Theories of Citizenship Education

Theories of Citizenship Education

What is Citizenship Education?

Citizenship education is education for citizenship. It is the process
of preparing young people for their roles and responsibilities as
citizens through schooling, with social integration as the goal.
Approaches are affected by contextual factors:
historical tradition
geographical position
socio-political structure
economic system
global trends

Construct of citizenship Education

Civic
Citizens
hip
Educatio
n

Political

Social

A Case
Billy was born in Hong Kong but lived in Shenzhen. He is a cross-boarder student who came from a well-to-do
Chinese family. One day, he had an accident in your PE lesson. After careful examination, you were sure that
Billy had broken his arm. You called his mother, telling her what had happened and suggested that Billy
should be sent to the emergency ward for immediate medical care. The mother asked you whether Billy
could still walk. You honestly told her that the child had hurt his arm but not his leg, so he could walk. You
kept urging Billys mother to come over while you would send Billy to hospital. The mother did not listen to
you. She suggested that there was no transport taking Billy home if he was sent to the hospital. She insisted
that Billy should take the school bus home and she would then see whether he needed medical care.
The next day, when Billy arrived at the school, he looked very pale. He kept crying because of pain. You
asked him if he had visited the doctor. Billy told you that his mother said receiving medical treatment is very
expensive in their home town but it is free of charge in Hong Kong. Billys mother told him that the school
should be responsible for his injury and asked him to request the teacher to take him to hospital. You called
Billys mother again and she shouted at you, saying that you were irresponsible because you did not send the
boy to hospital immediately after the accident irrespective of his serious injury.
Without further arguing with Billys mother, you took the child to hospital. The case was finally settled.

Analyse the case, which aspect of citizenship education - civil, political

or social will be of help to Billy? Why?

Strands of Citizenship Education

Education ABOUT
citizenship

Education THROUGH
citizenship

focuses on providing students

with sufficient knowledge
understanding of national
history and the structures and
processes of government and
political life

involves students learning by

doing through active,
participative experiences in
the school or local community
and beyond
reinforces the knowledge
component.

Education FOR citizenship

involves equipping students
with a set of tools (knowledge
and understanding, skills and
aptitudes, values and
dispositions) which enable
them to participate actively
and sensibly in the roles and
responsibilities they encounter
in their adult lives.
links citizenship education
with the whole education
experience of students.

Approaches to Citizenship Education

MINIMAL

MAXIMAL

thin

thick

exclusive

inclusive

elitist

activist

civics education

citizenship education

formal

participative

content led

process led

knowledge based

values based

didactic
transmission

interactive
interpretation

easier to achieve

more difficult to
achieve

measure in
practice

measure in practice

values explicit

values neutral

private concern

public concern

Minimal
- formal approaches that is content-led and knowledgebased, like transmission of knowledge of a countrys
history and geography, the structure and processes of
the system of government and its constitutions
- Didactic teaching and learning approaches, teacherled, whole class teaching with little student interaction
- success measured through written examination
Maximal
- content and knowledge are included, but active
investigation and many different interpretations of the
content is encouraged
- aim is not only to inform, but to enhance capacity to
participate
- process of learning is emphasized, broad mixture of
teaching and learning approaches used, from didactic
to interactive, both inside and outside classroom,
student interaction through discussion and debate,
project work, and other forms of independent learning
and participative experiences.

What do
you think?

Should citizenship education be 'values-explicit'

and promote nationally accepted values and
beliefs?
Or should citizenship education be 'valuesneutral' and take a neutral stance to
controversial issues, leaving the decision to the
individual?

In your experience of teaching in Hong

Kong, which approach to citizenship
education is used, thin or thick?
What is your personal preference?
Why?