Assessing Student Knowledge, Background and Perceptions in the International Civic and Citizenship Study

Abstract

It is over the ten years since IEA last investigated civic education, and in that time new challenges have emerged in educating young people for their roles as citizens in the 21st century. These challenges have stimulated renewed reflection on the meanings of citizenship and the roles of and approaches to civic and citizenship education. In many countries there is a growing interest in using evidence to improve policy and practice in civic and citizenship education. ICCS is the third international IEA study in this area and it is explicitly linked through common questions to the IEA Civic Education Study (CIVED) which was undertaken in 1999 and 2000 (Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald and Schulz, 2001; Amadeo et. al., 2004; Schulz and Sibberns, 2004). The study will survey 13-to-14-year old students in 38 countries in the years 2008 and 2009 and report on student achievement and perceptions related to civic and citizenship education. Outcome data will be obtained from representative samples of students in their eighth year of schooling and context data from the students, their schools and teachers as well as through national centres. The study builds on the previous IEA study of civic education (CIVED) undertaken in 1999. Information about ICCS can be found at http://iccs.acer.edu.au/ .1 It is recognised that there is substantial diversity in the field of civic and citizenship education within and across countries. Consequently, maximising the involvement of researchers from participating countries in this international comparative study is deemed to be of particular importance for the success of this study. Input from national research centres is sought throughout the study and the consortium has developed strategies that have maximised country contributions to the instrument development for the field trial and will continue to involve countries in the selection process of item material for main survey

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