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Hidden in the curriculum: political literacy and education for citizenship in Australia.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

For almost 30 years the concept of 'political literacy' has been the focus of academic commentary as well as providing a theoretical framework for education. The term was recently described in the United Kingdom as the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and values to support effective and informed decisions in democratic participation. Alongside community involvement and social and moral responsibility, political literacy is seen as one of the three core elements that underpin effective education for citizenship. In recent years there has been an apparent international growth of interest in the alleged disengagement of young people from conventional political processes and structures. In Australia and across many other Western democracies responding programmes of civics and citizenship education have resulted in an increased research focus upon the levels of political knowledge and participation amongst young people. With this paper I review a range of literature to explore the influence of political literacy on the direction of contemporary educational policy and practice in Australia.

Keywords: youth, political literacy, civics, citizenship, activism

Introduction

The relationship between young people, education and political participation has become a focal point for academic commentary and research. In recent years an array of concepts and analytical tools have been utilised to describe and quantify the levels of interest, understanding and involvement of young people in civic and public life. (1) Across many Western-style democracies, including Australia, the acquisition of knowledge around civic structures and institutions features consistently as a pervasive goal of programmes of education for citizenship. Moreover the learning process is viewed as a stepping-stone to a broader incremental understanding of political ideas and subsequent active participation. All too often however the focus upon the political agency of young people is driven by an agenda that is more concerned with their alleged lack of knowledge and perceived disengagement. A consistent impetus for the growth of political education in the form of civics and citizenship education is a concern about worryingly low levels of knowledge and negative attitudes towards the institutions and structures of formal politics from young Australians. As Owen suggests:

What we are witnessing in Australia at present is a policy-led resurgence of interest in civics and citizenship. That is, the Commonwealth government has identified a 'problem'--that young Australians are unmotivated, alienated from our structures of democratic governance, and displaying worryingly low levels of political literacy. (2)

The ongoing provision of civics and citizenship education within Australian schools and parallel community-based learning is predominantly set against a backdrop of mounting concerns surrounding a perceived 'civics deficit' presented as a latent threat to the sustainability of an effective democracy. Manning and Ryan argue that the idea of a civics deficit amongst young people has become 'a perpetual feature of the Australian landscape'. (3) Furthermore the Australian Commonwealth government is demonstrating increasing anxiety in relation to an apparent weakening of the traditional conceptions of citizenship characterised by indicators such as: a breakdown of community spirit, a lack of shared values, increasing cynicism towards traditional political structures and disengagement from the broader process of representative democracy. The result is a renewed interest in the role of education in attending to the lives and lifestyles of young people, their relationship with the institutions of the state and their roles and responsibilities as active citizens within the wider society.

In contrast to this dominant view of young Australians being or becoming alienated from the institutions and processes of representative democracy there is growing international evidence to suggest an emerging new civic culture driven by the interests and actions of young people. (4) New forms of organisation and action are being forged around issues of interest in the everyday lives of a new generation of young activists. Through creative uses of electronic communication young activists are accessing peer-led online platforms for critical discussion exploring alternative forms of cultural expression through Internet blogging and accessing online resources to support active participation. (5) Young people are generating a discourse constructed around new global alliances and extending the boundaries of political expression and participation. (6) Their political interests, aspirations and actions presents a challenge to the relevance and effectiveness of existing educational programmes intended to prepare them for political life.

With this paper I attempt to do two things. Firstly, the discussion will trace the chronological origins of the concept of political literacy with the aim of identifying key theoretical ideas influencing the development of the term. In particular the literature search leads the discussion through a critical review of the significant intellectual contribution of Sir Bernard Crick, the UK based academic, whose vision and epochal leadership has been instrumental in the evolution of political literacy as a specific objective for education. The interpretation and implementation of political literacy in the academic debate, policy discourse and educational practice is contestable. An analysis of contemporary meaning signposts the influence of earlier definitions of political literacy and acknowledges the impact of an ever-changing social and political context, presenting some critical insight to the modern-day relevance of the concept.

Secondly, the focus moves towards a theoretical and practical justification of political literacy as a stated objective for formal education in Australia. Whilst I acknowledge that the term does not appear to hold much attention within the respective arenas of educational policy and practice, the tripartite goals of knowledge, skills and values arguably underpin current projects aimed at preparing Australian youth for the demands of civic and political participation. I am presenting this discussion at a time of renewed commitment by the Australian commonwealth Government in civics and citizenship education. It is important at this juncture to take a critical look at the meeting point of theory, policy and practice to inform and shape future directions. What are the theoretical origins of the concept of political literacy?

Political literacy--origins and definitions

The term political literacy was recently described in the United Kingdom as the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and values to support effective and informed decisions in democratic participation. (7) Alongside community involvement and social and moral responsibility political literacy is showcased as one of the three distinct strands that underpin effective education for citizenship (8). The report cited above is commonly referred to as The Crick Report named after one of the principle authors Sir Bernard Crick. It was around twenty years earlier that Crick and other contemporaries popularised the use of the term political literacy as a measurable outcome of mainstream education in the United Kingdom. Writing in 1978 Crick and co-author Porter argued that;

A person who has a fair knowledge of what are the issues of contemporary politics, is equipped to have some influence, whether in school, factory, voluntary body or party, and can understand and respect, while not sharing, the values of others, can reasonably be called 'politically literate'. (9)

For them a politically literate person would have the ability to recognise the political dimensions 'of any human situation'. (10) From within this discourse education was assigned the task of developing young people's knowledge, skills and attitudes (11). The challenge presented was the collective nurturing of all three strands with each one conditioning and complementing the other two. The success of this approach was not only judged on how well the participating students were equipped with the ability to undertake an informed theoretical analysis of their own human situation but also the ultimate test of 'creating the proclivity to action'. (12) Furthermore, the achievement of political literacy was not viewed as a passive experience, rather an active learning process that supported participating students to relate their theoretical understanding and utilise their acquired skills towards practical participation. In other words the young learners are testing out the capacity of their attained political literacy through planned action. For Crick and Porter this compound of knowledge, skills and attitudes is informed by a practical understanding of concepts drawn from the everyday life experiences and language of the young people themselves. They suggest:

A politically literate person would not only have a high level of understanding of a given context and situation, but would be able to operate efficiently within that context and situation. This would involve having notions of policy, of policy objectives, and an ability to recognise how well policy objectives had been achieved as well as being able to comprehend those of others. Political literacy is not simply an ability to pursue even an enlightened self-interest: it must comprehend the effects on others and their viewpoints, and respond to them morally. (13)

A strong feature of this profile is the impact of political literacy on the broad knowledge base of the learner that includes an understanding of the wider social context and responding policy intervention. As an educational goal political literacy requires in the learner the ability to 'ask awkward questions early' and an appreciation that 'truths have to be faced, however embarrassing or difficult'. (14) An acquired critical awareness of the intention and impact of policy is in turn complemented by an underlying predisposition to 'operate efficiently' as participants in civic and public life, in a...

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