Search

Introduction Literacy is a fundamental right and a springboard not only for achieving "education for all", but also for eradicating poverty and increasing participation in society. Political and social literacy is about understanding how politics and social behaviors shape our daily lives. In order to improve the political and social literacy process, it is highly important to recognize effective factors in shaping People's awareness. This study is performed to determine students' points of view concerning such factors. Responsible citizens respect others and participate in political, economic, social and cultural life. The present study aims at examining the level of political and social literacy of adult citizens participating in unofficial adults training centers in Isfahan city. Material & Methods According to the purpose of the research which was to measure the extent of social and political literacy of adults, the research method in this study is descriptive. Research population include 2572 adults (above 35 years old), who attended in instructional programs of the training centers of Isfahan's public agencies in 2011. The estimated number of sample size is 380 who were randomly selected through multistage cluster sampling method. The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire comprising of 29 items which is designed in two political and social dimensions, with an acceptable level of reliability test (0.84), via Cronbach’s Alpha. The collected data were analyzed through one-sample T-test and ANOVA. Discussion of Results & Conclusions Findings showed that: 1) adults’ social literacy is higher than political literacy, 2) in a significant way, the political literacy of adults is not in good shape, 3) there is a significant difference between averages of political and social literacy in terms of education of adult citizens, 4) there is a significant difference between the averages of political and social literacy in terms of sex: level of political literacy among men is higher than women, whereas social literacy is not significantly different between the sexes, 5) there is a significant difference between the averages of political and social literacy in terms of age: people older than 30 years have more social and political literacy, 6) there is a significant difference between the average of political literacy in terms of place of living but not in social literacy. In general, training centers should be considered as social and political means of development for adult education. Higher levels of political and social literacy will result in better Citizens, whose behaviors lead to lower rates of social and political disorders. In fact, political and social literacy is one of the main components of today’s healthy communities. Political and social literacy are a vehicle to support the achievement of developmental goals and empowerment of the poor in particular. As a component of basic education and a foundation for life-long learning, political and social literacy are the key to enhancement of human capabilities and achieving citizenship rights. It carries wide-ranging benefits not only for individuals but also for families, communities and societies as a whole. Curriculum planners need to use effective approaches in political and social education in order to provide essential and required content for learners according to community needs. It is necessary for them to consider curriculum revisions and develop extra curriculum contents. Considering the effect of political and social literacy on the development of the country, it is recommended to apply these issues in teaching courses which requires deep learning and high levels of understanding.

Introduction Literacy is a fundamental right and a springboard not only for achieving "education for all", but also for eradicating poverty and increasing participation in society. Political and social literacy is about understanding how politics and social behaviors shape our daily lives. In order to improve the political and social literacy process, it is highly important to recognize effective factors in shaping People's awareness. This study is performed to determine students' points of view concerning such factors. Responsible citizens respect others and participate in political, economic, social and cultural life. The present study aims at examining the level of political and social literacy of adult citizens participating in unofficial adults training centers in Isfahan city. Material & Methods According to the purpose of the research which was to measure the extent of social and political literacy of adults, the research method in this study is descriptive. Research population include 2572 adults (above 35 years old), who attended in instructional programs of the training centers of Isfahan's public agencies in 2011. The estimated number of sample size is 380 who were randomly selected through multistage cluster sampling method. The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire comprising of 29 items which is designed in two political and social dimensions, with an acceptable level of reliability test (0.84), via Cronbachâs Alpha. The collected data were analyzed through one-sample T-test and ANOVA. Discussion of Results & Conclusions Findings showed that: 1) adultsâ social literacy is higher than political literacy, 2) in a significant way, the political literacy of adults is not in good shape, 3) there is a significant difference between averages of political and social literacy in terms of education of adult citizens, 4) there is a significant difference between the averages of political and social literacy in terms of sex: level of political literacy among men is higher than women, whereas social literacy is not significantly different between the sexes, 5) there is a significant difference between the averages of political and social literacy in terms of age: people older than 30 years have more social and political literacy, 6) there is a significant difference between the average of political literacy in terms of place of living but not in social literacy. In general, training centers should be considered as social and political means of development for adult education. Higher levels of political and social literacy will result in better Citizens, whose behaviors lead to lower rates of social and political disorders. In fact, political and social literacy is one of the main components of todayâs healthy communities. Political and social literacy are a vehicle to support the achievement of developmental goals and empowerment of the poor in particular. As a component of basic education and a foundation for life-long learning, political and social literacy are the key to enhancement of human capabilities and achieving citizenship rights. It carries wide-ranging benefits not only for individuals but also for families, communities and societies as a whole. Curriculum planners need to use effective approaches in political and social education in order to provide essential and required content for learners according to community needs. It is necessary for them to consider curriculum revisions and develop extra curriculum contents. Considering the effect of political and social literacy on the development of the country, it is recommended to apply these issues in teaching courses which requires deep learning and high levels of understanding.

Literacy is a fundamental right and a springboard not only for achieving "education for all", but also for eradicating poverty and increasing participation in society. Political and social literacy is about understanding how politics and social behaviors shape our daily lives. In order to improve the political and social literacy process, it is highly important to recognize effective factors in shaping People's awareness. This study is performed to determine students' points of view concerning such factors. Responsible citizens respect others and participate in political, economic, social and cultural life. The present study aims at examining the level of political and social literacy of adult citizens participating in unofficial adults training centers in Isfahan city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores citizenship education's need to focus on both 'political' and 'social' literacy within a communitarian framework. The Crick Report (1998; see also Lahey, Crick and Porter, 1974), while recognizing that the social dimension of citizenship education was a precondition for both the civic and political dimensions, concentrated largely on 'political' literacy. This article examines the social dimension of citizenship education. Concern with the social dimension of the curriculum in schools is not a recent interest, but changes within society have accelerated the social demands made upon schools. At the very least, society expects schools to correct the behaviour of children and to teach them values which usually means insisting on 'good' behaviour. The social development of pupils has thus assumed a much greater place in the aspirations of schools. Programmes of personal and social education, together with citizenship education, invariably emphasize a range of social skills and these skills are introduced early and built upon throughout the years of schooling. An individual's sense and ability to make socially productive decisions do not develop by themselves; rather, they require knowledge, values and skills. Above all opportunities are required for children to experience social relations in such a way that they are able to operate critically within value-laden discourses and thereby to become informed and ethically empowered, active citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]