MAKING CITIZENS IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE THROUGH CE & HRE: Results of a CIVITAS BiH pilot-study

1. MAKING CITIZENS IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE THROUGH CE & HRE: Results of a CIVITAS BiH pilot-study Prof. Vedrana Spajić-Vrkaš Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences University of Zagreb

2. The objectives of the study • To provide empirical data on the outcomes of CE & HRE in SEE with a view to: • improve the qualityand position of CE & HREin the national formal education systems • promoteregional cooperation in the development of theory, policy and practice of CE & HRE

3. The characteristic of the study • The type of the study:pilot; explicatory • Methodology:quantitative • Research instrument:questionnaire (developed by theCIVITAS BiH Regional Steering Committeeon the basis of a questionnaire originally designed by the IOC for HR&DC, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb) • Coordinator: CIVITAS BiH • Donor: US Democracy Program and US Embassy in Bosnia-Herzegovina • Participating countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia ( • Total sample: 2,314 secondary school students (grammar & vocational) (200-250 per country)

4. The origin of the questionnaire • The regional questionnaire was based on the following two research instruments: • the questionnaire on the university students knowledge in, and attitudes about democracy, citizenship and human rights developed by the Research and Training Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Citizenship of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Zagreb in 2006 • The questionnaire designed for the CIVITAS B&H studyon civic knowledge and attitudes of the secondary school students in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007, which was designed in two forms – initial and final, and was accompanied by the questionnaires for teachers and school principals) • The BiH version of the students’ questionnaire was significantly modified by the members of the CIVITAS Steering Board in a three-day working session held in Promorsko, Bulgaria in May 2008 • The agreed upon version was edited by Ms. Arlene Benitez from the Centre for Civic Education,Calabasas, USA

5. The content of the questionnaire • Dependent variables: • knowledge and understanding • attitudes towards school subject • civic and political culture • Independent variables: • gender • school type • average school grade • Plans for future education • level of education of both parents

6. Knowledge & understanding • 25 multiple-choice questions measuring knowledge and understanding of: • individual rights and freedoms • citizenship • democracy • governance • cultural pluralism • civil society • international and European organizations • Scores: 1 item – 1 score (max 36 scores)

7. Examples of questionson knowledge & understanding 2. When we say that someone possesses civic virtues, we primarily mean that: • He/she is the member of an NGOs, and not of a political party • He/she cares for the community interests • He/she behaves in a civilized manner • He/she has the rights of a citizen 12. For each description on the left side select and write a matching number from the list on the right side: • Focus is on individual freedoms ____ 1. Anarchy • The ruler is above the law ____ 2. Democracy • The government is centered in one leader or party ____ 3. Tyranny /dictatorship • Focus is on citizens’ participation ____ 4. Liberalism 5. Totalitarianism 6. Federalism 21. When a minority group is expected to accept the culture of a dominant group in the society, it is called: • Assimilation • Discrimination • Acculturation • Cohesion

8. Attitudes towards the school subject • 8 open and multiple-choice questions,and the Likert-type scales measuring: • satisfaction with the four dimensions of the school subject (the content, teacher’s approach, textbooks, classroom atmosphere) • acquired knowledge about a selected list of topics • acquired civic skills • student-centeredness of instruction • the use of selected teaching and learning methods • classroom atmosphere • suggestions for improvement of civic education

9. An example of question measuring an attitude towards school subject

10. Civic and political culture • 10 Likert-type scales measuring: • The level of being politically informed • The sources of political information (radio, television, newspaper, school subject, Internet, friends, family) • Actual civic and political paticipation • Anticipated civic and political participation as adult • The importance of selected political practices for democracy • Personal values • Political and socal trust • Social distance towards national and religious groups in the region • The importance of EU membership for a transitional country • The effects of EU membership

11. An example of the political culture questions

12. The sampleTotal: 1,466 respondentsThestructure of the national samples:gymnasium- 30%vocational school– 70%-

13. Formal provisions for learning citizenship • Albania – CE is an umbrella term for certain objectives from grade 1 to 10: in grades 1-4 it is part of the course on Social Education; from grades 5-9 it makes a separate subject of CE, and in grade 10 it is taught as part of the course on Knowledge on Society • Bosnia and Herzegovina– separate subject on Democracy and Human Rights which is mandatory for all secondary schools, except for schools with syllabuses in Croatian language in which it is made a mandatory part of the course on Politics and Economy • Croatia – mandatory part of Politics and Economy in secondary school; cross-curricular theme or extra-curricular activity from 1-8 grades of elementary school Montenegro- civic education is, in elementary education, a mandatory subject, and in general secondary education the so-called obligatory elective subject • Romania- compulsory CE in grades 3 and 4, and grades 7 and 8 of elementary schools, while in secondary schools it is optional CEor HRE programme • Serbia– CE is included as a compulsory elective school subject in grades 1 and 2 of both primary and secondary school • Slovenia - mandatory Civic Education and Ethicsis taughtin grades 7 and 8 of, while the optional course on Civic Cultureis taught ingrade 9

