Students’ perceptions of good citizenship in an East Asian society: A secondary analysis of the ICCS 2016

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to identify patterns of Taiwanese students’ perceptions of good citizenship in terms of citizenship behaviours rooted in Western democracy and character and moral (CM) oriented citizenship. Data from Taiwanese eighth graders participating in the 2016 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) were examined. Citizenship behaviours were measured by items from the ICCS student questionnaire and the ICCS Asian Regional Module. The results showed that students who emphasised all but CM oriented citizenship had the weakest attitude towards the personal morality of politicians. Students who endorsed all citizenship behaviours had the highest levels of expected civic engagement. The findings suggest that the development of the good citizenship perceived by Taiwanese students may be enhanced by multiple sources in addition to citizenship education.