Curriculum capacity and citizenship education: a comparative analysis of four democracies

Governments, international organizations and academics have, in recent decades, expressed a sense of crisis in the practice of democracy based largely upon increasing levels of disengagement by citizens from even the most basic elements of civic life. One response has been to devise civics and citizenship education curricula for schools with the concomitant expectations of enhanced civic practice. Our examination of citizenship education programs has revealed considerable variation from country to country in the degree of success achieved in the design, development and implementation of programs. This paper examines recent developments in citizenship education in four leading Western democracies – Australia, Canada, England and the USA; each one with its own particular successes and shortcomings. It identifies several factors associated with the successful building of curriculum capacity for citizenship education and argues that these are fundamental for countries wishing to move beyond rhetoric and toward substance in citizenship education.     

Educating voters: political education in Norwegian upper‐secondary schools

Research on political education in schools suggests that an emphasis on formal structure, constitutional principles, formal citizen rights, and debates on current issues is common. The Norwegian national curriculum on political education envisions a different political education emphasizing that students should be critical of political life and social structures, that they should be familiar with democratic ideals, learn how they may influence by means of various forms of political participation, and be motivated to do so. I examine whether these ambitions are realized at the classroom level. Based on qualitative interviews and classroom observations I conclude that Norwegian political education is centred on political parties and on an attempt to help students find out which party is closest to their preferences. Political education takes the form of voter training for competitive élite democracy.     

Citizenship education in civics textbooks in the Japanese junior high school curriculum

This article discusses the types of citizenship education that are included in a sample of Japanese junior high school civics textbooks. Seven civics textbooks that have been authorized by the Ministry of Education for use in junior high school from the 2012 academic year were analysed in the context of fundamental issues in citizenship education and the national curriculum guidelines in Japan. In contrast to some previously published research, it is argued that the textbooks encourage, to a limited extent, active, participatory approaches by students with exercises and practical tasks to help students develop skills and gain the understanding required to live in contemporary society. It is suggested that the textbooks place some limitations on active learning especially in relation to students' political participation and that they reflect the struggle Japan is experiencing in the search for an inclusive national identity. Further work may serve to clarify the nature of potential contributions to citizenship education including that associated with students' involvement in whole school issues.     

比较教育中的教育政策借鉴理论

如何学习借鉴外国教育政策和实践一直是国际与比较教育研究领域的一个核心主题。本文研究了教育政策借鉴的方法和案例,提出了教育政策借鉴过程中的四步模型,即外国教育吸引力,及与之而来的教育决策、实施和内化/本土化。这一模型仍需不同国家的实践来检验、修改和完善。     

党的三代领导核心论素质教育的灵魂

本文通过对毛泽东、邓小平和江泽民为代表的党的三代领导集体对党的教育方针、培养目标和素质教育灵魂的论述。阐述教育工作在现代化建设中的地位和作用，进一步加深理解教育，尤其是素质教育对21世纪中国的战略性地位的重要性。     

公共教育空间：英日两国教育政策比较研究

在20世纪40年代中期、80年代、90年代以后的三个不同历史时期,英国和日本采取一系列教育政策改造传统的公共教育体制,不断扩展公共教育的空间。现在,在全球化背景下,公共的教育空间不是变得规则、协调了．而是在各自的地理环境中变得不规则了。对英国和日本的教育政策进行比较研究,有助于我们深刻地认识英日两国菊在于公共教育空间背后不同的教育特质和教育机制。     

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.     

Education experienced by foreign-born faculty whose native countries have undergone major socio-economical changes

Three professors of education reflected on education in their countries of origin, and compare their education with learning, teaching and the education in the United States. The three countries represented are China prior to the political and economical reforms starting from 1979, Iran prior to the Islamic Republic of 1979, and the Russian Federation of the Former Soviet Union prior to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Certain aspects of education such as the curriculum, pedagogy, length of schooling, methods of teaching, the textbooks, and priorities and goals of schooling in each country are discussed. This article is a comparison of the educational system of each country with the American educational system as well as among the three countries. The article concludes with each author offering some ideas on how the American educational system might benefit from the experience of the other countries.     

Social foundations of public–private partnerships in education: the historical cases of post-war Singapore and Hong Kong

This paper compares public–private partnerships (PPPs) in education in post-war Singapore and Hong Kong. After the Second World War the Singapore government shied away from PPPs, while the state in Hong Kong collaborated extensively with the non-state sector in education. Singapore was a small city-state flanked by two Muslim nations, and its post-war regime faced challenges from the Malayan Communist Party. These pressures curbed the state’s involvement with missionary and Chinese bodies in education. Hong Kong, however, was a mono-racial society without any anti-Chinese neighbours, and its authorities were seldom challenged by a militant antagonist. Thus, its government was freer to involve non-state agents in education. This study reveals that PPPs are viable only when suitable non-state partners exist and when the state does not believe that such undertakings would expose the school system to an antagonist. It also urges scholars in future to explore the socio-political preconditions for PPPs.     

“红色资源”的界定及其转化的必然性

近年来学术界对于红色资源的定位与科学内涵表述不一。现有表述存在着两方面的不足：一是重“红色”轻“资源”;二是重“内容归纳”轻“定义阐释”。红色资源可界定为：红色资源是指中国共产党领导我国人民在新民主主义革命和社会主义建设时期创造的,并可以为我们今天所开发利用,能够满足人们需要的各种精神及其物质载体的总和。红色资源所依赖历史的久远性、空间分布的零散性、教育价值的延拓性、外在姿态的崇高性决定了它必须要转化。     

中英公民教育教材比较研究

全球化背景下公民教育日益为各国重视.关于公民教育教材的编写,各国由于意识形态和价值观不一,侧重点也各不相同.本文在对中英两国现行公民教育教材作扼要介绍的基础上,从目标、内容、编写体例三方面对此两种教材的特点进行了比较,并进而反思我国公民教材可以改进的路径,以期对完善我国公民教育教材提供思路.     

What do citizens need to know? An analysis of knowledge in citizenship curricula in the UK and Ireland

Contemporary citizenship education tends to focus on the development of skills through real experiences, which has led to a relative neglect or simplification of knowledge and understanding. This article outlines a framework for analysing citizenship curricula drawing on Young’s notion of ‘powerful knowledge’ and ‘knowledge of the powerful’ and on Shulman’s account of subject knowledge, which includes substantive concepts and epistemic criteria. These ideas are used to analyse the citizenship curricula in the four nations of the UK and Ireland to assess the extent to which they provide an adequate account of knowledge and understanding of citizenship. The article concludes that it is important to reconsider the relationship between the genuinely educational aspects of citizenship education (where ‘powerful knowledge’ opens up new and diverse understandings) from the normative aims, which are more akin to a form of socialisation (where ‘knowledge of the powerful’ closes down certain possibilities).