Home⇛Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives⇛vol. 3 no. 6 (2025)

Enhancing Civic Literacy in Grade 6: Assessment and Strategic Interventions

Aldrin G. Mahilum | Rachel Mae I. Deriada | Marcel E. Baril

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Cultivating students to become critical, reflective, productive, and responsible members of society with a strong civic competence is the groundwork for forming nation builders. This research assesses the civic literacy of grade six Social Studies students in terms of personal responsibility, civic responsibility, leadership efficacy, civic thinking skills, civic participation skills, sense of community, and civic knowledge, and how do grade school teachers integrate civic literacy in their Social Studies lesson in a private basic education institution in Mandaue City, Philippines. Employing a mixed-method design, the study assesses 186 Grade 6 students’ civic literacy across dimensions such as personal responsibility, civic responsibility, and leadership efficacy with a strong understanding of civic knowledge. While there are no significant differences in civic literacy based on sex or religion for most areas, leadership efficacy does show notable variation between Catholic and non-Catholic respondents. Additionally, integrating civic literacy in social studies lessons relies on real-life experiences in instruction, nurturing accountability and responsibility, contextualized learning, professional development, and resource utilization. The findings contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical data on the civic literacy levels of elementary students in the Philippine private school context while emphasizing the importance of culturally and contextually responsive pedagogies and highlighting actionable strategies for enhancing civic engagement at the basic education level.



References:

  1. Allen, J. (2016). Scaffolding reading instruction: Strategies for helping students with diverse needs. Stenhouse Publishers.
  2. American University. (2023). 4 ways to teach students about social justice issues. Retrieved from https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/how-to-teach-social-justice-issues
  3. Borysenko, O., & Vysotska, S. (2018). ESP: Civic consciousness dimension. World science, 4(2 (30)), 5-9. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/esp-civic-consciousness-dimension
  4. Chi, B., Jastrzab, J., & Melchior, A. (2006, June). Developing indicators and measures of civic outcomes for elementary school students (CIRCLE Working Paper 47). Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). https://tinyurl.com/yrmcn4ux
  5. Cohen, J., & Kahne, J. (2012). Participatory politics: Engaging youth through new media. Youth & Society, 44(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X1141405
  6. Department of Education (DepEd). (2023). Matatag Curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.deped.gov.ph/matatag-curriculum/#
  7. Education World. (2020). 10 social justice activities for students. Retrieved from              https://tinyurl.com/4bee5c9u
  8. Edutopia. (n.d.). Teaching elementary students about the concept of injustice. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/567cx5xb
  9. Enright, E. A., Toledo, W., & Wright, K. L. (2023). Advancing civics-specific disciplinary writing in the elementary grades. Journal of Writing Research, 15(1), 41-71. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2023.15.01.03
  10. Gil Jr., T. O., & Domingo, L. L. B. (2021). Assessing civic literacy in elementary Social Studies amidst the pandemic. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 24(2), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2021/v24i230576
  11. Gómez, R. L., & Suárez, A. M. (2023). Pedagogical practices and civic knowledge and engagement in Latin     America: Multilevel analysis using ICCS data. International Journal of Educational Research, 112, 101908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.101908
  12. Hage, J., & Posner, B. Z. (2015). Religion, religiosity, and leadership practices: An examination in the Lebanese context. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(4), 396–412. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2013-0096
  13. HopSkipDrive. (n.d.). 7 ways to teach elementary students personal responsibility. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/mr3warxd
  14. Kirlin, M. (2003). The role of civic skills in fostering civic engagement (CIRCLE Working Paper 06). Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497607.pdf
  15. Kretz, S. (2020). Teaching early elementary school students about social justice. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7s3986k3
  16. Loughead, T. A., & Hardy, J. (2006). Team cohesion: From theory to research to team building. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/yuc8rckw
  17. Mirra, N. (2014). Civic education in the 21st century: A framework for teaching and learning. Harvard Education Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781138609877-REE170-1
  18. Nkechinyere, O. C. (2019). Civic education: An instrument for self-reliance in Nigeria. US-China Education Review, 9(6), 159-170.
  19. Oh, Y. (2023). Communication and team cohesion moderate the relationship between transformational leadership and athletic performance. Sage Open, 13(3), 21582440231195196. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231195196
  20. Örnek, G. T., Sönmez, Y., & Kan, A. (2023). Development of an attitude scale for the use of current events in social     studies. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 11, 167-179. https://tinyurl.com/59stz7ef
  21. Öztürk, T., Yaylak, E., & Öztürk, F. Z. (2021). Use of Current Events in Teacher Education. Journal of International Social Studies, 11(2), 11-35. https://tinyurl.com/yhmt6e9v
  22. Perry, J. L., & Katula, M. G. (2001). A historical perspective on service-learning in the United States. In Learning to Give. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/ytzffd76
  23. R Core Team. (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing (Version 4.1). Retrieved from https://cran.r-project.org
  24. Savior, R. D. (2014). The impact of university religious affiliation on presidential leadership practices (Doctoral dissertation). Fordham University. https://tinyurl.com/5n755me2
  25. Schulz, W., Ainley, J., Fraillon, J., Losito, B., Agrusti, G., Damiani, V., & Friedman, T. (2025). Education for         citizenship in times of global challenge: IEA international civic and citizenship education study 2022 international report (p. 278). Springer Nature. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/94616
  26. The Jamovi Project. (2022). Jamovi (version 2.3) (computer software). Retrieved from https://www.jamovi.org
  27. Wanabuliandari, S., Supriyadi, S., & Rahmawati, N. (2022). Analysis of self-responsibility level for elementary school students. Atlantis Press.
  28. Whitacre, E. (n.d.). Civic skills. Learning to Give. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/ytzffd76
  29. Willis, J. M., Baker, S. F., & Shulsky, D. (2024). Elementary school teacher candidates’ perceptions on defining and integrating civic literacy. Social Studies Research and Practice, (ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/SSRP-07-2024-0040
  30. Zakiah, L., Marini, A., Sarkadi, S., Komarudin, K., Kusmawati, A., & Casmana, A. (2023). Implementation of teaching multicultural values through civic education for elementary school students. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 14(1), 110-142. https://jsser.org/index.php/jsser/article/view/4547

Tools


Copyright © 2025  KITE Digital Educational Solutions |  Exclusively distributed by CE-Logic