ICCS 2009 international report: Civic knowledge, attitudes, and engagement among lower-secondary students in 38 countries

This report presents findings from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Over the past 50 years, IEA has conducted 30 comparative research studies focusing on educational policies, practices, and outcomes in various school subjects in more than 80 countries around the world.
ICCS studied the ways in which young people in lower-secondary schools in a range of countries are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens. It investigated student knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship as well as students’ perceptions, attitudes, and activities related to civics and citizenship. It also examined differences among countries in these outcomes and the relationship of these outcomes to students’ individual characteristics and family backgrounds, to teaching practices, and to school and broader community contexts.
Thirty-eight countries worldwide participated in ICCS. Data gathered from more than 140,000 Grade 8 students and 62,000 teachers in over 5,300 schools provided evidence that may be used to improve policy and practice in civic and citizenship education. The information collected also provides a new baseline for future research on civic and citizenship education.
This report presents extensive analyses of student knowledge and attitudes in relation to teacher, school, and community characteristics in all 38 countries. While these analyses revealed considerable variation among and within countries in civic knowledge of students, they also indicated that large majorities of students in all countries strongly endorse democratic values and institutions. Among factors related to students’ knowledge and/ or dispositions were gender, socioeconomic background, parents’ interests in political and social issues, communication experiences (including perceptions of openness in school classroom discussions), and experiences with voting.