Teaching New Subjects: citizenship and curriculum reform
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Sch of Social Sciences
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between children and young
people's (CYP) civic engagement and curriculum reform, specifically the current program of
educational reform in Wales resulting from Professor Graham Donaldson's Independent
review of curriculum and assessment (Successful futures, 2015).
Whilst CYP are precluded from some forms of civic engagement (national elections, jury
duty etc) they do have other opportunities to engage in civil action in the form of for
example, school elections, youth parliaments, voluntarism, environmentalism and political
activism.
However, with the UK government acknowledging falling democratic and political
participation (Uberoi, 2015), especially amongst the young, the debate surrounding
citizenship pedagogy has intensified. In this context the current reform offers a unique
opportunity to directly compare two educational approaches and their impact on the
perceived problem of falling civil engagement among the young.
At the heart of this research then is the question of whether civic engagement is best 'taught'
through the official curriculum or 'learnt' through experience.
This study will continue the collection and analysis of WMCS data and in so doing,
contribute to the data set available on the WISERD multi-cohort study, this in turn can be
utilized by other researchers.
The literature review found no CYP voice focused research relating specifically to the notion
of civic engagement and curriculum reform - although much exists in relation to CYP voice
and curriculum design more generally. It is in this gap that this study hopes to further the
current understanding in the field and contribute to the current literature.
people's (CYP) civic engagement and curriculum reform, specifically the current program of
educational reform in Wales resulting from Professor Graham Donaldson's Independent
review of curriculum and assessment (Successful futures, 2015).
Whilst CYP are precluded from some forms of civic engagement (national elections, jury
duty etc) they do have other opportunities to engage in civil action in the form of for
example, school elections, youth parliaments, voluntarism, environmentalism and political
activism.
However, with the UK government acknowledging falling democratic and political
participation (Uberoi, 2015), especially amongst the young, the debate surrounding
citizenship pedagogy has intensified. In this context the current reform offers a unique
opportunity to directly compare two educational approaches and their impact on the
perceived problem of falling civil engagement among the young.
At the heart of this research then is the question of whether civic engagement is best 'taught'
through the official curriculum or 'learnt' through experience.
This study will continue the collection and analysis of WMCS data and in so doing,
contribute to the data set available on the WISERD multi-cohort study, this in turn can be
utilized by other researchers.
The literature review found no CYP voice focused research relating specifically to the notion
of civic engagement and curriculum reform - although much exists in relation to CYP voice
and curriculum design more generally. It is in this gap that this study hopes to further the
current understanding in the field and contribute to the current literature.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Sally Power (Primary Supervisor) | |
Robert James (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ES/P00069X/1 | 30/09/2017 | 29/09/2027 | |||
2436660 | Studentship | ES/P00069X/1 | 30/09/2020 | 06/04/2024 | Robert James |
Description | Analysis is ongoing and a summary of findings are scheduled to be available during the next stage of Research Fish reporting. |
Exploitation Route | n.a. as yet |
Sectors | Education Government Democracy and Justice |
Description | Civil Society in Turbulent Times: Exploring Connections, Comparison and Capacity-Building in Ireland and Wales |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Presented my research to a panel of Irish academics arranged as part of the Welsh-Irish research network. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
Description | WISERD Lunchtime Seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Due to present my research to a group of international peers on the 25th of April via the WISERD Lunchtime seminar series. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |