Culture, school and national identity: the conceptualization of and research options for nationalidentity in elementary school

Abstract

The aim of the study was to summarize the mediating role of elementary school in developing students’ national identity. A wide range of historical, psychological and sociological research was summarized to support the role of the school in national enculturation. Based on the latest Hungarian and international publications, a possible research question, subjects and methods were identified. An analysis of the Hungarian studies revealed their shortcomings: they usually investigate adolescents, employ questionnaires and mainly use sociological viewpoints. They rarely explore elementary students’ identity in depth, and they seldom investigate school-related topics. However, international research projects provide rich results on national enculturation in diverse settings. They explore various patterns used in this regard, which were not present in Hungarian research. Thus, Hungarian studies enjoy numerous opportunities to gather more informationand identify the characteristics of national enculturation in Hungary. Besides opportunities, challenges were also considered: without widespread consensus on the content of national identity, it is difficult to assess this in students. However, the educational goals of the core curriculum can aid in identifying assessment goals.