Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Learning Political Engagement in Further and Higher Education in England

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Education, Democracy and Inequality

Part of the book series: Education, Economy and Society ((EDECSO))

  • 573 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter concentrates on England and examines the role that post-14 educational pathways play in amplifying social inequalities in political engagement, using the longitudinal data of Citizenship Education Longitudinal Study (CELS). It finds that the educational tracks between ages 14–19 have an independent effect on political engagement and that undertaking a degree has an additional effect on top of this. Young people with both academic (as opposed to vocational) and higher levels of qualifications reported markedly higher voting and protesting levels. It thus found both the type (academic or vocational) and level of education (degree or not) to be important in influencing political participation. These findings do not support the ‘education as proxy’ perspective which assumes that education merely reflects early socialisation influences and does not exert an effect by itself.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    This category includes all qualifications with insufficient information to classify them within the assessment framework. Examples include unclassified professional, vocational and apprenticeship qualifications and qualifications from other countries.

References

  • Amnå, E., Ekström, M., Kerr, M., & Stattin, H. (2009). Political socialization and human agency. The development of civic engagement from adolescence to adulthood. Statsvetenskaplig Tidskrift, 111(1), 27–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird, K. (2012). Class in the classroom: The relationship between school resources and math performance among low socioeconomic status students in 19 rich countries. Education Economics, 20(5), 484–509.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J. C. (1990). Reproduction in education, society and culture (Vol. 4). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burden, B. C. (2009). The dynamic effects of education on voter turnout. Electoral Studies, 28(4), 540–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, D. E. (2006). What is education’s impact on civic and social engagement? In R. Desjardins & T. Schuller (Eds.), Measuring the effects of education on health and civic/social engagement (pp. 25–126). Paris: OECD/CERI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dearden, L., McGranahan, L., & Sianesi, B. (2004). An in-depth analysis of the returns to national vocational qualifications obtained at level 2. London: LSE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dee, T. S. (2004). Are there civic returns to education? Journal of Public Economics, 88, 1697–1720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delli Carpini, M. X., & Keeter, S. (1996). What Americans know about politics and why it matters. Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckstein, K., Noack, P., & Gniewosz, B. (2012). Attitudes toward political engagement and willingness to participate in politics: Trajectories throughout adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 485–495.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finkel, S., & Ernst, H. (2005). Civic education in post-apartheid South Africa: Alternative paths to the development of political knowledge and democratic values. Political Psychology, 26(3), 333–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galston, W. (2001). Political knowledge, political engagement and civic education. Annual Review of Political Science, 4, 217–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goossens, L. (2001). Global versus domain-specific statuses in identity research: A comparison of two self-report measures. Journal of Adolescence, 24, 681–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, A., Preston, J., & Janmaat, J. G. (2006). Education, equality and social cohesion: A comparative analysis. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hooghe, M., & Wilkenfeld, B. (2008). The stability of political attitudes and behaviors across adolescence and early childhood: A comparison of survey data on adolescents and young adults in eight countries. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37(2), 155–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoskins, B., Janmaat, J., & Villalba, E. (2011). Learning citizenship through social practice outside and inside school: Multilevel analysis of the learning of citizenship. British Education Research, 55(1), 82–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoskins, B., & Janmaat, J. G. (2016). Educational trajectories and inequalities of political engagement among adolescents in England. Social Science Research, 56, 73–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ichilov, O. (1988). Family politicization and adolescents’ citizenship orientations. Political Psychology, 9(3), 431–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ichilov, O. (1991). Political socialization and schooling effects among Israeli adolescents. Comparative Education Review, 35(3), 430–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ichilov, O. (2002). Differentiated civics curriculum and patterns of citizenship education: Vocational and academic programs in Israel. In D. Scott & H. Lawson (Eds.), Citizenship education and the curriculum (pp. 81–109). Westport, CT: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janmaat, J. G., Mostafa, T., & Hoskins, B. (2014). Widening the participation