The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is designed to assess the civic and citizenship learning outcomes of eighth grade students (13 to 14 years old) to provide internationally comparable measures of their civic knowledge, skills, attitudes, and engagement.

ICCS also examines how these learning outcomes are interrelated and how they are shaped by various facets of civic and citizenship learning present in students’ peer groups, homes, school and classroom environments, and the wider community.

The diversity of curricular approaches and notions of citizenship across educational systems is well recognised.

In this context, ICCS collects exceptionally rich and unique contextual data on the organisation and content of civic and citizenship education in the curriculum, teacher qualifications, beliefs and practices, school climate and environment, and home and community settings.

This information will be gathered through cognitive tests and questionnaires completed by students, teachers, school leaders, and national research centres in more than 20 educational systems around the world.

ICCS also includes regional student questionnaires that address civic and citizenship education issues of particular importance in specific world regions, such as Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Participation in ICCS enables countries to monitor their national targets and strategies for civic and citizenship education, as well as assess their alignment with international policy agendas, such as the United Nations’ ‘Agenda for Sustainable Development’ and the European Union’s ‘European Education Area.’ ICCS data are recognized as the primary source for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal indicator 4.7.4 and are frequently featured in EU’s educational policy reports.

The study has been commissioned by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Its direct precursor was IEA’s 1999 Civic Education Study (CIVED), which laid the foundation for a strong theoretical framework. Prior to the current study cycle (ICCS 2027), ICCS was conducted in 2009, 2016, and 2022.

Starting with the 2027 cycle, the International Study Center in the University of Bath’s Department of Education is responsible for designing and implementing ICCS, in close cooperation with IEA and national study centres of participating countries.

Expected outputs

The project's international report will be released in December 2028 and the open-access international database will be published in February 2029.

Further project-related publications will also be developed and shared.

Project partners

ICCS operates under a consortium of a diverse network of organisations and individuals, each playing a crucial role in the study.

The members of the consortium are:

• The International Study Center (ISC) at the University of Bath
• The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)
• The National Research Coordinators (NRCs)
• The Project Advisory Committee (PAC)

This consortium structure enables the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources to facilitate efficient project management and innovation through collective collaboration.

The ISC oversees all processes and procedures related to the implementation of ICCS. Its governance underpins the effective execution of the study and forms the structural foundation upon which the ISC's operations and decision-making processes are built. The ISC’s governance aligns with the study's overarching objectives and the evolving needs of the global landscape.

The ICCS International Study Center (ISC) members

The ISC is composed of a core team based at the University of Bath and a team of international experts involved in specific tasks.

The ISC core team includes study directors, research associates, and supporting staff involved in planning, administration, communication, and research and analysis activities. International experts have proven experience and expertise in areas relevant to civic and citizenship education. They provide key insights and actively contribute to essential tasks of ICCS, including the development of instruments, innovation of methods for data analysis, and theoretical approaches.

ISC core team members

• Professor Andres Sandoval Hernandez, International Study Director
• Dr Maria Magdalena Isac, International Study Director
• Jan-Philipp Wagner, Study Coordinator
• Francisco Gatica, Project Researcher

Project committees and coordinators

Other members are grouped into three main committees (listed below) and Coordinators based in participating countries.

Framework and Test Development Committee (FTDC)

The FTDC contributes to the revision and creation of new content for the civic knowledge framework and the cognitive items of the student test. The Chair of the FTDC is Dr Katrin Hahn-Laudenberg (University of Münster, Germany).

Framework and Questionnaire Development Committee (FQDC)

The FQDC contributes to the revision and creation of new content for the civic attitudes and engagement framework, the contextual framework, and the ICCS questionnaires. The Chair of the FQDC is Dr Hermann Abs (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany).

Data Analysis and Reporting Committee (DARC)

The DARC provides guidance and contributions to the analysis of study data and the reporting of study results. The Chair of the DARC is Dr Diego Carrasco (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile).

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)

The IEA is an international cooperative of national research institutions, governmental research agencies, scholars, and analysts working to research, understand, and improve education worldwide. For ICCS 2027, the IEA office in Amsterdam is in charge of managing country participation, the international quality observation program, the translation verification process, and publications and communications. The IEA office in Hamburg oversees the coordination of field operations, the sampling and weighting processes, data management, the cleaning and creation of international datasets, and scaling procedures.

Project Advisory Committee (PAC)

The PAC plays a crucial role in providing guidance and oversight for the study, ensuring its continued development and success. Composed of experienced and knowledgeable members, the PAC's primary responsibility is to offer strategic direction and expert advice throughout all stages of the study.

ICCS 2027 Joint Management Committee (JMC)

The JMC is composed of ISC and IEA staff working on ICCS 2027. It oversees the day-to-day work of the study, including country recruitment, instrument development, translation verification, and quality control, development of computer-based assessment platform, sampling, data management, data analysis, and reporting.

National Research Coordinators (NRCs)

NRCs in each of the participating countries play a key role in the successful implementation of the study. They provide policy and content-oriented guidance for framework and instrument development, oversee national implementation and data collection, and support dissemination of findings to policymakers, researchers, and the public.

Participating countries

• Austria
• Bulgaria
• Chile
• Chinese Taipei
• Colombia
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Italy
• Lithuania
• Latvia
• North Macedonia
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Romania
• Serbia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden 

Project phases

As an international large-scale assessment, ICCS undergoes a highly detailed and technical stage-by-stage process in which reliability is a key focus. To ensure this, the project is divided into four main phases: Assessment Framework and Instrument Development, the Field Trial (FT), the Main Survey (MS), and Reporting and Dissemination. Project milestones are largely aligned with the transition from one phase to the next.

The first milestone encompasses the finalisation of the Assessment Framework and Instruments (comprising the cognitive test and context questionnaires), coinciding with the initiation of Field Trial operations. The second milestone marks the conclusion of the Field Trial and the beginning of Main Survey operations. Subsequently, the third milestone marks the completion of the Main Survey and the start of report-writing activities. Lastly, the fourth and final milestone indicates the completion of ICCS 2027 reports and the launch of dissemination efforts.

Project timeline

This is an outline of the project and its various phases.

2024

• March - October: Framework and instrument development

2025

• February - March: Pilot administration
• March - September: Instrument revision

2026

• January - March: Field trial administration
  • April - September: FT data analysis and instrument finalisation

2027

• February - April: Main study administration (NH)
• May - December: MS data analysis
• September - November: Main study administration

2028

• January - June: Main Study data analysis (continued)
• December: International report release

2029

• January - December: Additional reports release
• February: International database release
• April: Technical report

Further information and resources

• Project resources (SharePoint)
• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)
• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) ICCS
• ICCS Publications
• Previous studies' resources (ILSA Gateway)
  • ICCS 2022
  • ICCS 2016
  • ICCS 2009
  • CIVED
• ILSA gateway