Social Capital Versus Informed Social Reflection: Evaluating Two Theoretical Frameworks of Civic Engagement

• In Event: 52.038 - Citizenship Education: A Comparative Analysis of Secondary School Students' Achievement in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico

Abstract

Objectives
-To empirically test two major theoretical models of civic engagement using data form the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2009. The theoretical models to be tested are the social capital (Putnam, 1993, Whiteley, 2000), and the informed social reflection framework (Selman and Kwok, 2009).
-To investigate the ways in which Mexican adolescents are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens, and
-To identify factors associated with different levels of civic engagement.
Theoretical framework
Analysis is based on two theoretical frameworks of civic engagement: the social capital (Putnam, 1993, Whiteley, 2000), and the informed social reflection framework (Selman and Kwok, 2009).
According to the social capital framework, variables like joining and taking part in local organizations promote a sense of trust in others (e.g., institutions). According to Putnam (1993), Whiteley (2000), Claibourn and Martin (2000), societies with higher levels of trust tend to be integrated by people who engage in social and voluntary activities outside their homes. The opposite is true for societies in which most citizens do not routinely undertake voluntary activities.
The informed social reflection model (Selman, 2003), considers that students who are taught to think critically and reflectively about history, civic issues and ethics, will be better equipped to deal with analogous incidents, both in school and in society. The authors contend that informed social reflection is derived from the intersection of civic competencies, ethical awareness and historical understanding.
Methods
We used different specifications of Structural Equation Models in order to evaluate the fit of the theoretical models to the empirical data. Because of the complex sampling and assessment design of the data analyzed, all estimations were carried out using replicate weights and plausible values.
Data
Data used come from the Mexican sample from the ICCS 2009 study, an international large-scale comparative study conducted in 38 countries by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The study collected data on grade 8 students’ civic knowledge and background data: civic attitudes, dispositions, student family, teacher and school characteristics (Schulz et al., 2010).
Results
Our results show that the differences between the fit of the evaluated theoretical models are not substantial. Therefore, it can be said that explanations derived from the two theoretical standpoints are plausible. In general, across models, the variables most consistently associated to civic engagement were: participation in school, participation in the community, internal political efficacy, trust in institutions and civic knowledge/skills.
Scientific Significance
This study contributes to better understand how Mexican adolescents are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens, and the way in which school and teachers practices influence their dispositions. It also contributes to fill a gap in the literature, as in Latin America there is insufficient evidence on the variables that determine civic participation (Schulz, et al., 2008). These two aspects are fundamental to design educational policies and practices that effectively promote civic engagement in a way that could help today’s students to create a more democratic and just society.

Authors

• Benilde Garcia-Cabrero, National Autonomous University of Mexico

• María Guadalupe Pérez-Martínez

• Andres Sandoval-Hernandez, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement