Civic knowledge and engagement among students from immigrant and non-immigrant backgrounds

Civic and citizenship education has the goal of preparing young people for their role as citizens in society through the acquisition of civic knowledge and development of positive attitudes toward engagement. However, globalization and higher levels of migration have led to a re-thinking of the way education should be prepared young people for citizenship in an increasingly globalized world which is no longer only defined by notions of nation states. This paper focuses on the relationship between immigrant background and indicators for civic knowledge and engagement. The data used were collected as part of the IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS 2009), and includes measures of students’ background, civic knowledge, attitudes and behaviors as well as context information about schools and education systems. It will explore to which extent immigrant background influences young people’s preparation for citizenship across a diverse range of national contexts.