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Active Citizens and Passive Learning: A Qualitative Study of Students' Perspectives on Citizenship Education across England and Wales

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Title: Active Citizens and Passive Learning: A Qualitative Study of Students' Perspectives on Citizenship Education across England and Wales
Language: English
Authors: Eleni Andreouli (ORCID 0000-0003-2182-5549), Sandra Obradovic, Katharine Young, Tom Burton, Annika Hecht
Source: Youth & Society. 2026 58(1):152-175.
Availability: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Grade 7
Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
Grade 8
Grade 9
High Schools
Grade 10
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Citizenship Education, Foreign Countries, Student Experience, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Political Attitudes, Youth, Secondary School Students
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom (England), United Kingdom (Wales)
DOI: 10.1177/0044118X251377333
ISSN: 0044-118X
1552-8499
Abstract: Across the UK there has been a steady, but rising, concern over young people's political engagement. Citizenship education (CE) is one policy response to this lack of engagement, seeking to mould young people's transition to full citizenship according to prevailing values and ideals of citizenship. In this paper, we examine CE in England and Wales reporting on the findings of twenty focus groups with secondary school students across ten schools. We identified four representations in how students represented good citizenship: communitarian; civic; transactional; and rights-based citizenship. We also found, across our focus groups, a clear preference for practice-based teaching that connects abstract ideas around citizenship into lived experience--which students missed in actual CE practice. In the discussion of the paper, we draw on these findings to make recommendations for future CE provision in the UK and more broadly.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1493917
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Active Citizens and Passive Learning: A Qualitative Study of Students' Perspectives on Citizenship Education across England and Wales
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Eleni+Andreouli%22">Eleni Andreouli</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2182-5549">0000-0003-2182-5549</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sandra+Obradovic%22">Sandra Obradovic</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Katharine+Young%22">Katharine Young</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tom+Burton%22">Tom Burton</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Annika+Hecht%22">Annika Hecht</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Youth+%26+Society%22"><i>Youth & Society</i></searchLink>. 2026 58(1):152-175.
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  Data: SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
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  Data: 24
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+7%22">Grade 7</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Junior+High+Schools%22">Junior High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Secondary+Education%22">Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+8%22">Grade 8</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+9%22">Grade 9</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22High+Schools%22">High Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Grade+10%22">Grade 10</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1177/0044118X251377333
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  Data: 0044-118X<br />1552-8499
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Across the UK there has been a steady, but rising, concern over young people's political engagement. Citizenship education (CE) is one policy response to this lack of engagement, seeking to mould young people's transition to full citizenship according to prevailing values and ideals of citizenship. In this paper, we examine CE in England and Wales reporting on the findings of twenty focus groups with secondary school students across ten schools. We identified four representations in how students represented good citizenship: communitarian; civic; transactional; and rights-based citizenship. We also found, across our focus groups, a clear preference for practice-based teaching that connects abstract ideas around citizenship into lived experience--which students missed in actual CE practice. In the discussion of the paper, we draw on these findings to make recommendations for future CE provision in the UK and more broadly.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1493917
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        Value: 10.1177/0044118X251377333
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 24
        StartPage: 152
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Citizenship Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Experience
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 7
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 8
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 10
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      – SubjectFull: Political Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Youth
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary School Students
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      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (England)
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      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom (Wales)
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      – TitleFull: Active Citizens and Passive Learning: A Qualitative Study of Students' Perspectives on Citizenship Education across England and Wales
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