Democracy's Future: The Relationship of Instructional Methods and Curriculum Structure to Immigrant Adolescents' Sociopolitical Integration in Europe.

Abstract

Though much research has focused on sociopolitical integration of immigrants in the United States, less exists on integration of young immigrants in Europe. Given the ongoing process of globalization in Europe, it is essential that scholars come to understand better how immigrant youth are socialized into the cultural and political views that support democracy. In particular it is important for political and educational leaders to understand how instruction and national curriculum are related to immigrants’ outcomes, as these are prime targets of policy reform. This study makes use of data from thirteen European countries included in CIVED 1999, a data set collected by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, to study adolescents’ civic knowledge, civic participation, patriotism and three ‘self-expression values’: attitudes toward women’s, immigrants’, and ethnic minorities’ rights. The relationships of relatively more discussion-based teaching methods are explored in two-level hierarchical linear models, while countries’ systems of designing and disseminating curriculum are explored in relation to these outcomes using three-level hierarchical linear models. Among other things, analyses suggest that immigrant youth tend to be equally supportive of women’s rights and just as likely to participate in civic-related activities. Additionally, a classroom climate open to discussion is not the silver bullet for increasing adolescents’ tolerance of out-groups that other studies have found it to be, though this is likely because there is little information on the content of discussions and the skill with which teachers guide them. Finally, a centrally controlled system for designing and disseminating curriculum appears to be strongly positively related to higher overall levels of all six civic outcomes, and to smaller disparities between immigrant and native students on nearly all outcomes. More concerted efforts are needed to study and improve civic education teachers’ skills in leading discussions, and to understand the value of a centralized system for curriculum control. Findings suggest that a more open classroom, combined with a strong lecture component might have the greatest success in encouraging democratic student attitudes. In addition, while difficult, shifting the locus of power over curriculum design to the central government appears to be important.