14. Civic and political knowledge and understanding of the secondary school students in 7 countries of SEE

15. Knowledge and understanding: average scores: 4 countries

20. Attitudes and opinions of the secondary school students about school subject in which CE is taught

23. How much have students learned about selected topics in democracy and citizenship (% of ‘a lot’ & ‘very much’)

32. Civic and political culture of the secondary school students in SEE

45. Summary of findings 1 • National samples are not equalised satisfactorily, especially in reference to the male-female and gymnasium-vocational school ratios, which makes the comparison of dataproblematic. • There are important differences in approaches to CE & HREamong the countries studied which makes it difficult to speak of a regional approach to CE & HRE. • These differences are the outcomes of different educational traditions, especially in reference to whether and to what extent schools are seen as tools for the “creation” of citizens and of democratic development. • CE & HRE are used as generic terms that stand for different conceptualizations and practices of learning citizenship. • All national curricula and/or legal and strategic documents refering to education stress the importance of promoting active and responsible citizens through education but fail to promote it in practice.

46. Summary of findings 2 • Students’ knowledge and understanding • students, in general, demonstrate a moderate level of knowledge on HR, democracy and citizenship • Although students from some countries score better on some questions than their peers from other countries, no national sample is significantly better or worse than others on all questions. • Majority of students in all national samples are familiar with the basics of democracy but are far less knowledgeable about the international and European organizations, the concepts defining majority-minority relations and, surprisingly, the role and the rights of citizens

47. Summary of findings 3 • Students’ opinions and attitudes about school subject through they learn about HR & citizenship • Students do not associate such learning solely with a specific subject but with other school subjects, and extracurricular activities in primary and secondary school, as well. • The level of satisfaction with the content of school subject, teacher’s approach, textbooks and the atmosphere in the classroom during instruction differs considerably among the countries surveyed • However, it seems that in all national samples the respondents are, in average, slightly more satisfied with secondary than with elementary school in all four dimensions, and more with the teachers’ approach and class atmosphere than with the content of the school subject and the textbooks. • The difference between the most and the least learned topics confirms the dominance of the “know-what” type of knowledge over the “know-how” and “know-why” approaches. The findings indicate that, despite differences among the national samples, secondary schools prepare their students more for a “thin democracy” and a duty-based citizenship than for a “thick” or participatory democracy and engaged citizenship.

48. Summary of findings 4 • It seems that students still learn more about than for human rights, democracy and citizenship in school: • They are instructed a lot about the importance of citizens’ participation in decision-making but they gain less knowledge on how to cooperate with other citizens to improve the community life. • They are well instructed about democracy but not so well on how to protect their rights in a democratic way. • They learn a lot about the role of the government but far less on how the government may misuse its power or how to recognise a true democratic leader.

49. Further remarks on the quality of citizenship education • Quality civic and human rights education and training support students in their development towards knowledgeable, participative and responsible citizens. An empowered citizen is an autonomous citizen, i.e. the citizen who is aware of his/her rights, who knows how to protect those rights and who can actively share such knowledge with other citizens to improve their democratic community and process. • In order to promote such learning, schools need to reduce teacher-centred or content-centred instruction and introduce more student-centred approaches. This means, in particular, encouraging student to participate actively in learning and decision-making while paying respect for their opinions and nurturing their critical thinking skills. • Without mutual respect and critical reflection, the participation of students slips into manipulation and tokenism in the context of which the authority of a canonised knowledge and its disseminator is far more important than the autonomy of an individual.

50. Further remarks on student’s assessment of teaching approaches • In order to see whether teaching about human rights and citizenship promotes students’ voices, the respondents were asked to assess a selected list of items that describe various aspects of student-centred instruction. The findings from almost all national samples show that teachers often or very often encourage their students to express their opinion and to discuss, that they respect students’ opinions and connect topics with everyday life of their students. Yet, they are less ready to promote critical thinking among their students, as well as to share their opinion with their students when assessing, and to use various learning resources other than textbooks in instruction. These findings suggest that the principle of student-centeredness and, especially, the practice of students’ participation in secondary schools across the region might serve the goals other than students’ emancipation and empowerment. • The data on learning methods generally support such conclusion. The teacher’s lecture combined with discussion and, to a lesser extent, with debate and project work, is still a dominant teaching approach. Other methods, including role-playing, learning through Internet and the analysis of video materials are far less frequently used in schools in most of the countries. Surprisingly, the potentials of voluntary work in humanitarian and other civil society organizations for developing an active and socially responsible citizen still remains largely unrecognised across the region. It would be desired that students would more frequently be involved as trainers and resource persons in the learning process, particularly when they can present their own experiences in democratic inclusion and participation, show their motivation for social and political work or transmit their skills to their peers.