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10 pages, 255 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth

by Liyuan Liu, Steven Donbavand, Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat and Dimokritos Kavadias

Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(10), 394; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10100394 - 15 Oct 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3888

Abstract

The current Special Issue has been inspired by the Seventh Annual Conference on Citizenship Education that was held in Roehampton University London, on 26–27 September 2019 [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

Research

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18 pages, 320 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Learning from, through and about Differences: A Multiple Case Study on Schools as Practice Grounds for Citizenship

by Willemijn F. Rinnooy Kan, Virginie März, Monique Volman and Anne Bert Dijkstra

Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(6), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10060200 - 29 May 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4090

Abstract

Learning to relate to others that differ from you is one of the central aims of citizenship education. Schools can be understood as practice grounds for citizenship, where students’ citizenship is not only influenced by the formal curriculum, but also by their experiences [...] Read more.

Learning to relate to others that differ from you is one of the central aims of citizenship education. Schools can be understood as practice grounds for citizenship, where students’ citizenship is not only influenced by the formal curriculum, but also by their experiences in the context of teacher–student and student–student relations. In this article we therefore investigate how the practice of dealing with difference is enacted in schools. Data were collected through an exploratory multiple case study in four secondary schools, combining interviews and focus groups. Despite the differences between the schools in terms of population and location, in all schools the reflection on the enactment of ‘dealing with differences’ was limited in scope and depth. ‘Being different’ was understood primarily in terms of individual characteristics. Furthermore, in all schools there was limited reflection on being different in relation to teachers and the broader community. Finally, relevant differences for citizenship were confined to the category of ‘ethnic and cultural diversity’. This article calls for preparing teachers to consider a broader array of differences to practice dealing with differences with their students and to support students in reflecting on the societal implications of being different from each other. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

19 pages, 338 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizenship Education for Political Engagement: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials

by Steven Donbavand and Bryony Hoskins

Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(5), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10050151 - 25 Apr 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9127

Abstract

Citizenship Education could play a pivotal role in creating a fairer society in which all groups participate equally in the political progress. But strong causal evidence of which educational techniques work best to create political engagement is lacking. This paper presents the results [...] Read more.

Citizenship Education could play a pivotal role in creating a fairer society in which all groups participate equally in the political progress. But strong causal evidence of which educational techniques work best to create political engagement is lacking. This paper presents the results of a systematic review of controlled trials within the field based on transparent search protocols. It finds 25 studies which use controlled trials to test causal claims between Citizenship Education programs and political engagement outcomes. The studies identified largely confirm accepted ideas, such as the importance of participatory methods, whole school approaches, teacher training, and doubts over whether knowledge alone or online engagement necessarily translate into behavioral change. But the paucity of identified studies also points both to the difficulties of attracting funding for controlled trials which investigate Citizenship Education as a tool for political engagement and real epistemological tensions within the discipline itself. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

16 pages, 525 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizenship Educational Policy: A Case of Russophone Minority in Estonia

by Nikolai Kunitsõn and Leif Kalev

Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(4), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10040131 - 6 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3634

Abstract

In the contemporary era, societies are divided, and political polarization is increasing. One of the most powerful instruments the government can use is general standard education, specifically citizenship education. We will look at the case of Estonia, because Estonia’s main political cleavage is [...] Read more.

In the contemporary era, societies are divided, and political polarization is increasing. One of the most powerful instruments the government can use is general standard education, specifically citizenship education. We will look at the case of Estonia, because Estonia’s main political cleavage is the ethnic cleavage between the Estonian and the Russophone community. Our main research question is as follows: How would it be possible to use democratic citizenship education to decrease in the future the socio-economic inequality between different communities in Estonia? We will outline the context of ethnic socio-economic inequality in Estonia and show how these differences have been at least partially influenced by the current education system in Estonia and how citizenship education can be used to reduce these inequalities in the future. We will conduct an empirical analysis of the curriculum, and this will be followed by semi-structured qualitative interviews. In the discussion, we will make suggestions to the current Estonian citizenship education policy and offer various insights into tackling this issue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

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17 pages, 323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exclusion and Antisystem Attitudes: The Impact of Perceived Discrimination in Attitudes towards Democracy and the Willingness to Use Violence among Adolescents in Brussels

by Elham Mansoury Babhoutak, Dimokritos Kavadias and Nohemi Jocabeth Echeverria Vicente

Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(10), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9100175 - 1 Oct 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4037

Abstract

Perceived discrimination, the perception of systematic exclusion due to background characteristics, has been studied extensively in general. The political consequences of this perception remain underexplored for adolescents. Discrimination may engender a rejection of common political values such as the support for democratic politics. [...] Read more.

