Early educational foundations for the development of civic responsibility: An African experience

Abstract

An innovative curriculum designed to foster the development of social responsibility among pre‐adolescent children was introduced at a rural Zambian primary school. The curriculum invoked Child‐to‐Child principles focusing on health education, advancing a synthesis of Western psychological theories and African cultural traditions. The teacher sought to democratize the educational process through cooperative learning in mixed‐gender, mixed‐social‐class, and mixed‐ability study groups. Learners engaged in community service activities and contributed to the nurturant care of younger children. Young adults interviewed seventeen years after completing the program recalled their experience and reflected on how it had promoted their personal agency, cooperative disposition, and civic responsibility in early adulthood.