Demokratische Teilhabe in der Grundschule – Welche Mitbestimmungsmöglichkeiten nehmen Kinder im Klassenkontext wahr?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is regarded as a guiding principle of democratic participation, which leads to the demand for co-determination for children. Neither the extent to which children of primary school age can co-determinate in classroom and school life nor the role of personal and other classroom-related characteristics have yet been sufficiently researched. This article presents the results of a cross-sectional questionnaire study with third graders (N = 543) on co-determination in the classroom context. The results of multiple regression models, taking into account the class structure, show that the third graders perceive co-determination primarily with regard to organizational aspects and less regarding the actual teaching und lesson: They feel informed and heard, but experience little exchange and voting processes. Thereby, both migration history and perceived self-determination in the classroom are significant predictors of children’s perceived co-determination in the classroom context. The results are discussed, and further research desiderata are identified. Finally, implications for the democratic participation of primary school children in the classroom context are derived.