Perceived discrimination, the perception of systematic exclusion due to background characteristics, has been studied extensively in general. The political consequences of this perception remain underexplored for adolescents. Discrimination may engender a rejection of common political values such as the support for democratic politics. Using the data of 1789 pupils with an average age of 16 years (grade 10) from 24 schools in Brussels, we focus on the consequences of perceived discrimination in attitudes towards violence, as well as on a rejection of representative democracy. The outcomes of a multilevel analysis suggest that high levels of self-reported perceived discrimination are significantly associated with an anti-democratic attitude (rejection of the current form of representative democracy) and the willingness to use violence. In a context in which 75% of pupils have a non-native background, these findings reveal the challenges for future forms of civic education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

32 pages, 380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards a Comprehensive School Effectiveness Model of Citizenship Education: An Empirical Analysis of Secondary Schools in The Netherlands

by Manja Coopmans, Geert Ten Dam, Anne Bert Dijkstra and Ineke Van der Veen

Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(9), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9090157 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5766

Abstract

We still have only a limited understanding of the effectiveness of schools in promoting citizenship, the factors explaining this effectiveness and the way in which these aspects interact. Using elaborate cross-sectional data from students, teachers, team leaders and school leaders at 78 Dutch [...] Read more.

We still have only a limited understanding of the effectiveness of schools in promoting citizenship, the factors explaining this effectiveness and the way in which these aspects interact. Using elaborate cross-sectional data from students, teachers, team leaders and school leaders at 78 Dutch secondary schools, this study empirically examines a school effectiveness model of citizenship education in order to achieve a more comprehensive explanation of citizenship competence acquisition. Using multilevel structural equation models, we analyze direct and indirect school-level predictors of student knowledge, attitudes and self-evaluated skills regarding citizenship. Four aspects of citizenship education are examined: the school’s policies regarding citizenship education, its teaching practices, and its professional and pedagogical learning environment (i.e., teaching community and classroom climate). With respect to school policies, positive effects are found for the attention paid to citizenship education in staff meetings. The professional learning environment is related to students’ citizenship competences mainly indirectly, via the average classroom climate. Effects of teaching practices vary: more emphasis on monitoring is more frequently found at schools with lower average levels of citizenship competences, whereas schools that let students choose their own topics in class have on average higher levels of citizenship competences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

14 pages, 476 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Scientific Evaluation Matter? Improving Digital Simulation Games by Design-Based Research

by Sven Ivens and Monika Oberle

Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(9), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9090155 - 9 Sep 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4344

Abstract

Grounded in a design-based research approach, the aim of this article is to determine whether scientific evaluations help to (a) identify and fix problems in educational interventions and (b) eventually foster a more effective and positive evaluated intervention. Therefore, data from a longer-term [...] Read more.

Grounded in a design-based research approach, the aim of this article is to determine whether scientific evaluations help to (a) identify and fix problems in educational interventions and (b) eventually foster a more effective and positive evaluated intervention. Therefore, data from a longer-term evaluation of short digital simulation games about the European Parliament for civic education in schools were used. The data included three cycles of interventions with pre- and post-evaluations starting with the first prototype in 2015/2016 (n = 209), the second cycle in 2017/18 (n = 97), and the last one in 2019/20 (n = 222). After each evaluation, major problems and critiques regarding the simulation game were discussed with the developers, and changes were implemented in the game design. The four most important problems, the processes by which they were improved and the reactions of the participants in the following evaluations are pointed out in the article. A comparison of the last and first evaluation cycle showed an overall improvement of the simulation game regarding its effectiveness in transferring EU knowledge and the participants’ general satisfaction with the simulation game. This study underlines the value of the design-based research approach for developing educational interventions and can be useful for further work on civic education measures and the implementation of digital simulation games. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

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Other

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12 pages, 227 KiB

Open AccessProject Report

Reaching the Hard-To-Reach with Civic Education on the European Union: Insights from a German Model Project

by Monika Oberle and Märthe-Maria Stamer

Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(10), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9100173 - 30 Sep 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3499

Abstract

So-called “hard-to-reach” learners with a lower level of formal education have been identified as a “challenge” for civic education and have been neglected with regard to civic education in the past. However, these young people do deal with political processes that relate to [...] Read more.

So-called “hard-to-reach” learners with a lower level of formal education have been identified as a “challenge” for civic education and have been neglected with regard to civic education in the past. However, these young people do deal with political processes that relate to their everyday lives; they simply do not perceive these processes as political. The same holds true for the topic of the European Union. To date, hardly any teaching concepts and learning materials for civic education on the European Union that are specially designed for hard-to-reach youth have been available. This paper discusses the relevance, challenges, and promising approaches used to address this severe deficit in the research and practice of civic education regarding the EU. It focuses on the situation in Germany and presents the Jean Monnet project “Junge Menschen erreichbar machen mit politischer Europabildung” (JUMPER). Here, workshops with a focus on the European Union are developed—specifically tailored to the needs of the target group, carried out with pupils in the vocational transition system, and accompanied by systematic evaluation. Finally, conclusions are drawn for civic education and research regarding hard-to-reach youth. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Active Citizenship Education Programmes to Support Disadvantaged Youth)

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