Research Information System
EURASIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, vol.13, no.50, pp.127-142, 2013 (SSCI)
Problem Statement: Democracy and education are two concepts that influence, transform, and improve each other in time. In this sense, we could talk about a symbiotic relationship between democracy and education. The social studies teacher himself or herself must primarily be tolerant towards the class, respect both students and fellow teachers, cooperate with all when needed, and then expect such behavior of the students. This is certainly not the sole responsibility of social studies teachers but a collective responsibility incumbent on all teachers. However, a teacher who is teaching the concept of democracy in class is obviously burdened with more responsibility in this context. It is therefore crucial that both the students and the teacher know the extent to which fairness, justice, freedom, and participation are actually practiced in the classroom. If a person's self-concerning remarks are to be taken as significant and realistic, they need to be corroborated by others. In other words, a social studies teacher's declaration 'I am democratic' gains significance only if their students, too, declare, 'Yes, our teacher is democratic'.