An Analysis of Civic Competence Among Senior High School Learners: Towards a Proposed Civic Competence Framework
Jesson L. Hero
Discipline: Education
Abstract:
Civic education is essential in preparing learners to become
informed and participatory citizens in a democratic society. However,
empirical studies examining the civic competence of senior high school
learners in the Philippine context remain limited, particularly in assessing
how learners demonstrate civic rights, civic virtues, civic responsibilities, and
civic participation. Addressing this gap, this convergent parallel mixedmethod
study assessed the civic competence of Humanities and Social
Sciences (HUMSS) learners in one public integrated school in the City of
Meycauayan during the School Year 2025–2026. Findings revealed that
HUMSS learners demonstrated a moderate level of civic competence, with
civic rights ranking highest and civic virtues lowest. Qualitative results
indicated that learners are aware of civic values and responsibilities but
exhibit moderate engagement in civic participation and community
initiatives. These results affirm the Civic Competence Model of Hoskins
(2025), which emphasizes the interaction of civic knowledge, values, and
participation in developing active citizenship. Based on the findings, the
study recommended strengthening experiential civic learning through
service-learning, community engagement, and participatory civic education.
The proposed civic competence framework aimed to bridge the gap between
civic awareness and civic action among senior high school learners toward
active citizenship.
References:
- Bowers, E., Geldhof, G., Johnson, S., Hilliard, L., Hershberg, R., Lerner, J., & Lerner, R. (2015). Promoting positive youth development. Cham: Springer. https://tinyurl.com/2husbnm5
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
- Bryman, A. (2006). Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: How is it done?. Qualitative Research, 6(1), 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794106058877
- Castillo, L. (2024). Civic competence as a social service dimension: Context of a local community in the Philippines. Journal of Social Service Research, 49(4), 403–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2023.2232826
- Creswell, J.W., & Plano Clark, V.L. (2023). Revisiting mixed methods research designs twenty years later. Handbook of Mixed Methods Research Designs, 1(1), 21–36.
- Creswell, J., & Poth, C. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications. https://shorturl.at/p1OJD
- Flanagan, C.A., & Levine, P. (2021). Civic engagement and the transition to adulthood. Future of Children, 31(1), 29–55. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2021.0002
- Garcia-Esteban, S. (2020). Telecollaboration for civic competence and SDG development in FL teacher education. European Journal of Education (EJED), 3(2), 129–141. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1366604.pdf
- Halverson, E.R. (2025). Civic learning in the digital age: Preparing youth for participatory democracy. Theory & Research in Social Education, 53(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2024.2379908
- Hoskins, B., & Janmaat, J.G. (2019). Education, democracy and inequality: Political engagement and citizenship education in Europe (1st edition). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hoskins, B., & Janmaat, J.G. (2019). Education, democracy and inequality: Political engagement and citizenship education in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hoskins, B., & Kerr, D. (2012). Policy recommendations: Participatory citizenship in the EU. Institute of Education. https://shorturl.at/J1gfA
- Hoskins, B., Janmaat, J.G., & Villalba, E. (2012). Learning citizenship through social participation outside and inside school: An international, multilevel study of young people’s learning of citizenship. British Educational Research Journal, 38(3), 419–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411926.2010.550271
- Hoskins, B., Saisana, M., & Villalba, C. (2012). The 2011 Civic Competence Composite Indicator (CCCI-2): Measuring young people’s civic competence across Europe based on the IEA International Citizenship and Civic Education Study. European Commission Joint Research Centre. https://doi.org/10.2788/68609
- Hoskins, B., Saisana, M., & Villalba, C. (2014). Civic competence of youth in Europe: Measuring cross-national variation through the creation of a composite indicator. Social Indicators Research, 123(2), 431–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0746-z
- Hoskins, B., Villalba, E., Van Nijlen, D., & Barber, C. (2008). Measuring civic competence in Europe: A composite indicator based on IEA Civic Education Study 1999 for 14 years old in school. European Commission Joint Research Centre. https://tinyurl.com/4a2ecjy2
- Hylton, M. (2018). The role of civic literacy and social empathy on rates of civic engagement among university students. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 22(1), 87– 106. https://tinyurl.com/36pjyzpa
- Kahne, J., & Bowyer, B. (2017). Educating for democracy in a partisan age: Confronting the challenges of motivated reasoning and misinformation. American Educational Research Journal, 54(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216679817
- Klassen, A., Creswell, J., Plano Clark, V., Smith, K., & Meissner, H. (2012). Best practices in mixed methods for quality of life research. Quality of life Research, 21(3), 377–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-012-0122-x
- LeCompte, K., Blevins, B., & Riggers-Piehl, T. (2020). Developing civic competence through action civics: A longitudinal look at the data. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssr.2019.03.002
- LeCompte, K., Blevins, B., & Rios, F. (2020). Civic engagement and youth development: The role of schools and communities. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 44(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssr.2019.08.001
- Levine, P., & Kawashima-Ginsberg, K. (2015). Civic education and deeper learning. Deeper learning research series. Jobs for the Future. https://tinyurl.com/mwk663xv
- Levine, P., & Kawashima-Ginsberg, K. (2019). The republic is (still) at risk—and civics is part of the solution. Tufts University, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.
