Journal Article

Images of America: What youth do know about the United States

Cornbleth, Catherine

2002

Overview

Interviews with a diverse group of juniors and seniors from three secondary schools in the northeastern United States revealed substantial agreement in their image of America. Three themes predominated: inequity associateed with race, gender, socioeconomic status, or disability; freedom including rights and opportunites; and diversity based on race ethnicity, culture and geography. Three additional themes were voiced by at least one third of the students: America as better than other nations, progress and the American Dream. Crosscutting these themes were a sense of individualism or personalization and an incipient critique and/or activism expressed by more than 30% of the students. Sources of or influences on student´s images of America also were investigated as were changes over the times. Although not overly positive, what students do know about the United States is both realistic and supportive of the nation-state. There are, however, grounds for concern insofar as the major themes about which students agree play out differently for different individuals and groups, masking deep societal tensions and fissures. (DIPF/orig.)

• Publisher: American Educational Research Association,SAGE Publications
• Subject: Achievement tests / American history / Amerikanistik / Beliefs / Beurteilung / Civil Rights / Core curriculum / Cultural Awareness / Curricula / Democracy / Diversity (Student) / Educational Policy / Educational sciences / Einstellung (Psy) / Equal Education / Equal Opportunities (Jobs) / Evidence / Freedom / Geschichte (Histor) / Gesellschaft / High School Students / High Schools / Historiography / History instruction / Interviews / Mediation / Middle School Students / Middle Schools / Migrant Children / Minority Groups / Nation building / National Competency Tests / National identity / Nationalism / Opportunities / Race / Racial Bias / Racial Discrimination / Racial diversity / Racism / Schools / Schüler / Science Curriculum / Secondary school curricula / Selbsteinschätzung / Sex Discrimination / Social History / Socioeconomic factors / Socioeconomic Status / Sociology of culture / Sociology of education / Student Attitudes / Student Diversity / Students / Teaching, Learning, and Human Development / Test Results / Textbooks / United States / United States History / USA / Wissen / Womens studies