Assessing Anti-democratic Tendencies in Italian Schools: the Case of the “City of People”

The orientation to social dominance stems from the observation that all human societies are based on hierarchical structures that imply relationships of domination and submission. The current study aims at analysing social dominance orientation in schools, by adapting the Italian version of the social dominance orientation scale (SDO6 by Di Stefano and Rocca- to 2005) to children 7-10 years of age. The scale was administered to 556 children attending primary public schools in the province of Reggio Emilia, world-known for its preschool approach. Results show that the new SDO6-C children’s scale largely maintains its metrical properties and, therefore, it is to be considered reliable for the assessment of social dominance orientation in children of the target group. Moreover, both children and teachers showed a low blatant social dominance. Results point to the tendency to integration and equality in this specific socio-cultural context, where inclusion is not only a value but the foundation for educational programs based on group work. Keywords: anti-democratic tendencies, prevention, intergenerational transmission.