International civic and citizenship education study - iccs - IEA

Teaching practices in the classroom: The ICCS teacher questionnaire includes items asking about
the use of different teaching approaches, including the use of assessment. The use of teaching
methods that focus on individual students and that favor students’ active participation in
learning activities contributes to the development of a classroom climate that is open and
favors the acquisition and exercising of skills and competencies related to civic and citizenship
education.
Teachers’ perception of classroom climate and discipline: Classroom climate is a general concept,
the definitions of which focus mainly on the level of co-operation in teaching and learning
activities, fairness of grading, and social support. Democratic classroom climate focuses mainly
on the implementation of democratic and liberal values in the classroom (Ehman, 1980;
Hahn, 1999). A democratic classroom climate may help students understand the advantages
of democratic values and practices and may have a positive effect on their active assimilation
(Perliger, Canetti-Nisim, & Pedahzur, 2006).
CIVED results highlighted the importance of classroom climate in civic and citizenship
education (Tornet-Purta et al., 2001). With respect to other variables, classroom climate
seemed to be one of the factors more directly correlated to student performance and to student
willingness to engage in civic-related activities. In further analysis, “open classroom climate” was
used as a predictor of the expectation of participating as an informed voter and of expectations
of community participation (Torney-Purta & Barber, 2004).
The construction of an open classroom climate presents a challenge for policy development and
practice. Students who had high scores on this scale agreed that “students feel free to disagree
openly with their teachers about political and social issues” and also that “teachers encourage
the discussion of political social issues about which people have different opinions” (Torney-
Purta & Barber, 2004, p. 17). Although many teachers across countries agree in principle that
such discussions are valuable, not every teacher is sufficiently skilled to guide such a discussion.
The ICCS teacher questionnaire includes a set of items asking teachers about their perception
of classroom climate and about students’ participation in classroom activities and class
discussion.
Teachers’ views on civic and citizenship education: The ICCS teacher questionnaire includes a set of
items asking teachers how they conceptualize civic and citizenship education, what they see as
the objectives of this form of education, and how this subject area is delivered in their schools.
Two constructs are assessed: teachers’ perception of the aims of civic and citizenship education
at school; and teachers’ opinion on which people should be responsible for civic and citizenship
education at school.
The constructs relate to which, in the teachers’ view, are the most important aims of civic
and citizenship education (development of knowledge and skill, development of a sense of
responsibility toward the environment, one’s own opinions and social cohesion, development of
active participation). The items included in the ICCS teacher questionnaire derive in part from
the CIVED teacher questionnaire.
Citizenship education and teaching practices at school: The ICCS teacher questionnaire includes an
international option on civic and citizenship education at school and on the teaching practices
adopted for teaching civic and citizenship education. This part of the questionnaire is restricted
to teachers of civic- and citizenship-education-related subjects.
Constructs and variables included in the international option relate to the planning of civic
and citizenship education, teaching and learning activities in civic and citizenship education,
student assessment in civic and citizenship education, teacher confidence in teaching civic- and
citizenship-related topics, and possible improvements to civic and citizenship education.
Most of the items for the international option derive from the CIVED teacher questionnaire.
40 ICCS ASSeSSment FrAmework