gap: The effect of educational track on reported voting in England. Journal of Adolescence, 37, 473–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, A., Greenwood, C., & Vignoles, A. (2007). The returns to qualifications in England: Updating the evidence base on level 2 and level 3 vocational qualifications. Centre for the Economics of Education, London School of Economics and Political Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jennings, M. K., & Stoker, L. (2004). Social trust and civic engagement across time and generations. Acta Politica, 39, 342–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kam, C. D., & Palmer, C. L. (2008). Reconsidering the effects of education on political participation. Journal of Politics, 70(3), 612–631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keating, A., & Benton, T. (2013). Creating cohesive citizens in England? Exploring the role of diversity, deprivation and democratic climate at school. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 8, 103–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/1746197913483682.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauglo, J., & Øia, T. (2006). Education and civic engagement among Norwegian youths. Oslo: Norwegian Social Research.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Loveless, T. (1999). Will tracking reform promote social equity? Educational Leadership, 56, 28–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mariën, S., Hooghe, M., & Quintelier, E. (2010). Inequalities in non-institutionalised forms of political participation: A multi-level analysis of 25 countries. Political Studies, 58, 187–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2009.00801.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nie, N., Junn, J., & Stehlik-Barry, K. (1996). Education and democratic citizenship in America. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemi, R. G., & Junn, J. (1998). Civic education: What makes students learn. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2010). Education at a glance: OECD indicators. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paterson, L. (2009). Civic values and the subject matter of educational courses. Oxford Review of Education, 35(1), 81–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Persson, M. (2012). Does type of education affect political participation? Results from a panel survey of Swedish adolescents. Scandinavian Political Studies, 35(3), 198–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Persson, M. (2013). Testing the relationship between education and political participation using the 1970 British cohort study. Political Behavior, 36, 877–897. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-013-9254-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Persson, M., & Oscarsson, H. (2010). Did the egalitarian reforms of the Swedish educational system equalize levels of democratic citizenship? Scandinavian Political Studies, 33, 135–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuetz, G., Ursprung, H. W., & Woessmann, L. (2008). Education policy and equality of opportunity. Kyklos, 61(2), 279–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sondheimer, R. M., & Green, D. P. (2010). Using experiments to estimate the effects of education on voter turnout. American Journal of Political Science, 54, 174–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steedman, H., Wagner, K., & Foreman, J. (2003). ICT skills in the UK and Germany: How companies adapt and react. London: Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teney, C., & Hanquinet, L. (2012). High political participation, high social capital? A relational analysis of youth social capital and political participation. Social Science Research, 41(5), 1213–1226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van de Werfhorst, H. (2007). Vocational education and active citizenship behavior in cross-national perspective (AIAS Working Paper No. 2007/62). Retrieved from http://www.uva-aias.net/uploaded_files/publications/WP62.pdf.

  • van de Werfhorst, H. (2009). Education, inequality and active citizenship: Tensions in a differentiated schooling system (eAIAS Working Paper 09-73). Retrieved from http://www.uva-aias.net/uploaded_files/publications/WP73.pdf.

  • Verba, S., Lehman Schlozman, K., & Brady, H. E. (1995). Voice and equality: Civic voluntarism in American politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watts, M. W. (1999). Are there typical age curves in political behaviour? The ‘age invariance’ hypothesis and political socialization. Political Psychology, 20(3), 477–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, A. (2011). Review of 14–19 vocational education (The Wolf Review). London: Department for Education.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Science, University of Roehampton, London, UK

    Bryony Hoskins

  2. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK

    Jan Germen Janmaat

Authors
  1. Bryony Hoskins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jan Germen Janmaat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bryony Hoskins .

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hoskins, B., Janmaat, J.G. (2019). Learning Political Engagement in Further and Higher Education in England. In: Education, Democracy and Inequality. Education, Economy and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48976-0_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48976-0_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-48975-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-48976-0

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation