Connecting with Citizenship Education: A Mapping Study
19 December 2005
The DCA’s Education, Information and Advice (EI and A) Strategy is a key part of a delivering the five-year strategy and making a difference to priorities in the following areas:
- protecting the vulnerable
- proportionate dispute resolution
- improving public understanding of legal rights and responsibilities
- renewing the relationship between citizens and the state.
The Strategic Framework for EI and A sets out the vision for a programme of sustained action, which will be continuously reviewed over a number of years. This will deliver the vision in improving the provision of education, information and advice to the public, in relation to both the democratic and legal systems, through three key areas:
- making information more accessible
- improving life-chances for people
- greater efficiency and effectiveness.
The education strategy is being developed in two phases: Phase 1 targeting young people aged 7-19 in both formal and informal education settings; Phase 2 targeting post 19 and life long learning.
Mapping study
The DCA is keen to ascertain the extent to which the new curriculum subject of citizenship education can contribute to its education strategy. NFER was contracted to undertake a research study with five specific aims:
- map the main body of resources available for key stages 2-4 and post-16 education (age 7 to 19) in citizenship education that are relevant to the DCA’s priorities
- list key resource providers and develop a stakeholder map
- ascertain the resources that practitioners and young people find, or would find, useful
- identify examples of good practice, both in terms of resource provision and resource use
- make recommendations to the DCA as to how to disseminate and respond to the outcomes of the mapping study.
Data was collected from a range of sources, during the period March to September 2005.