Students’ concepts and attitudes toward citizenship: the case of Hong Kong

This paper analyses the data obtained from the findings on Hong Kong, as a part of the IEA second civic study. Because the survey was conducted two years after Hong Kong's return to China, the findings reflect concepts and attitudes toward citizenship among Hong Kong students shortly after the change of sovereignty. The study shows that Hong Kong ranks highest in two aspects of citizenship: civic knowledge and attitudes toward immigrants. Hong Kong ranks lowest in attitudes toward the nation, support for women's political rights, confidence in participating at school, and open classroom climate. Moreover, Hong Kong students are most concerned about elections and freedom of expression, but are least interested in political parties. They are more interested in social-related citizenship issues, and try to avoid confrontational and activist politics. This suggests that Hong Kong students are concerned with citizenship issues and politics; are very knowledgeable, and while they are also concerned about society, do not favor confrontations. This partly reflects a Chinese culture and partly reflects that depolicitization perpetuates beyond 1997.     

Urban Pre-service K-6 Teachers’ Conceptions of Citizenship and Civic Education: Weighing the Risks and Rewards

To effectively help urban pre-service teachers to provide civic education opportunities in their future classrooms, teacher educators should know how urban pre-service teachers themselves conceptualize citizenship and civic engagement. Through the research question—how do urban K-6 pre-service teachers currently enrolled in an urban education teacher certification program at a 4-year university construct key concepts and ideologies about citizenship and civic education?—we examined how 15 pre-service teachers understood these concepts. Using three conceptions of citizenship—personally responsible citizen, participatory citizen, and justice-oriented citizen (Westheimer and Kahne in Am Educ Res J 41(2):237–269, 2004)—our analysis demonstrated that urban pre-service teachers’ conceptions of their students’ lives significantly influenced their ideas about civic education in elementary schools. Although the participating pre-service teachers overwhelmingly promoted personally responsible citizenship, we found the participants to heavily weigh developmentally appropriate practice and classroom context when considering the risks and rewards of promoting justice-oriented citizenship in elementary classrooms.     

为民主生活做准备——西方学校公民教育探析

西方的公民教育是为未来的成年公民的民主生活做准备。这种准备主要在三个方面，即为民主生活准备相应的知识、技能和经验。这给我国公民教育以极大的启示，我国公民教育应为学生准备有关公共事务的知识，让他们掌握民主生活的技能，积累公民实践的经验。     

Influence of teachers and schools on students' civic outcomes in Latin America

The authors investigated to what extent teachers' practices and school characteristics can influence students' civic knowledge, civic attitudes, and future participation in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico and how this can be related to their specific curricular structures and educational content. It uses data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. The results show that in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, teacher practices and attitudes relate to the civic outcomes. Although teachers' practices and attitudes significantly predict students' civic knowledge, this relationship does not seem relevant for students' expected participation and students' attitudes toward diversity. Still, the democratic environment of the school is a relevant variable in the case of expected participation of students and their attitudes toward diversity, which shows a possible indirect influence of teachers through the school environment. The results are discussed in relation to the civic education curriculum in place in the countries analyzed.     

Constructing citizenship in post-conflict contexts: the cases of Liberia and Rwanda

In post-conflict and fragile contexts, one central aim of education is to prepare citizens to rebuild society and manage conflict. In this paper, we discuss the ways that citizenship education, students’ civic attitudes, and student civic practices vary across two post-conflict contexts in Africa: Liberia and Rwanda. First, we consider the historical and current complexities of citizenship education in these countries drawing on a post-colonial framework and Osler and Starkey’s three dimensions of citizenship. Next, we discuss survey and interview data from secondary students based on separate multi-level case studies in the respective countries. We note differences and similarities in student conceptions of good citizenship, civic identity, classroom climate, and civic engagement across the two countries, as well as variation by school type and gender. Some notable findings included less active conceptions of citizenship and openness to discussing controversial issues in Rwanda than in Liberia, and less participation in out of school activities among young women than young men. These and other results highlight differing contextual values of development, security, freedom of speech, and civic action and the overall importance of citizenship education in a post-conflict context.     

Citizenship with Chinese Characteristics?An Investigation into Chinese University Students'Civic Perceptions and Civic Participation

Citizenship is a complex and multidimensional concept. There has been a tendency to compare traditions of citizenship in the West with those in the East, captured by a stereotype that depicts the West as individualistic and the East as collectivist. The purpose of this study is to investigate what kind of citizenship is exhibited by Chinese university students, including both their civic perception and their civic participation. Using a recently developed distinction between thin and thick citizenship, the findings from both quantitative and qualitative data analysed in this study reveal that Chinese university students tend towards thin citizenship, as they demonstrate positive civic attitudes yet lack strong evidence of participatory citizenship. The paper also discusses the impact of Confucian and other Chinese traditional value systems on typical views of citizenship held by Chinese students, and offers the suggestion that the citizenship education curriculum should incorporate experiential learning.     

美国公民教育对于我国思想政治教育的启示

近年来,公民教育在我国越来越受到重视,如何培养社会发展需要的独立民主精神,提高公民的法律意识和道德意识,增强公民的政治参与能力已成为我国思想政治教育的重要课题。本文从公民与公民教育入手,总结归纳了美国公民教育的核心理念和培养途径,重在解决我国思想政治教育在现实中面临的现状和遇到的难题,为我国的思想政治教育引入公民教育理念进行教育改革提供有益启示。     

How common is the common good? Moving beyond idealistic notions of deliberative democracy in education

Assumptions based on deliberative democratic theory have dominated scholarship of democratic citizenship within political science and educational research. However, both fields have produced scholarship that raises questions regarding the efficacy of the deliberative model of democratic education. This article presents a critical synthesis that highlights the major trends of deliberative democratic theory from the field of political science, while making connections to education specific literature. The shift, away from idealistic notions toward a model of deliberative democracy that considers identity, group interests, and power differences within society, supports similar efforts to revisit democratic theory within civic education. The article concludes with recommendations for a revised, more realistic, conceptualization of civic education.     

Becoming “Effective” Citizens? Change-Oriented Service in a Teacher Education Program

The authors investigated the impact of 22 pre-service teachers’ participation in a change-oriented service-learning project on their conceptions of citizenship as civic actors and civic educators. The goal of this project was to push students toward adopting more critically conscious and activist conceptions of citizenship as aligned with the needs of a democratic society. Using Eyler and Giles’ (1999) typology of effective citizenship as an analytic framework, we describe how students’ participation in this project led to demonstrated growth along all five dimensions of effective citizenship. Yet, analysis revealed that, despite the project’s change-orientation, students’ conceptions of citizenship failed to move beyond personal responsibility to include enhanced social consciousness and the importance of collective action. Thus, we raise critical questions about what constitutes “effective citizenship” in a democratic society and the role of higher education in preparing teachers to embody and enact such a vision.     

大学生公民责任意识的养成——基于公民身份视角

公民身份外在表现为公民责任,公民身份的真正实现需要有自觉的公民责任意识.目前,我国大学生公民责任意识不稳定、不全面,是由于没有形成良好的公民身份认同.对公民身份认同的高低,直接表现为公民责任意识的强弱.具备较强公民身份认同感的大学生,公民责任意识就较强,反之亦然.大学生公民责任意识的提高,有赖于其对自身公民身份认同感的增强.大学生公民责任意识的培养需要“内在自修”和“外在培养”相结合.     

Australian Students’ democratic values and attitudes towards participation: indicators from the IEA civic education study

In September 1999, over 3000 Australian students in 115 schools representing all schooling sectors participated in the Australian component of the IEA Civic Education study. In this paper, the focus in particular is on Australian students’ democratic values and on their attitudes towards participation and social action. The results suggest that while Australian students have a well-developed set of democratic values, they adopt a passive rather than an active style of engaging in conventional citizenship activities. They will participate formally through voting and they will pursue issues where they see some community benefit but they do not see themselves exercising an effective presence in the formal political system. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the characteristics of citizens needed in a democratic society and the role that schools can play in adopting curriculum and pedagogy that will engage young people in the development of their civic knowledge.     

从教书匠到燃灯者:教师公民教育自觉的蒙昧与唤醒

从课程角度来看,目前我国学校公民教育存在两个不充分:公民学科教育以公民认知代替完整的公民教育,路径开发不充分;其他各类课程协同的公民教育同向聚焦不足,路径拓展不充分。从教师角度思考其原因,是“教书匠”的职业定位蒙昧了其现代教育背景下职能的自觉,拘囿了其教育视域的拓展。教师要以公民教育自觉,为社会和谐与公民幸福而教,拓展公民教育的场域,结成学习共同体,向自然、向社会、向生活开发,搭建全景、多层交错衔接式育公民的大世界;拓展学科教学视域,在学科课程资源中发掘或显或隐的公民教育课程资源,构建全员、全课程育公民的大格局。     

The Hot Fudge Sundae Quiz and Other Collaborative Ventures: Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning

Because of the recent resurgence of interest in citizenship education caused by world conflicts, the authors studied the perceptions of eighth- and eleventh-grade students regarding citizenship. Their findings yield insight into what students believe to be the attributes of a good citizen; which participatory activities relate to being good citizens; and, finally, what civic activities students see themselves performing ten years later in life.     

