A Broadened Perspective on Citizenship Education and on IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Studies

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Reflections on IEA Civic Education Studies’ Multi-faceted Contributions to the Research, Theory and Practice of Democratic Education across Countries

Proposal

The presentation will consider ways in which the IEA civic education studies have been interacting with conceptualizations and processes of citizenship education:

1. Broadening and deepening the concept of citizenship and education for democracy:
Traditionally citizenship was only linked to the political domain of one’s country; in recent decades the concept has been ‘broadened’ and linked to regional identities such as the European Union and even to the world as a whole (global). The concept of citizenship has been ‘deepened’ because it pertains not only to the political level of society but also in the social and cultural domain. This deepening makes citizenship a normative and therefore a contested concept. In this process of deepening the concept of citizenship becomes linked to moral development.

2. Conceptualizing citizenship and citizenship education as having three aspects:
A national concept of citizenship can be conceptualised into three types: adapted, individualised, and critical-democratic. Research into global citizenship also shows three types: an open global citizenship with an emphasis on cultural openness; a moral global citizenship focusing on the well-being of humanity; and a social-political global citizenship aimed at greater social justice. Global citizenship focuses on human rights principles as moral guidelines for improving the world; national citizenship focuses on strengthening national culture.

3. Recognizing the importance of attitudes in citizenship:
People can have knowledge about democracy, and they can have democratic skills, but it is crucial for them to have attitudes supportive of rights for others and principles of participatory democracy if they are to act in a democratic way. Intentions and concrete behaviour are essential elements of citizenship in practice. The attitude component makes a real difference. Psychological concepts like involvement and engagement are part of citizenship and express moral values. The IEA studies of civic education have paid substantial attention to attitudes.

4. Understanding the process using the concept of subjectification:
Biesta speaks of subjectification, which is not captured by the term socialization. What is missing is the personal articulation: the individual student interprets concepts in a subjective fashion based on their own experience and through dialogue with others. This points to the relevance of individuals’ construction of meaning. This suggests research studying how students develop personal narratives relating themselves to citizenship.

5. Recognizing variations in the meaning of “democratic citizenship”
All nations recognize citizenship qualifications and have a more or less explicit citizenship policy related to a more or less formal curriculum of citizenship education. Nations have political regimes, ranging from authoritarian to democratic articulated in different ways. All nations have ideas of citizenship and practices of citizenship education. In reality ICCS is a study not of citizenship but of democratic citizenship.

6. Highlighting moral values in the ICCS-study:
Moral values have always been embedded in ICCS, and during recent years have gotten more explicit attention. Many countries are searching for meaning and direction in terms of moral values. Should they return to a more adaptive orientation, celebrate an individual orientation, or take up a democratic orientation to social justice?

Author

• Wiel Veugelers, University of Humanistic Studies