HomeJournal of Interdisciplinary Perspectivesvol. 4 no. 6 (2026)

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:

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Bryman, A. (2006). Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: How is it done?. Qualitative Research, 6(1), 97–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794106058877
  4. 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
  5. 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.
  6. Creswell, J., & Poth, C. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage Publications. https://shorturl.at/p1OJD
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. Hoskins, B., & Janmaat, J.G. (2019). Education, democracy and inequality: Political engagement and citizenship education in Europe (1st edition). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
  11. Hoskins, B., & Janmaat, J.G. (2019). Education, democracy and inequality: Political engagement and citizenship education in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan.
  12. Hoskins, B., & Kerr, D. (2012). Policy recommendations: Participatory citizenship in the EU. Institute of Education. https://shorturl.at/J1gfA
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. Levine, P., & Kawashima-Ginsberg, K. (2015). Civic education and deeper learning. Deeper learning research series. Jobs for the Future. https://tinyurl.com/mwk663xv
  23. 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.
  24. Magno, F. (2022). Civic education programs for the youth: A preliminary review. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://tinyurl.com/43c6ujwy
  25. 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
  26. Mouritsen, P., & Jaeger, A. (2018). Designing civic education for diverse societies: Models, tradeoffs, and outcomes. Migration Policy Institute Europe. https://tinyurl.com/mt4x25jy
  27. 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
  28. OECD. (2023). Education for inclusive citizenship: Preparing young people for democratic participation. OECD Publishing.
  29. 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
  30. 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.
  31. 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.
  32. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. (2022). Civic education in the Philippines must be improved—DLSU professor. https://tinyurl.com/2rab9k4f
  33. 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
  34. 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
  35. Reichert, F. (2021). Civic participation and civic engagement: Towards a clearer conceptualization. Journal of Social Science Education, 20(3), 1–14.
  36. 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
  37. 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.
  38. 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
  39. 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
  40. 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
  41. UNESCO. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. UNESCO. https://doi.org/10.54675/ASRB4722
  42. 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
  43. Westheimer, J., & Kahne, J. (2015). What kind of citizen? Educating our children for the common good (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.
  44. 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
  45. Zaff, J.F., Kawashima-Ginsberg, K., & Levine, P. (2020). Civic engagement and youth: A developmental perspective. Applied Developmental Science, 24(3), 197–210.
  46. 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.