Who is the engaged citizen? Correlates of secondary school students’ concepts of good citizenship

The opinions about what characterises a good citizen are diverse, yet survey research usually employs variable-centred analytical strategies to examine people’s concepts of good citizenship. The present study builds on a person-centred approach towards good citizenship and validates previously identified types of good citizenship among Australian secondary school students. Following an in-depth characterisation of these types by sociodemographic variables and civic attitudes, this study incorporates multinomial regression analysis to take a closer look at very extreme but practically important patterns. These analyses suggest that students need to believe in the value of civic action to become political enthusiasts and not politically alienated. Civic knowledge may prevent political alienation; however, it is not the ultimate solution as it is negatively correlated with political enthusiasm when controlling for multiple predictors. The results are discussed with respect to their significance for civics and citizenship teaching and learning.     

谈谈当前互联网发展对我国大学生公民意识教育的影响

大学生是未来国家建设的中坚力量,良好的公民意识教育,不仅关系到他们的健康成长和顺利成才,对社会主义事业的长足发展也有重要意义。文章分析了大学生公民意识的现状和加强教育的必要性,论述了互联网所带来的影响,在此基础上,提出了在互联网时代对大学生进行公民意识教育的途径。     

An international perspective on civic participation in Irish post-primary schools: results from ICCS

Ireland was one of the 38 countries/education systems that participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) in 2009. This is the first international comparative study in this area in which Ireland has participated since 1971. The study measured the civic knowledge of 14-year-olds and their attitudes towards, and beliefs about, various civic and citizenship issues. The current paper focuses on indicators of students' and (to a lesser extent) parents' participation in school life. Although active participation in school is emphasised in, for example, the Education Act of 1998, little empirical work in Ireland has defined or examined actual levels of participation in post-primary schools, or students' views of their opportunities to participate, and ICCS provides information on these issues in an international comparative context. Findings indicate that despite a relatively strong civic knowledge base among students in Ireland, levels of participation compare less favourably with other countries. Results are discussed in the wider context of the Irish education system.     

公民教育:从“疏离”走向“参与”

缺乏公民的主体性参与,公民教育极容易产生"疏离"的状态,即公民知识与公民实践、公民个体与公民社会的分裂与脱离。这种"疏离"状态由于违背了公民教育的实践属性和主体参与性,因此并不利于公民品质的培养,反而将阻碍健全的公民品质的成长。基于此,有必要建构一种参与式的公民教育,通过引导受教育者参与到学校公共生活、社区公共生活以及更为广阔的社会公共生活领域之中,来促进他们的公民知识、公民理性、公民价值感和公民行动能力等方面的综合发展。公民教育从"疏离"走向"参与",可以更好地体现公民教育的实践本性,促进公民教育的实践回归。     

Democratic attitudes among high-school pupils: The role played by perceptions of class climate

The present study shed light on the continuing debate among students of political socialisation regarding the effects of civic education on the upholding of democratic attitudes. Our major conclusion is that civic education, in and of itself, has only minor effects on democratic attitudes of pupils. Furthermore, among pupils who attended civic education classes, democratic class climate would have a crucial effect on the internalisation of democratic attitudes, and the association between sociodemographic characteristics and democratic attitudes is partially mediated by perception of democratic class climate. The findings offer a model which involves demographics and class climate for predicting the success of civic education in meeting its main goal—the absorption and internalisation of democratic attitudes. Thus, we hope to take the ongoing debate in the field at least one small step forward. 1 1. All authors had an equal contribution.      

Rethinking civic education in the age of biotechnology

In this paper, I first examine the three justifications most often provided for differentiating, discounting, or even disclaiming the present generation's moral responsibility to future generations. I then discuss ideological critiques of, and educational solutions to, the complicity of formal educational institutions in propagating these justifications. Finally, I inquire into the ethical postulates by which prefigurative democratic civic and citizenship education could facilitate civic engagement in deliberating about intergenerational relations. I argue that, by challenging such hegemonic cultural values as atomistic individualism, contractual social relations, the pursuit of progress, and the sharp division between ethics and epistemology, prefigurative civic education serves as the first step toward egalitarian intergenerational relations.     

ACTION AS AN EDUCATIONAL VIRTUE: TOWARD A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION

In this essay I attempt to show that compassionate and imaginative action have the potential to extend some of the fundamental dimensions of democratic citizenship education: deliberative argumentation and the recognition of what is other and different. I argue that cultivating democratic citizenship in schools and universities cannot focus solely on teaching students deliberative argumentation and the recognition of difference and otherness. Students must also be taught what it means to act with compassion and imagination because the latter (imaginative action) seems to be desirable in promoting civic reconciliation — a practice necessary to building relations of care, justice, and trust in university and school dialogical actions. In this way, a different democratic citizenship education agenda can be engendered — one that not only connects with the lived stories of people but that also opens up possibilities for the realization of civic reconciliation.