- Magno, F. (2022). Civic education programs for the youth: A preliminary review. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://tinyurl.com/43c6ujwy
- Marcia, A., & Petogo, J. (2025). Teachers' perception on civic responsibility and their performance in teaching Araling Panlipunan. Psychology and Education: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 47(1), 1–1. https://doi.org/10.70838/pemj.470106
- Mouritsen, P., & Jaeger, A. (2018). Designing civic education for diverse societies: Models, tradeoffs, and outcomes. Migration Policy Institute Europe. https://tinyurl.com/mt4x25jy
- OECD. (2025). Exploring new frontiers in citizen participation in the policy cycle. OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/77f5098c-en
- OECD. (2023). Education for inclusive citizenship: Preparing young people for democratic participation. OECD Publishing.
- Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2025). Civic education as a pathway to inclusive societies. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/3f128be8-en
- Pacatan, S.J., Macalinao, K.A., Juhailie, K., Amora, C.J., & Seclot, J. (2025). Agents of change: Exploring how social studies promotes civic engagement among senior high school students. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 51(8), 1548–1563.
- Pérez-Durán, I. (2024). Twenty-five years of accountability research in public administration: Authorship, themes, methods, and future trends. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 90(3), 546–562.
- Philippine Institute for Development Studies. (2022). Civic education in the Philippines must be improved—DLSU professor. https://tinyurl.com/2rab9k4f
- Pogrebinschi, T., & Ross, M. (2025). Citizen participation in the policy cycle in Latin America. In Handbook of Public Policy in Latin America (pp. 243–256). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035310197.00024
- Pontes, A.I., Henn, M., & Griffiths, M. (2019). Youth political (dis)engagement and the need for citizenship education: Encouraging young people’s civic and political participation through the curriculum. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 14(1), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1746197917734542
- Reichert, F. (2021). Civic participation and civic engagement: Towards a clearer conceptualization. Journal of Social Science Education, 20(3), 1–14.
- Songcayawon, J. (2017). Level of human rights awareness and experiences among Southeast Asian students in the Philippines: Basis for a proposed human rights empowerment program for international students. Proceedings Journal of Education, Psychology and Social Science Research, 4(1). Available at SSRN. https://tinyurl.com/pvpc2npy
- Stokamer, S., & Clayton, P. (2023). Civic learning through service-learning: A framework for higher education. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 29(2), 1–15.
- Stokamer, S., & Clayton, P. (2023). Student civic learning through service learning: Instructional design and research. In Research on Student Civic Outcomes in Service Learning, (pp. 45– 66). https://tinyurl.com/muh4errd
- Timreck, S., Emmons, C., Law, A., & Moyon, K. (2025). Understanding young people’s political and civic engagement as a counter to democratic backsliding (IFES Learning Agenda Evidence Report). International Foundation for Electoral Systems. https://tinyurl.com/yy3rjh66
- Torney-Purta, J., Barber, C., & Wilkenfeld, B. (2015). How adolescents in 27 countries understand, support, and practice human rights. Journal of Social Issues, 71(3), 457–475. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12116
- UNESCO. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54675/ASRB4722
- Vavrus, M. (2023). James Banks: Preeminent scholar of multicultural civic education. The Palgrave Handbook of Educational Thinkers, (pp. 1-18). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://tinyurl.com/3ra9nszf
- Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2015). What kind of citizen? Educating our children for the common good (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.
- Willems, F., Denessen, E., Hermans, C., & Vermeer, P. (2012). ‘Silent citizenship educators’ in Dutch Catholic schools: Exploring teachers’ moral beliefs about citizenship in relation to their conduct of citizenship education. Journal of Empirical Theology, 25(1), 77–98. https://doi.org/10.1163/157092512X635752
- Zaff, J.F., Kawashima-Ginsberg, K., & Levine, P. (2020). Civic engagement and youth: A developmental perspective. Applied Developmental Science, 24(3), 197–210.
- Zaff, J.F., Malanchuk, O., & Eccles, J.S. (2020). Predicting positive citizenship from adolescence to young adulthood: The effects of a civic context. Applied Developmental Science, 24(2), 156– 171.
Full Text:
Note: Kindly Login or Register to gain access to this article.
ISSN 2984-8385 (Online)
ISSN 2984-8288 (Print)