Italy's Participation in Three IEA Civic Education Studies (1971-2009)

Abstract

- Following a brief history of the three Civic Education Studies conducted by IEA over nearly 30 years, the focus is on results for Italian 14-15 year olds in the 1971 and 1999 studies. The first civic education study (1971) showed that Italian teachers had poor preparation to teach civic education (stressing good manners rather than civic or political information). Italian students performed poorly on the 1971 civic knowledge test (7th out of 8 countries). The second study, CIVED (1999) showed marked improvement for Italian students, who had an average knowledge score above the international mean for 28 countries. Italian students expressed interest in protest participation. They trusted political information from the mass media less than those in the other 27 countries. Students and teachers reported an absence of opportunities for students to learn to protect the environment (compared with other countries).Keywords civic knowledge, IEA civic education study, ICCS, trust in media, political socialization (Italy), adolescents (Italy).