Enhancing citizenship learning with international comparative research: Analyses of IEA civic education datasets

Ryan T Knowles,Carolyn Barber,Judith Torney-Purta

doi:10.1386/ctl.13.1.7_1

Abstract

Abstract Large-scale international databases provide valuable resources for scholars, educators and policy-makers interested in civic engagement and education in nations that are democracies or striving towards democracy. However, the multidisciplinary nature of secondary analysis of these data has created a fragmentary picture that limits educators’ awareness of relevant findings. We present a summary of research conducted across disciplines using datasets from two large-scale cross-national studies of civic education conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (CIVED:99 and ICCS:09). The IEA studies were conducted in more than 40 countries with nationally representative samples of 14–15 year olds. In a review of over 100 published articles reporting secondary analyses of these data, we identified four themes especially salient for citizenship educators: open classroom climates; teaching and learning approaches; student identity; and profiles of citizenship norms and attitudes. The review summarizes sample relevant articles to illustrate themes, emphasizes connections between education and civic engagement and suggests opportunities for future research.

Highlights

This article is organized around themes arising from a synthesis of published studies using Civic Education Study of 1999 (CIVED):99 data and ICCS:09 data, including research conducted across many countries framed by a variety of disciplinary orientations
We focus on the IEA civic education studies for several reasons
By analysing these studies as a group, we can position the findings into larger discourses on civic education. These include understanding the impact of classroom context in promoting student learning (Hess and Avery 2008), the need for research addressing the contextualized notions of citizenship (Castro and Knowles 2017; Hahn 2010) and increased attention to the use of theory in understanding civic education (Avery and Barton 2017; Hahn 2017). With these three goals in mind we present the findings of the studies reporting CIVED:99 and ICCS:09 to inform future research and to promote more effective processes of citizenship education

Summary

Introduction

These include understanding the impact of classroom context in promoting student learning (Hess and Avery 2008), the need for research addressing the contextualized notions of citizenship (Castro and Knowles 2017; Hahn 2010) and increased attention to the use of theory in understanding civic education (Avery and Barton 2017; Hahn 2017) With these three goals in mind we present the findings of the studies reporting CIVED: and ICCS: to inform future research and to promote more effective processes of citizenship education

Objectives

Methods

Results