Notes Regarding the IEA Civic Education Instrument:

These items, developed over the period from 1996 through 1998 by the International Steering Committee and the National Research Coordinators of the IEA Civic Education Study, are being released for use in research by educators and social scientists. Details about the sources and the development of these items may be found in J. Torney-Purta, R. Lehmann, H. Oswald, and W. Schulz (2001), Citizenship and Education in Twenty-eight Countries: Civic Knowledge and Engagement at Age Fourteen published by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA): Amsterdam. Publications or dissertations based on research using these items should cite this volume. Information about ordering the volume may be obtained from Department@IEA.nl. The Technical Report for the Study, to be issued in late 2001, will also contain information about the scaling process.

The student instrument presented here is divided into three parts.

The first section is comprised of 16 multiple choice items with correct and incorrect answers. They have been chosen for release from the 38 items included in the test of knowledge of civic content and skills in interpreting civic-related information administered to all respondents. The 22 non-released items are being retained for possible use in future IEA studies in this area. The correct answer for each of the 16 items has been indicated. An alpha coefficient computed on a sample of 14,000 students (500 randomly chosen from each of the 28 countries) for these 16 items is .76. Further information on the content categories to which all 38 items relate may be found on pp. 191-194 of the Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald, & Schulz volume. The original item numbers are preserved in this version to make it possible to relate them to this listing of content categories. Percent correct by country for 8 of these items will also be found in the volume.

The second section is comprised of the background items.

The third section is comprised of all of the concept, attitude, and behavior (action) items. All of these items are being released. In this section, the items forming the scales reported in the Torney-Purta, Lehmann, Oswald & Schulz volume, are footnoted and shaded. Because of limitations of space in the report (and the resulting limitation on the number of scales that could be reported), many items were not included in the scales reported in this volume. Unshaded items are those not included in any scale (although some were reported as individual items). Alpha reliabilities for these scales and item-by-score maps will be found in the appendices of the volume.

The instrument was originally formatted for A4 paper, margins may need to be adjusted for other paper sizes. British spelling is used.

For information about the translations of this instrument that are available, contact the appropriate National Research Coordinator. Material in [..]'s was provided to aid translators.

Country

Population

Stratum

School

Class

Student

International Study

Civic Education

Student Questionnaire

This test booklet is in three parts. Use the first session (period) to complete Part One and Two.

Stop when you see the STOP sign.

At the end of the first session you will be given a short break. Do NOT start Part Three until after the break.

Part One

Directions for part 1

You will have 35 minutes to answer the 38 questions in this section. Each of the questions or incomplete statements in this test is followed by four possible answers. You are to decide which one of these answers is best.

Tick your answer by placing a cross (X) in the box next to the answer you think is correct.

Here is an example.

E1. Which of the following is a nation?

A.	o	Tokyo
B.	o	Australia
C.	o	Copenhagen
D.	o	Montreal

Since Australia is a nation and the others are only cities, you should have chosen the answer B as shown below.

E1. Which of the following is a nation?

A.	o	Tokyo
B.	ý	Australia
C.	o	Copenhagen
D.	o	Montreal

Tick only one answer for each question. If you want to change an answer, be sure to erase the old cross completely.

Read each question carefully and answer it as well as you can. Do NOT spend too much time on any one question. If you are not sure about the answer to a question, choose the answer you think is best and continue with the next question on the test.

When you have finished the test questions in Part One this part is to be sealed before you go on to completing Part Two. Please seal these pages according to the instructions you receive from the test administrator.

You are now ready to begin the test. Do NOT turn the page to begin the test until you are told to do so.

2. Which of the following is an accurate statement about laws?

A.	ý	Laws forbid or require certain actions [behaviours].
B.	o	Laws are made by the police.
C.	o	Laws are valid only if all citizens have voted to accept them.
D.	o	Laws prevent criticism of the government.

3. Which of the following is a political right? The right ...

A.	o	of pupils to learn about politics in school
B.	ý	of citizens to vote and stand for [run for] election
C.	o	of adults to have a job
D.	o	of politicians to have a salary

5. A woman who has a young child is interviewed for a job at a travel agency. Which of the following is an example of discrimination [injustice]? She does not get the job because ...

