What they think about democracy? sample of 8th grade American and Turkish students

American and Turkish society is governed by a democratic system and also democratic values are taught in their educational systems. However, it would not be surprising that differences exist between American and
Turkish 8th grade students’ perceptions because students’ cultural priorities and life styles and teaching of democratic values in the schools etc. can be very different from country to country. The aim of this research is to determine and compare democracy perceptions of 8th grade American and Turkish students. The International Association for the
Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study survey which was conducted in twenty-eight countries in 1999 was used for gathering the data. The research sample was created with 422 American and 398 Turkish students, a total of 820 students. The research results showed that whereas American and Turkish students had similar thinking about democratic rights they were not agree with liberty, human rights and justice & equality issues. The research results were discussed in relation to differences in the American and Turkish students’ educational, cultural and societal factors.