An international perspective on civic participation in Irish post-primary schools: results from ICCS

Abstract

Ireland was one of the 38 countries/education systems that participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) in 2009. This is the first international comparative study in this area in which Ireland has participated since 1971. The study measured the civic knowledge of 14-year-olds and their attitudes towards, and beliefs about, various civic and citizenship issues. The current paper focuses on indicators of students' and (to a lesser extent) parents' participation in school life. Although active participation in school is emphasised in, for example, the Education Act of 1998, little empirical work in Ireland has defined or examined actual levels of participation in post-primary schools, or students' views of their opportunities to participate, and ICCS provides information on these issues in an international comparative context. Findings indicate that despite a relatively strong civic knowledge base among students in Ireland, levels of participation compare less favourably with other countries. Results are discussed in the wider context of the Irish education system.

Keywords:

• civic
• citizenship
• education
• international
• survey
• Ireland

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments from Dr Gerry Shiel, Educational Research Centre, St Patrick's College, Dublin, Ireland, on drafts of this article.

Notes

1. SSP status refers to the Department of Education and Skills’ School Support Programme, i.e. whether or not a school is in receipt of additional support to address educational disadvantage under the Delivering Equality In Schools (DEIS) initiative (Department of Education and Science 2005).