A.	o	she has no previous experience.
B.	ý	she is a mother.
C.	o	she speaks only one language.
D.	o	she demands a high salary.

7. In a democratic country [society] having many organisations for people to join is important because this provides ...

A.	o	a group to defend members who are arrested.
B.	o	many sources of taxes for the government.
C.	ý	opportunities to express different points of view.
D.	o	a way for the government to tell people about new laws.

11. In democratic countries what is the function of having more than one political party?

A.	ý	To represent different opinions [interests] in the national legislature [e.g. Parliament, Congress]
B.	o	To limit political corruption
C.	o	To prevent political demonstrations
D.	o	To encourage economic competition

12. In a democratic political system, which of the following ought to govern the country?

A.	o	Moral or religious leaders
B.	o	A small group of well-educated people
C.	ý	Popularly elected representatives
D.	o	Experts on government and political affairs

16. What is the major purpose of the United Nations?

A.	o	Safeguarding trade between countries
B.	ý	Maintaining peace and security among countries
C.	o	Deciding where countries’ boundaries should be
D.	o	Keeping criminals from escaping to other countries

17. Which of the following is most likely to cause a government to be called non-democratic?

A.	ý	People are prevented from criticising [not allowed to criticise] the government.
B.	o	The political parties criticise each other often.
C.	o	People must pay very high taxes.
D.	o	Every citizen has the right to a job.

18. Which of the following is most likely to happen if a large publisher buys many of the [smaller] newspapers in a country?

A.	o	Government censorship of the news is more likely.
B.	ý	There will be less diversity of opinions presented.
C.	o	The price of the country’s newspapers will be lowered.
D.	o	The amount of advertising in the newspapers will be reduced.

The next three questions are based on the following imaginary political leaflet [political advertisement].

We citizens have had enough!

A vote for the Silver Party means a vote for higher taxes.

It means an end to economic growth and a waste of our nation’s resources.

Vote instead for economic growth and free enterprise.

Vote for more money left in everyone’s wallet!

Let’s not waste another 4 years! Vote for the Gold Party.

23. This is an election leaflet [political advertisement] which has probably been issued by ...

A.	o	the Silver Party.
B.	ý	a party or group in opposition to [running against] the Silver Party.
C.	o	a group which tries to be sure elections are fair.
D.	o	the Silver Party and the Gold Party together.

24. The authors of the leaflet think that higher taxes are ...

A.	o	a good thing.
B.	o	necessary in a [free] market economy.
C.	o	necessary for economic growth.
D.	ý	a bad thing.

25. The party or group that has issued this leaflet is likely also to be in favour of ...

A.	ý	reducing state [government] control of the economy.
B.	o	lowering of the voting age.
C.	o	capital punishment.
D.	o	more frequent elections.

________________________________

26. Two people work at the same job but one is paid less than the other. The principle of equality would be violated if the person is paid less because of ...

A.	o	fewer educational qualifications.
B.	o	less work experience.
C.	o	working for fewer hours.
D.	ý	gender [sex].

The next question differs from those earlier in the test. The following question contains three statements of fact and one statement of opinion. Read each question, and then choose the opinion.

31. Three of these statements are facts and one is an opinion. Which of the following is an opinion?

A.	ý	Actions by individual countries are the best way to solve environmental problems.
B.	o	Many countries contribute to the pollution of the environment.
C.	o	Some countries offer to co-operate in order to diminish acid rain.
D.	o	Water pollution often comes from several different sources.

________________________________

ERASER

HISTORY

36. What is the message or main point of this cartoon? History textbooks ...

A.	ý	are sometimes changed to avoid mentioning problematic events from the past.
B.	o	for children must be shorter than books written for adults.
C.	o	are full of information that is not interesting.
D.	o	should be written using a computer and not a pencil.

________________________

The next question differs from those earlier in the test. The following question contains three statements of opinion and one statement of fact. Read each question, and then choose the fact.

38. Three of these statements are opinions and one is a fact. Which of the following is a fact [the factual statement]?

A.	o	People with very low incomes should not pay any taxes.
B.	ý	In many countries rich people pay higher taxes than poor people.
C.	o	It is fair that some citizens pay higher taxes than others.
D.	o	Donations to charity are the best way to reduce differences between rich and poor.

