National Contexts SurveyProgress Report

National Research Coordinators Meeting Windsor, June 2008

NRCMeetingWindsor

June 2008

Three Foci1. Purpose and Development

• Study’s Contextual framework

• Antecedents and processes

• Design

• Current progress

2. Initial Analysis

• 26 countries

• Outputs

3. Next Steps

• Reporting plans

• Stage 2

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Overlapping contexts

• Context of the wider community: the wider context within which schools and home environments work. Factors may be found at local, regional and national levels

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Antecedents

• Historical development of civic and citizenship education

• Legislation on civic and citizenship education

• Nature of policy drivers in civic and citizenship education

• Extent of current reforms in education and their relationship to civic and citizenship education

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Processes

• Curricula approaches to civic and citizenship education (whether separate subject, cross-curricular, transversal (or a mixture of these)

• Aims, goals and content of curriculum

• Nature and extent of whole school approaches focusing on students participation and engagement

• Nature and extent of community links

• Nature and extent of teacher training approaches

• Quality assurance mechanisms, including inspection and reporting

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Principles of survey design and development

• Timeframe – comprise two stages

• Format - involve a common structure of closed and open format questions

• Technology - be filled in and collected on-line

• Expertise - be completed by NRCs drawing on further sources and expertise as required

• Language and consistency - be completed in English

• Supporting data and information - draw upon existing sources of information where they are available and helpful

• Resources- be manageable for available resource

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NCS Overview

On-line survey with 8 Sections1. Education system2. Education policy and civic and citizenship

education3. Approaches to civic and citizenship education4. Civic and citizenship education and school

curriculum approaches5. Civic and citizenship education in the school

curriculum at the <target grade> 6. Teachers and civic and citizenship education7. Civic and citizenship education and assessment

and quality assurance8. Current debates and reforms

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Current Progress

• 31 countries have completed NCS on-line survey

• 6 countries have begun to enter data on-line

• 2 countries have yet to begin the process

• 26 countries have had data reviewed and analysed

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Initial Analysis - Aims

1. Review and analyse Stage One data from NRCs

2. Check fitness for purpose of the data

3. Explore analysis and presentation of outcomes

4. Supply useful contextual information at a national and cross-national level

5. Consider reporting outcomes and frame next steps

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Initial Analysis - Methods

• Survey responses checked for consistency

• Review of open questions (qualitative)

• Coding and analysis of closed questions (quantitative)

• Initial analysis outputs and formats

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Analysis of Stage 1 Data26 Countries

The 26 countries are:• Europe – Belgium (Flemish), Bulgaria, Cyprus,

Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden

• Latin America – Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay

• Asia – Chinese Taipei• Other – New Zealand

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Aspects Contributing to CCE according to Official Sources: Existence of Recommendations and Level of Contribution

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007

Approaches to Civic and Citizenship Education

Most countries (18) have official recommendations/ expectations/ perceptions in all the areas specified.

In most countries, official documents state that school culture/ethos and student participation make either a major contribution or some contribution to CCE (see figure to the right). However, 3 countries consider that these aspects make no contribution: Estonia, Luxembourg and Slovak Republic.

Parental involvement has the least recognition, with only 6 countries (Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico and Paraguay) stating in official documents that it has a major contribution to make to CCE. (The table overleaf provides further details by country.)

Section C16-21

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In most countries, Grade 8 students follow a common curriculum in CCE. Analysis across countries shows that, in CCE at this grade:•aims and objectives tend to be about students acquiring knowledge and understanding of the structure and operation of society, relevant cognitive skills, and knowledge and understanding of rights and responsibilities and/or the development of a responsible attitude•processes most often emphasised are concerned with knowledge and understanding, positive attitudes to participation, and skills of discussion and debate (rather than, for instance, student participation in activities in the community and decision-making in the school)•amongst the topics most often emphasised are those relating to formal political processes and systems, as well as human rights, cultural and ethnic diversity, and the environment•the use of publications, guides and dissemination of instructional activities are the most common ways used in countries to implement CCE in the curriculum, whereas only a minority of countries use national assessments based on student samples•only 11 countries specify in the school curriculum the amount of instructional time which should be devoted to CCE.

