesting that children’s participation and citizenship is contextual and must be seen in a wide spectrum of possibilities and constraints. The research was carried out in an elementary school with children aged 6 to 10, analysing participation experiences such as school assemblies, where children could be seen as co deciders in school life and in the class room. Using an ethnographic approach and carrying out interviews and specifically designed activities with children on participation in school, results will be discussed from a sociology of childhood theoretical background.