Scale Reliabities for the 16 test items (Cronbach’s Alpha) = .76

When you have finished Part 1, do not proceed until the test questions are sealed.

Part Two

General Instructions:

The questions which follow are being asked to students of your age in over 25 countries. Answers to these questions help in interpreting the answers you give in other parts of this booklet.

Your answers will be CONFIDENTIAL. Your teachers will not see them. Other students will not see them. Please be careful in reading the instructions and answer the questions honestly.

1. On what date were you born?

Write in the month, day and year.

____ month ____ day ____ year

2. Are you a girl or a boy?

Tick one box only.

girl...........	¨	1
boy..........	¨	2

3. Which best describes you?

Tick one box only.

___________COUNTRY LIST_____________________

[A].........................................................	¨	1
[B]..........................................................	¨	2
[C].........................................................	¨	3
[D].........................................................	¨	4
[E]..........................................................	¨	5

4. Were you born in [country of test]?

No..........	¨	1
Yes.........	¨	2

5. If you were not born in [country of test], how old were you when you came to [country of test]?

Write in your age at the time.

I was _______ years old when I came to [name of the country].

6. How often do you speak [language of test] at home?

Tick one box only.

Never..................................	¨	1
Sometimes...........................	¨	2
Always or almost always......	¨	3

7. Does any of these people live at home with you most or all of the time?

	no	yes
	1	2
Mother or stepmother or female guardian..........	¨	¨
Father or stepfather or male guardian................	¨	¨

8. Altogether, how many people live in your home?

Write in the total number of people.

_______ (Don’t forget to include yourself.)

9. Do you get a daily newspaper at home?

No........................	¨	1
Yes.......................	¨	2

10. About how many books are there in your home?

Do not count newspapers, magazines or books for school; tick one box only.

None.....................	¨	1
1 - 10....................	¨	2
11 - 50..................	¨	3
51 - 100................	¨	4
101 - 200..............	¨	5
More than 200.......	¨	6

11. How many years of further education do you expect to complete after this year?

Please include vocational educatoin and/or higher education. Tick one box only.

0 years.......................	¨	1
1 or 2 years................	¨	2
3 or 4 years................	¨	3
5 or 6 years................	¨	4
7 or 8 years................	¨	5
9 or 10 years..............	¨	6
More than 10 years.....	¨	7

12. How far in school did your mother and father go?

Tick only one box in each column.

	Mother	Father
Did not finish elementary school...........................................	¨ ¹	¨ ¹
Finished elementary school...................................................	¨ ²	¨ ²
Finished some high school....................................................	¨ ³	¨ ³
Finished high school.............................................................	¨ ⁴	¨ ⁴
Some vocational/ technical education after high school..........	¨ ⁵	¨ ⁵
Some community college, college, or university courses........	¨ ⁶	¨ ⁶
Completed a bachelor’s degree at a college or university......	¨ ⁷	¨ ⁷

I don’t know.......................................................................	¨ ⁰	¨ ⁰

13. Have you participated in the following organisations?

Tick the appropriate box in each row.

	no	yes
	1	2
a) A student council/student government [class or school parliament]..........	¨	¨
b) A youth organisation affiliated with a political party or union....................	¨	¨
c) A group which prepares a school newspaper..........................................	¨	¨
d) An environmental organisation................................................................	¨	¨
e) A U. N. or UNESCO Club...................................................................	¨	¨
f) A student exchange or school partnership program.................................	¨	¨
g) A human rights organisation ...................................................................	¨	¨
h) A group conducting [voluntary] activities to help the community..............	¨	¨
i) A charity collecting money for a social cause..........................................	¨	¨
j) Boy or Girl Scouts [Guides]...................................................................	¨	¨
k) A cultural association [organisation] based on ethnicity............................	¨	¨
l) A computer club....................................................................................	¨	¨
m) An art, music or drama organisation.......................................................	¨	¨
n) A sports organisation or team.................................................................	¨	¨
o) An organisation sponsored by a religious group......................................	¨	¨

14. Think about all the organisations listed above. How often do you attend meetings or activities for any or all of these organisations?

