Teaching national and global citizenship along with stabilizing the students identity and value system

This article consists of three main and inter-related subjects:

First, the explanation of the fundamental concepts of globalization, globalizing, having global views and nationalism, national identity, value-system, citizenship, life skills, and their relationship with each other.

Second, providing the author’s research findings concerning the adolescent and youth students’ status, their attitudes toward different aspects of social and civil life, value-system, globalization, globalizing, as well  as reviewing the important psycho-cognitive characteristics, which prevent citizenship development.

Third, The description of the meaning, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship in the local, national, and global levels as well as the necessity and the how-to for teaching philosophy to school students and the correct  way of thinking and decision making in the field of citizenship.

The fundamental thesis offered in this article is that the Iranian education system should prepare the adolescents and youths for living in the current century of globalization if it wants to stabilize and develop the adolescents’ and youths’ national identity and the value-system and citizenship skills. For this purpose, the education system view on school curriculum and class activities in the public education system should change. Besides teaching ordinary lessons, the education system should concentrate on educational programs concerning national identity, human, religious, and national value-system as well as trainings skills on citizenship and individual, social, economical, scientific, and cultural life. Teaching of local, national, and global citizenship to students is an important part of these programs.

The results of studies offered in this article show that considerable groups of Iranian adolescents and youths have fundamental weaknesses in social and civic identity and are caught up with anti-social attitudes, wrongdoing, and rebellious mentality. In such circumstances it is urgent that the rights and responsibilities in the local, national, and global levels in various aspects of citizenship be taught in education programs to the students. Furthermore, the students are in need of teachings concerning how to think correctly as well as how to make wise decisions and accept responsibility. The method for these teachings is also discussed in this article.