Fostering Citizenship Education: A Content Analysis of School Curricula in Punjab, Pakistan.

Abstract

The current study aims to analyze the extent of citizenship education content in the school curriculum of the Punjab, Pakistan, and the alignment of the content of the school curriculum with active, critical, and practical dimensions of citizenship education. The main research question was how much the school curriculum reflects the content of citizenship education, and to what extent the content of the school curriculum addresses the development and fostering of active citizenship among students. This study was based on quantitative content analysis. For this purpose, the textbooks of the Punjab textbook board from grades 1 to 10 were selected, which could have traces of citizenship education. For conducting content analysis, a framework of citizenship (EACER Eurydice, 2017) was selected as the research instrument, which had four major areas, and each one had its further sub-categories. It was concluded that the content showed more reflections of areas1 and 3, which were about constructive interaction and being responsible towards others,whereas the least traces were identified of areas 2 and 4, which were about critical thinkingand democratic behaviour. It was recommended to include a standalone subject of Citizenship Education in the curriculum.