Almost every day (4 or more days a week).......	¨	1
Several days (1 to 3 days a week)....................	¨	2
A few times each month....................................	¨	3
Never or almost never......................................	¨	4

In the next few questions think about the days on which you attend school.

15. How often do you spend time [directly] after school talking [hanging out] with your friends?

Almost every day (4 or more days a week).......	¨	1
Several days (1 to 3 days a week)....................	¨	2
A few times each month....................................	¨	3
Never or almost never......................................	¨	4

16. How often do you spend time during the evening [after dinner or after --] outside your home with your friends?

Almost every day (4 or more days a week).......	¨	1
Several days (1 to 3 days a week)....................	¨	2
A few times each month....................................	¨	3
Never or almost never......................................	¨	4

17. How much time do you spend watching television or videos on school days?

no time.............................................................	¨	1
less than 1 hour.................................................	¨	2
1-2 hours.........................................................	¨	3
3-5 hours.........................................................	¨	4
more than 5 hours.............................................	¨	5

When you have finished Part 2, do not proceed any further until after the break.

Part Three

General Instructions:

The questions in this part are being asked to students of your age in over 25 countries.

For the questions which follow there are NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS.

Your answers will be CONFIDENTIAL. Your teachers will not see them. Other students will not see them.

Please be careful in reading the instructions for the different sets of questions, and be as honest as you can in saying what you think.

		Scaled items

		Items not in scales

Section A: Democracy

You are going to read a list of things that might happen in a country that is a democracy. Each one of them could either be good and have positive results for democracy or it could be bad and have negative results for democracy.

There are no right answers and no wrong answers to these questions, because we just want to know what you think about democracy and the things that might influence it.

Please tick the box in the column which best fits your opinion. If you think that the statement does not apply, put a tick in the circle in the last column.

What is good and what is bad for democracy?

	very bad for democracy	somewhat bad for democracy	somewhat good for democracy	very good for democracy	don't know/ doesn’t apply
	1	2	3	4	0
A1.... When everyone has the right to express their opinions freely that is....................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A2.... When differences in income and wealth between the rich and the poor are small, that is..................................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A3.... When political leaders in power give jobs in the government [public sector] to members of their family, that is.........	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A4.... When newspaper are free of all government [state, political] control, that is..................................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A5.... When private businesses have no restrictions from government, that is......	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A6.... When one company owns all the newspapers, that is..............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A7.... When people demand their political and social rights, that is...............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A8.... When immigrants are expected to give up the language and customs of their former countries, that is........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A9.... When political parties have rules that support women to become political leaders, that is......................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

– Democracy (continued) –

	very bad for democracy	somewhat bad for democracy	somewhat good for democracy	very good for democracy	don't know/ doesn’t apply
	1	2	3	4	0
A10.. When people who are critical of the government are forbidden from speaking at public meetings, that is.......	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A11.. When citizens have the right to elect political leaders freely that is.................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A12.. When courts and judges are influenced by politicians, that is.............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A13.. When many different organisations [associations] are available [exist] for people who wish to belong to them, that is.........................................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A14.. When there is a separation [segregation] between the church [institutional church] and the state [government], that is............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A15.. When young people have an obligation [are obliged] to participate in activities to benefit [help] the community [society], that is...................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A16.. When a minimum income [living standard] is assured for everyone, that is.........................................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A17.. When political parties have different opinions [positions] on important issues, that is..................................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A18.. When people participate in political parties in order to influence government, that is..................................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A19.. When laws that women claim are unfair to them are changed, that is..................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A20.. When all the television stations present the same opinion about politics, that is..	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A21.. When people refuse to obey a law which violates human rights, that is........	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

– Democracy (continued) –

	very bad for democracy	somewhat bad for democracy	somewhat good for democracy	very good for democracy	don't know/ doesn’t apply
	1	2	3	4	0
A22.. When newspapers are forbidden to publish stories that might offend ethnic groups [immigrant groups, racial groups, national groups], that is............	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A23.. When wealthy business people have more influence on government than others, that is.......................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A24.. When government leaders are trusted without question, that is........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
A25.. When people peacefully protest against a law they believe to be unjust, that is...	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

Section B: Good Citizens

In the this section there are some statements that could be used to explain what a good adult citizen is or what a good adult citizen does. There are no right and wrong answers to these questions.

