Rethinking political participation: A pedagogical approach for citizenship education (original) (raw)
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Over the past two decades, various policy initiatives have been proposed to solve the perceived problem of youth disengagement from politics. This article examines the impact of one such policy initiative – namely the introduction of activities that seek to teach ‘education through citizenship’ at school. In short, ‘education through citizenship’ involves formal and informal learning opportunities that enable students to acquire civic skills and knowledge through hands-on experiences. School councils, debate teams and/ or mock elections are some of the most common ‘education through citizenship’ activities in schools in England, and drawing on data from the Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (CELS) in England, this article shows that such activities can indeed have an effect, not just in the short-term (as previous studies in England have shown), but also in the medium-term (by encouraging political engagement once the students have left the confines of the school). This article thus argues that school activities can have a lasting and independent impact on youth political engagement, and provides support for the continuation of education through citizenship, and not just about citizenship.
Young people’s relationship with British politics has been the subject of considerable scrutiny. Research appears to indicate that in Britain, many young people are refraining from engaging in the formal political process and are increasingly turning their backs on democratic institutions. However, research also suggests that once young people are invited to discuss politics in their own terms, there is evidence of much higher levels of interest and activity. The present paper examines whether citizenship education can help youth become more politically engaged. More specifically it examines the impact of citizenship studies classes on youth political engagement as well as an understanding of how they experience such classes at school. It is concluded that extending the study of citizenship within the school/college curriculum and ensuring that this is given a distinct and prominent status might assist with the process of improving political literacy skills to help young people re-connect with democratic life in an informed, critical, confident and effective manner.
Young people, citizenship education and political engagement
Young people’s relationship with British politics has been the subject of considerable scrutiny. Research appears to indicate that in Britain, many young people are refraining from engaging in the formal political process and are increasingly turning their backs on democratic institutions. However, research also suggests that once young people are invited to discuss politics in their own terms, there is evidence of much higher levels of interest and activity. The present paper examines whether citizenship education can help youth become more politically engaged. More specifically it examines the impact of citizenship studies classes on youth political engagement as well as an understanding of how they experience such classes at school. It is concluded that extending the study of citizenship within the school/college curriculum and ensuring that this is given a distinct and prominent status might assist with the process of improving political literacy skills to help young people re-connect with democratic life in an informed, critical, confident and effective manner.
Over the past two decades, there has been a wide-ranging debate about the impact of citizenship education on young people's political engagement and participation across Britain. Using data from a survey of 1025 young people aged 18 years at the time of the 2010 General Election, we examined the impact that studying for a formal qualification in General Certificate of Secondary Education in Citizenship Studies has on young people's political and civic engagement. Drawing from the hypothesis that those young people who took the course would be more engaged than those who did not, results demonstrated that there are many differences between the two groups in terms of their political perspectives as well as their past and future patterns of political participation.
Education, Citizenship and Social Justice
Over the past two decades, there has been a wide-ranging debate about the impact of citizenship education on young people’s political engagement and participation across Britain. Using data from a survey of 1025 young people aged 18 years at the time of the 2010 General Election, we examined the impact that studying for a formal qualification in General Certificate of Secondary Education in Citizenship Studies has on young people’s political and civic engagement. Drawing from the hypothesis that those young people who took the course would be more engaged than those who did not, results demonstrated that there are many differences between the two groups in terms of their political perspectives as well as their past and future patterns of political participation.
