Page 267 - Štremfel, Urška, ed., 2016. Student (Under)achievement: Perspectives, Approaches, Challenges. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut. Digital Library, Documenta 11.
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acilitating Civic Knowledge 267
– a Path Towards Active
Citizenship
Eva Klemenčič
Abstract: This paper analyses the averages of various civic education constructs
in order to show the different characteristics of students with the lowest achieve-
ments in the area of civic knowledge. While improving or raising the level of civ-
ic knowledge, it is equally important to increase all other possibilities and oppor-
tunities for such students, which is where being aware of the stated attitudes and
readiness to work in the immediate and wider social and political community
might come to our assistance. Students with the lowest achievements in the ar-
ea of civic knowledge (those who failed to achieve the first proficiency level of this
knowledge) are as a rule below the national average of the measured concepts.
Individual results seem to be the most interesting. On average, in the area of civ-
ic knowledge, compared with students with higher achievement, these students
have a stronger belief that their opinion on the way the school operates is taken
into consideration, that they participate more in the wider local community yet si-
multaneously have fewer opportunities to participate in the school community.
Perhaps the most worrying finding is that this is a group of students who are, on
average, more convinced that they will take part in illegal protests – despite their
civic knowledge being measurably lower. It is this fact that should hold implica-
tions for future policy in this area.
Key words: civic knowledge, active citizenship, ICCS
Introduction
In recent decades Europe has seen social and political changes that have in-
fluenced the “renewal” of the concept of civic knowledge in political theory, as
– a Path Towards Active
Citizenship
Eva Klemenčič
Abstract: This paper analyses the averages of various civic education constructs
in order to show the different characteristics of students with the lowest achieve-
ments in the area of civic knowledge. While improving or raising the level of civ-
ic knowledge, it is equally important to increase all other possibilities and oppor-
tunities for such students, which is where being aware of the stated attitudes and
readiness to work in the immediate and wider social and political community
might come to our assistance. Students with the lowest achievements in the ar-
ea of civic knowledge (those who failed to achieve the first proficiency level of this
knowledge) are as a rule below the national average of the measured concepts.
Individual results seem to be the most interesting. On average, in the area of civ-
ic knowledge, compared with students with higher achievement, these students
have a stronger belief that their opinion on the way the school operates is taken
into consideration, that they participate more in the wider local community yet si-
multaneously have fewer opportunities to participate in the school community.
Perhaps the most worrying finding is that this is a group of students who are, on
average, more convinced that they will take part in illegal protests – despite their
civic knowledge being measurably lower. It is this fact that should hold implica-
tions for future policy in this area.
Key words: civic knowledge, active citizenship, ICCS
Introduction
In recent decades Europe has seen social and political changes that have in-
fluenced the “renewal” of the concept of civic knowledge in political theory, as
