High School Student Councils: Types, Platforms, Arenas of Activity, and In-school Initiatives

Abstract

This study of high school student councils examines council activities and classifies them according to their main concerns: focus on the student, school development, and civic engagement. The objectives of the study were to expand the theoretical knowledge concerning high school student councils and their areas of activity in general, and specifically to identify their most meaningful and significant activities. In the study, 600 high school students evaluated their student council’s level of activity. The study’s findings showed that student council activities can be divided into five different platforms and three arenas of operation. The study found that “integrative” student councils received the highest score in all the variables examined. The primary conclusion is that encouraging students to actively experience a broad spectrum of activities, the way it comes to the fore in the “integrative” type student council, is important, and its contribution greatly affects the school council’s activity.