Educate for democracy: the importance of legal socialization

Authors

Keywords:

Socialization, Democracy, Authority, Justice

Abstract

In this article, we examine the process of legal socialization of children and adolescents over time. The objective was to investigate the relationship between the home and school experiences and the formation of legitimate democratic values. We used a sample of 800 students over four data collection periods (from 11 to 14 years old) living in the city of São Paulo. The analyzed data involved variables such as rule-violating behavior, perception of law, believe in justice, and legal cynicism. The statistical analyses show that procedural justice is the main mechanism that generates authorities’ legitimacy. We conclude that socializing children to obey the legitimacy of laws results in an education tool for democracy.

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Author Biographies

Herbert Rodrigues, Missouri State University, Springfield (Missouri), Estados Unidos

Professor do Departamento de Sociologia e Antropologia da Missouri State University, EUA. Doutor em Sociologia pela Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brasil

Justin Medina, Lycoming College, Williamsport (Pensilvânia), Estados Unidos

Professor do Departamento de Justiça Criminal do Lycoming College, EUA. É Doutor em Justiça Criminal pela Temple University, EUA.

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Published

2022-11-17

How to Cite

Rodrigues, H., & Medina, J. (2022). Educate for democracy: the importance of legal socialization. Cadernos De Pesquisa, 52, e09444. Retrieved from https://publicacoes.fcc.org.br/cp/article/view/9444

Issue

Vol. 52 (2022)

Section

Basic Education, Culture, Curriculum

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