Concept and Design of the International Civic and Citizenship Study (original) (raw)

The key research questions for the study concern student achievement, dispositions to engage, and attitudes related to civic and citizenship education. The variables necessary to analyse these research questions can be located in the assessment framework. RQ 1 What variations exist between countries, and within countries, in student achievement in conceptual understandings and competencies in civics and citizenship? This research question concerns the distribution of outcome variables across participating countries (at the country level) and within these countries. Analysis to address this research question will focus on the distribution of student achievement based on test data and involve single-and multi-level perspectives (through the use of, for example, models of variance decomposition). RQ 2 What changes in civic knowledge and engagement have occurred since the last international assessment in 1999? This research question is mainly concerned with analysing trends from CIVED to ICCS and will be limited to data from countries participating in both assessments. Analysis will focus at the level of participating countries at changes in overall civic knowledge and indicators of civic engagement and attitudes. Country-level factors (recent curriculum changes, reforms) can be used when interpreting possible changes across time. RQ 3 What is the extent of interest and disposition to engage in public and political life among adolescents and which factors within or across countries are related to it? This research question addresses the issue of apathy, with indicators of civic engagement compared within and across countries and related to explanatory Assessing Student Knowledge, Background and Perceptions in the International Civic and Citizenship Study. Paper prepared for the Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association in New York, 24-28 March 2008. 3 3 variables at various levels. Both characteristics and process-related variables at the levels of school/classroom and home environment will be used to explain variation in outcome variables. RQ 4 What are adolescents' perceptions of the impact of recent threats to civil society and of responses to these threats on the future development of that society? Analysis will be based on student comprehensions of the relationship between securing societies and safeguarding civil liberties, and on student attitudes towards citizenship rights. Factors located at the country level (recent developments, liberal traditions) could be of particular importance for the analysis. RQ 5 What aspects of schools and education systems are related to achievement in and attitudes to civics and citizenship, including: (a) general approach to civic and citizenship education, curriculum, or program content structure and delivery?

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