CCE in the School Curriculum at Grade 8Overview

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007E

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Main aims and objectives of CCE at Grade 8 (general education)*

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007

CCE in the School Curriculum at Grade 8

In most countries, the aims and objectives of CCE at Grade 8 include encouraging students to acquire:

•knowledge and understanding of the structure and operation of society as a whole and/or concerning local communities (15 countries)

•relevant cognitive skills, such as skills of information processing and critical thinking (14 countries)

Other often-mentioned goals of CCE at Grade 8 are: knowledge and understanding of rights and responsibilities and/or the development of a responsible attitude (13 countries); knowledge and understanding of diversity, including issues surrounding gender, multiculturalism and immigration (11 countries); the adoption and/or understanding of certain values, such as democracy, human rights and equal opportunities (10 countries); and the encouragement civic participation (10 countries). (Details are provided overleaf).*Question is not applicable for Guatemala (no curriculum specified) and for Luxembourg (CCE not taught at this level).

E27

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Main aims and objectives of CCE at Grade 8 (general education), by country

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007

CCE in the School Curriculum at Grade 8E27

BFL

BGR

CHL

COL

CYP

DNK

ENG

ESP

EST

FIN

FRA

GRC

ITA

MEX

NIR

NLD

NOR

NZL

POL

PRY

SVK

SVN

SWE

TWN

Knowledge/understanding of structure and operation of society

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓Development of cognitive skills ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓Knowledge/ understanding/ attitudes regarding rights and responsibilities

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓Knowledge/understanding of diversity

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓Adoption/understanding of values

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓Encouragement of civic participation ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓Note: Guatemala (no curriculum specified) and Luxembourg (CCE not taught at this level) not shown.

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Emphasis on CCE-related topics in school curriculum (Grade 8)

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007

CCE in the School Curriculum at Grade 8E30

N=26 countries

Amongst the CCE-related topics most often emphasised at Grade 8 across countries are topics relating to formal political processes and systems, as well as human rights, cultural and ethnic diversity, and the environment (see above; for findings by country see table overleaf).

4

4

7

8

8

9

9

14

14

16

17

19

17

14

18

13

14

15

14

10

10

9

8

5

5

8

1

5

4

2

3

2

2

1

1

2

0 5 10 15 20 25

The economy & economics

Voluntary groups

Resolving conflict

Regional institutions & orgs.

Legal systems & courts

Communication studies

The global community & international orgs.

Parliament & government systems

The environment

Voting & elections

Underst. different cultures & ethnic groups

Human rights

Number of countries

Major empahsis Some emphasis No emphasis

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Emphasis on CCE-related topics in school curriculum (Grade 8)

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007

CCE in the School Curriculum at Grade 8E30

N=26 countries

Processes to do with student participation in activities in the community and decision-making in the school, analysing change in school and participation in the community are amongst the least emphasised of CCE-related processes (see above).

9

8

6

6

6

3

11

14

13

10

12

11

6

4

7

10

8

12

0 5 10 15 20 25

Opportunities for student involvement indecision-making in school

Communicating through projects &written work

Analysing & observing changeprocesses in the community

Analysing & reflecting on participationactivities

Opportunities for student participation incommunity-based activities

Analysing & observing changeprocesses in school

Number of countries

Major emphasis Some emphasis No emphasis

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Pervasiveness of current debates and reform

ICCS – National Contexts Survey 2007

Current debates and reforms

CCE is an area in flux (see figure below). In most countries policy in this area is being debated and the school curriculum is being revised. Also, in many countries school approaches to CCE are being revised and reforms are underway which may impact on CCE before ICCS reports in 2010.

H44-46

N=26 countries

02468

101214161820

Policy on CCEbeing debated

Revision ofcurriculumdelivered to

Grade 8

Revision ofschool

approaches toCCE

Other reformspotentially

impacting onCCE

Nu

mb

er

of

co

un

trie

sDebates and reforms underway in the area of CCE

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Initial Analysis – Learning Points

• On-line instrument has worked well

• Much useful data collected at national and cross-national and regional level

• Possible to report general trends

• Review how to report data from closed (quantitative) and open (qualitative) questions

• Need for further checking, verification and updating of data in Stage 2

• Consider reporting plans and next steps

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Reporting Plans

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ICCS Encyclopaedia

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NCS and Study Outputs

• International report (2010)

• European regional report (2010)

• ICCS Encyclopaedia (2010)

• National reports (2010 and beyond)

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Next Steps

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Questions or comments?

THANK YOU