Citizenship Education Research in Varied Contexts: Reflections and Future Possibilities. A Review Essay

Abstract

Three books are the subject of this review essay: (1) Avril Keating's (2014) publication, "Education for Citizenship in Europe: European Policies, National Adaptations and Young People's Attitudes"; (2) "The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education", Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy (2015); and (3) "We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For: The Promise of Civic Renewal in America, Peter Levine" (2013). These books focus on findings from research related to citizenship and citizenship education (CE) primarily in Europe and the United States, although the contextual and background discussions and critical questions the authors raise will be of interest to educators and policymakers in this field internationally. Each book provides significant scholarly insights and valuable analysis of issues that are pertinent to current international debates and future directions in CE. The books are briefly introduced in the first section. This is followed by further discussion of each book, and finally, concluding comparative comments are made that draw together some of the key themes on the agenda globally in studies of CE.