Civic Competence of Youth in Europe: Measuring Cross National Variation Through the Creation of a Composite Indicator

Abstract

This article develops a composite indicator to monitor the levels of civic competence of young people in Europe using the IEA ICCS 2009 study. The measurement model combines the traditions in Europe of liberal, civic republican and critical/cosmopolitan models of citizenship. The results indicate that social justice values and citizenship knowledge and skills of students are facilitated within the Nordic system that combines a stable democracy and economic prosperity with a democratically based education systems in which teachers prioritise promoting autonomous critical thinking in citizenship education. In contrast, medium term democracies with civic republican tradition, such as Italy and Greece gain more positive results on citizenship values and participatory attitudes. This is also the case for some recent former communist countries that retain ethnic notions of citizenship. In a final step we go on to argue that the Nordic teachers’ priority on developing critical and autonomous citizens perhaps facilitates 14 years olds qualities of cognition on citizenship and the values of equality but may not be the most fruitful approach to enhance participatory attitudes or concepts of a good citizen which may be better supported by the Italian teachers’ priority on civic responsibility.

Citizenship’s tangled web: Associations, gaps and tensions in formulations of European youth active citizenship across disciplines

“…A number of studies also investigate the extent to which social and environmental factors (such as modes of governance, media, schooling, family relationships, economic context or social attitudes to race, gender and ability) build or erode a sense of self-efficacy and of solidarity with others, or interact with individuals' dispositions and intersectional experiences to increase affinity for others within communities (which are conceived both geographically and via the notion of interests). While these experiences are also being documented and discussed at group level (Kimberlee, 2002;Vromen, Xenos, & Loader, 2014), several studies still measure individuals' subjectivity within, identification with, and practice of democracy and citizenship via individual scales, factors and variables (Hoskins & Villalba, 2015;Maganelli et al, 2014).…”

“…While the finding that democracy is operationalized more in favour of those who govern than in favour of citizens will not be new to those who work in the field of citizenship research, this definitional tension between the democratic interests of different groups of citizens and the interests of the newly expanding body, the European Union, in relation to ways of regarding and promoting active citizenship and participation at a time of heightened economic uncertainty and new media connection informs our sample and analysis (below) and differentiates it from previous reviews of literature on citizenship and civic action. In examining existing scholarship in this arena (Amnå & Ekman, 2014;Benhabib, 1999;Hoskins & Villalba, 2015;Torney-Purta & Amadeo, 2011 and many more) via a systematic meta-review, and in providing a critical epistemological take, this article presents original findings arising from (1) a quantitative thematic analysis of a corpus of 770 texts across 12 disciplines and sub-disciplines, and through (2) an in depth thematic qualitative analysis of methodologies, epistemologies, and ideological discourses in a selection of key texts across the corpus. Our findings problematize the key frames and themes that currently surround young people's active citizenship in a European context.…”

Lýðræðisleg hæfni fyrir lýðræðislega menningu

“…En jafnvel þótt þessi einfaldi haefniþáttur sé vissulega sjálfsmiðaður, og þess vegna laustengdari því að virða náttúruleg mörk mannsins á jörðinni, þá er hann því samt ekki óviðkomandi. Þótt enginn einn skilningur á hugtakinu um haefni sé viðtekinn í fraeðunum, virðast flestir fraeðimenn líta svo á að haefni sé samsettur eiginleiki sem taki í senn til gilda, viðhorfa, getu og þekkingar (Hoskins, Saisana og Villalba, 2015;Mogensen og Schnack, 2010;Rychen, 2009). Þar fyrir utan virðist mér að hugmyndin um hina einföldu haefni standi frammi fyrir að minnsta kosti tvenns konar vanda, sem ég vonast til að komast hjá með skilgreiningu minni.…”

Active citizenship self-efficacy scale: A reliability and validity study<p>Aktif yurttaşlık öz-yeterlik ölçeği: Bir geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması

“…Bu konudaki çalışmaların çoğu eğitim bağlamında ve çoğu zaman ortaokul veya lise öğrencileri üzerine yapılmıştır , Hoskins, Saisana, & Villalba, 2015Peterson, & Knowles, 2009;Schulz, W., Ainley, Fraillon, Kerr, & Losito, 2010). Inkeles'in (1969) aktif yurttaşlığı bağlılık, siyasete ilgi, siyasi bilgi, yurttaşlık olaylarına katılma, siyasi rasyonellik açısından ölçtüğü çalışmasında Arjantin, Şili, Hindistan, İsrail, Nijerya ve Doğu Pakistan yurttaşları karşılaştırılmıştır.…”