International Civic and Citizenship Education Study

ended

The International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS) investigates the ways in which young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens in a world where contexts of democracy and civic participation continue to change. The study was first implemented in 2009 with a follow-up cycle in 2016 and one in progress for 2022. ICCS is an international large-scale assessment of students enrolled in the eighth grade. The study reports on students’ knowledge and understanding of concepts and issues related to civics and citizenship, as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to this domain. In addition, ICCS collects rich contextual data on the organization and content of civic and citizenship education in the curriculum, teacher qualifications and experiences, teaching practices, school environment and climate, and home and community support. The study provides valuable data for countries monitoring their progress towards achieving the UNESCO sustainable development goals (SDG 4.7 on global citizenship education). Over time the study has been instrumental for monitoring trends in active citizenship, and the collected data serve as an important source of information for analytical work and policy reviews and developments at education system levels, both nationally and internationally. ICCS reports and data are publicly released to allow for continued use of the study outputs in policy analysis and research.