Scientists from Germany and Austria have found that students’ relationships with teachers influence their political views. Teenagers who are treated unfairly by teachers are more receptive to radical political ideas, and students whose opinions are supported by professors are more likely to demonstrate liberal sentiments.
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Study on professors’ political views effects
Experts from the University of Bonn and the Vorarlberg Teaching University have studied which factors influence the formation of adolescents’ political views. The scientists conducted a survey among 3,123 German, Austrian, and Swiss students aged 12 to 18. Slightly more than 50% of respondents were girls, and 32% of respondents came from immigrant families.
Initially, the authors of the study put forward the hypothesis that students develop political preferences through interactions with their peers. However, the results showed that the decisive factor in shaping a teenager’s views is the nature of their interactions with teachers. In particular, injustice and biased attitudes of teachers are highly likely to lead to binary thinking in high school students and, as a result, radical political beliefs. Radical sentiments arise when people feel unfairly treated by social institutions, are dependent on those in power, and do not receive help from them in solving problems.
The study also showed that students who are focused on entering university are more likely to have liberal sentiments, while radical views are more often demonstrated by children of migrants and those who experienced a lack of communication in childhood.
Teenagers spend a lot of time at school, and teachers are the most authoritative figures in their lives. In addition, school is the first state institution that a child gets to know, so the experience of communicating with teachers as representatives of power has a strong influence on the formation of their views. It is not possible to trace a clear dependence of a child’s political preferences on the opinions of parents and friends since family and friendly relationships are much deeper than interaction with teachers and cover a wide variety of aspects of life.
To sum up
The tendency for radical ideas to spread among students will increase since the parties that promote them rely on attracting teenagers and are active in social networks. To avoid negative influence, the teachers should involve students in school projects, in the preparation of which the student’s opinion comes to the fore. The opportunity to participate in making important decisions promotes a positive self-perception and stimulates the development of liberal views.