Taiwanese students ranked first in civics knowledge in last year’s International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) said on Tuesday.
The study found that 5,227 eighth-grade students from 159 schools in Taiwan averaged 583 points in civic knowledge, well above the global average score of 508.
Students from 24 countries — mainly in Europe — participated in the study, the ICCS’ third, which “reports on students’ knowledge and understanding of concepts and issues related to civics and citizenship,” the IEA Web site says.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan has participated in all three studies, the previous ones being in 2009 and 2016.
Taiwan had a higher score and ranking in civics knowledge than in previous surveys, said National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) professor Liu Mei-hui (劉美慧), who headed the nation’s participation in the study.
In 2009, Taiwan ranked fourth in civics knowledge with an average score of 559, trailing Finland, Denmark and South Korea, and it ranked second in 2016 behind Denmark with an average score of 581.
The civics questions focus on a broad range of subjects that test knowledge of citizenship and students’ ability to apply it to real-world contexts.
The report included sample questions, which asked why people would join a political party, the appropriateness of a police officer’s actions, how to combat false news reports and purchases an ethical consumer might make.
The study also measured students’ civic engagement and their attitudes toward important issues in society, and how civics and citizen education was being carried out in their countries.
In the attitude and engagement parts of the study, Taiwanese students showed the highest support for gender equality, equal rights for all ethnic and racial groups, immigrants’ rights and environmental protection, Liu said.
Taiwanese students also had a much higher level of trust in government agencies compared with people in other countries, while their engagement on political or social issues using digital media was similar to the average, she said.
Taiwanese students’ high scores might be due to civics being a subject in schools, which allows the systematic teaching of civics literacy, while elsewhere, civics education is integrated into other subjects, she said.
The report said that a relatively high percentage of Taiwanese respondents have participated in civics-related activities at school, but the rate of Taiwanese students who took part in community organizations was lower than the global average, she said.
Despite the results, schools could use resources from society, research institutes and civic organizations to provide more opportunities for students to apply their civics knowledge, the NTNU team said.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
RSS