For each of these statements, tick one box to show how important you believe each is for explaining what a good adult citizen is or does.

An adult who is a good citizen ...	not important	somewhat unimportant	somewhat important	very important	don't know
	1	2	3	4	0
B1.... obeys the law......................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
B2.... votes in every election^a.........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
B3.... joins a political party^a...........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
B4.... works hard..........................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
B5.... would participate in a peaceful protest against a law believed to be unjust^b.......	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
B6.... knows about the country's history^a........	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
B7.... would be willing to serve in the military to defend the country...........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

– Good Citizens (continued) –

An adult who is a good citizen ...	not important		somewhat unimportant		somewhat important		very important		don't know
		1		2		3		4		0
B8.... follows political issues in the newspaper, on the radio or on TV^a.......		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B9.... participates in activities to benefit people in the community [society]^b.......		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B10.. shows respect for government representatives [leaders, officials]^a.......		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B11.. takes part in activities promoting human rights^b..................................................		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B12.. engages in political discussions^a............		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B13.. takes part in activities to protect the environment^b........................................		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B14.. is patriotic and loyal [devoted] to the country................................................		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡
B15.. would be willing to ignore [disregard] a law that violated human rights...............		¨		¨		¨		¨		¡

^a Scaled Item: Importance of Conventional Citizenship.

^b Scaled Item: Importance of Social Movement-related Citizenship.

Section C: Government

Below you will find some statements about the responsibilities of the government [state].

What responsibilities should the government have?

Read each of these statements and tick the appropriate box to decide whether what is described should or should not be the government’s [state’s] responsibility.

	definitely should not be the government’s responsibility	probably should not be the government’s responsibility	probably should be the government’s responsibility	definitely should be the government’s responsibility	don't know
	1	2	3	4	0
C1.... To guarantee a job for everyone who wants one^d.....	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C2.... To keep prices under control^d................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

– What responsibilities should the government have? (continued) –

	definitely should not be the government’s responsibility	probably should not be the government’s responsibility	probably should be the government’s responsibility	definitely should be the government’s responsibility	don't know
	1	2	3	4	0
C3.... To provide basic health care for everyone^c........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C4.... To provide an adequate [decent] standard of living for old people^c...........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C5.... To provide industries with the support they need to grow^d...	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C6.... To provide an adequate [decent] standard of living for the unemployed^d...................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C7.... To reduce differences in income and wealth among people^d................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C8.... To provide free basic education for all^c...................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C9.... To ensure [be sure there are] equal political opportunities for men and women^c.............	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C10.. To control pollution of the environment^c........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C11.. To guarantee peace and order [stability] within the country^c...............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
C12.. To promote honesty and moral behaviour among people in the country^c...........	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

^c Scaled Item: Concept of Society-related Government Responsibilities.

^d Scaled Item: Concept of Economy-related Government Responsibilities.

Section D: Trust in Institutions

In this section we will name several institutions in this country [name of country]:

How much of the time can you trust each of the following institutions?

Consider each of these institutions and select the box in the column which shows how you feel you can trust them.

	never	only some of the time	most of the time	always	don't know
	1	2	3	4	0
D1.... The national [federal] government [in ______(the national seat of government)]^e...............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D2.... The local council or government of your town or city^e..........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D3.... Courts^e..........................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D4.... The police^e....................................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D5.... News on television.........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D6.... News on the radio.........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D7.... News in the press [newspapers].....	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D8.... Political parties^e.............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D9.... United Nations..............................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D10.. Schools [educational institutions]	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D11.. National Parliament [Congress]^e....	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡
D12.. The people who live in this country [name of country]..........................	¨	¨	¨	¨	¡

^e Scaled Item: Trust in Government-related Institutions.

In the next sections you will find statements on different topics.

You may agree with some of the statements and disagree with others. Sometimes you will feel that you disagree or agree strongly, and sometimes you will feel less strongly.

There are no right and wrong answers to these questions, we just want to know your opinion.

Section E: Our Country

In this section you will find some statements about this country [name of country].

Please read each statement and select the box in the column which corresponds to the way you feel about the statement.

	strongly disagree	disagree	Agree	strongly agree	don't know
	1	2	3