Reflections on the IEA civic education study in the united states: Policies, people, and research

Abstract

In this chapter, the national research coordinator for the United States (US) in IEA's 1999 Civic Education Study (CIVED) reflects on US participation in that study and its legacy, especially in light of the fact that the US did not participate in the later ICCS studies. She describes decisions related to the qualitative research methods used in Phase I of CIVED, as well as findings from it. The main findings from the quantitative Phase II of the study, which revealed US students' civic knowledge, attitudes, and experiences in 1999, are described. Policy documents, publications, and subsequent research in the US informed by findings from CIVED are discussed. There were extensive contributions to civic education research both nationally and internationally from scholars who participated in CIVED and by other scholars who have expanded research on themes identified in that study during the ensuing two decades.