Citizenship Education: The Feasibility of a Participative Approach
Background: European and national policies on citizenship education stimulate the implementation of a participative approach to citizenship education, fostering active citizenship. The reason given for fostering active citizenship is the decline of participation in political and social life jeopardizing democracy. Schools have to implement a participative approach through stimulating participation within school and its direct environment, while fostering a certain kind of political literacy, critical thinking and analysing skills, certain kind of values, attitudes and behaviours. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to problematise the participative approach of citizenship education advocated by policy makers and several researchers (e.g. Bron and Thijs 2011; Geisel et al., 2012; Osler 2011; QCA 1998; Schulz et al. 2008; The Education and Skills Committee 2007). In order to do so, four different categories that citizenship education has to cover will be theoretically and empirically analysed: political knowledge, critical thinking, values, attitudes and behaviours, and active participation. The practical implications for educational practice will be discussed. Source of evidence: Two types of documents have been analysed: The 2005 and 2012 Eurydice reports and the 2009 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) research reports. These documents are exemplary of the mainstream idea of citizenship and citizenship education held by policy makers and many researchers on citizenship education. The Eurydice reports have analysed citizenship education in more than 30 countries while promoting a certain concept of citizenship education, namely active citizenship. The ICCS has researched pupils’ competencies on citizenship education and school practices in 38 countries. It is an interesting source because it had to define and operationalise the different constituents of citizenship education. Main argument: In jurisdictions where citizenship education is compulsory, schools have to implement this participative approach and account for it. We suggest that this educational approach to citizenship education may be problematic because each aspect – political literacy, critical thinking and analysing skills, values, attitudes and behaviours, and active participation presents challenging demands on the curriculum, headteachers and teachers. We argue three kinds of constraints that make the implementation of such a participative approach unrealistic: (1) insufficient specialist knowledge on the part of teachers and headteachers, (2) time and budget constraints and (3) an overcrowded curriculum. We demonstrate that the broad range of themes that political literacy has to cover demand specific knowledge on the part of teachers regarding each of the themes. Then we argue that critical thinking skills are hard to learn and demand continuous practice. Implementing and sustaining active participation structure within school and in the direct environment, again, require specific skills and curricular organisation. The demands made by values, attitudes and behaviours on teachers and pupils could not be explored because of the lack of conceptual clarity in the documentation under scrutiny. Conclusion: The feasibility of a participative approach to citizenship education has been questioned through theoretical and empirical critical analysis. On this basis, we suggest that the scope of the citizenship education curriculum should be reconsidered or that teacher and headteacher should receive the necessary and adequate training, and support to implement such a participatory structure.
Approaching the political in citizenship education
2016
Abstract: The forms that political education should take, and indeed its very presence in schools, are strongly contested questions. This paper explores these ideas in the light of the work of two theorists, Bernard Crick and Paulo Freire. There is first an analysis of their conceptions of politics and the political, their justifications for political education and their proposals for the curriculum. While the two theorists share the aim of political empowerment for all, there are significant differences in their understandings of society and of the potential of education for social transformation. The juxtaposition is seen to raise some important issues for citizenship education provision in England and Wales, concerning, in particular, its existence as a separate subject, its role in promoting conformity, the dangers of indoctrination and the means of promoting political agency.
Learning for democracy: The politics and practice of citizenship education
British Educational Research Journal , 2018
It is now two decades since the Advisory Group on Citizenship, commissioned by the newly elected Labour government, recommended the introduction of statutory citizenship education. On the twentieth anniversary of the eponymously named ‘Crick Report’, this article presents the findings of a rigorous mixed-methods study of citizenship educators in the UK. This research suggests that teachers continue to lack a shared understanding of citizenship, conceptually and pedagogically, and also reveals an emphasis amongst teachers upon individualistic notions of good citizenship that are reflective of national, and increasingly global, political discourse. The findings are analysed using a new conceptual framework—the declarative–procedural paradigm—which is developed here to understand the relationship between political and normatively driven visions of democratic citizenship and classroom pedagogy. In doing so the article adds, theoretically and substantively, to the specific research pool of citizenship studies and broader debates about political disengagement
Participation and Citizenship Education: Is the Citizen Free only during Parliamentary Elections?
In view of the inevitable confusion brought about by the extreme complexity of the decision-making process, and widespread indifference towards the common weal, what form, and what degree of civic participation are we to expect from citizens? In order to begin to unravel this question, we will proceed in two directions: (1) We will first assert that, in the context of liberal democracies, which evolve continuously and inter-generationally, the promotion of individual rights and interests is not entirely discordant with the growth of certain participa- tory virtues. (2) Following this, we will bear witness to how improving the depth of the citizen's investment in the political field also means promoting, at school, the establishment of a strong program addressing civic edu- cation, and aiming at the enlargement of the future citizen's argumentative and critical capacities. This said, if the school is to socialize students, contribute to their autonomy and encourage dialogue...