Assessment of citizenship competences has become common practice following the statutory assignment of citizenship education to schools in many countries. Assessment can serve various goals. The suitability of various types of instruments depends on the alignment with the goals intended. In this paper we evaluate four types of instruments and their suitability to assess citizenship competences. Tests and questionnaires, portfolios, game-based assessment, and vignettes are each evaluated in terms of seven attributes relevant to instruments aiming to assess students' citizenship competences. Our results indicate no single type of instrument aligns with all attributes, and expanding the range of available instruments appears the best way forward so that educators and researchers can make a choice that fits their purpose. The analysis presented provides further insight into the strengths and weaknesses of particular assessment types.

In this paper, we develop an open-ended approach to evaluating students’ citizenship competences. We aim to give students the opportunity to describe what citizenship means for them in personally relevant contexts. We developed three rubrics relevant to students’ citizenship in daily life. Students in grade 10 and 11( Mage = 16) evaluated their competences or completed an assignment which was assessed using rubrics. The results show that for both approaches, the majority of students were able to provide relevant input pertaining to their citizenship competences. However, students’ explanations were often brief, limiting the personal context they provided and the extent to which they demonstrated higher levels of proficiency. This study shows that employing rubrics for an open-ended approach to assessing citizenship competences shows promise in allowing students to share and elaborate upon their experiences and viewpoints, but more focus is needed on improving the quantity and quality of student input.

Schools' role in the development of students' attitudes towards society is increasing deliberated, which also leads to question how these attitudes can be assessed. Assessment instruments typically use Likert-type items to measure the extent to which students agree or disagree to certain statements. In this study we aim to evaluate an alternative approach to assessing citizenship attitudes: using rubrics. The theoretical framework describes how we conceptualized attitudes towards acting democratically, acting socially responsible, and dealing with differences at four levels. Students in Dutch general secondary and vocational tertiary education were asked to assess which level they felt best described their attitudes, and to explain why. The results show students are generally implicitly supportive of democratic principles, show a willingness to help others, and respect people's differences. We find several differences between students' attitudes based on their background. The implications of using a comprehensive assessment of citizenship attitudes are further discussed.

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The views young people have towards democratic values shape their views in later life. However, the values that are fundamental to democracy, such as majority rule and minority rights, are often competing. This study aims to provide insight into the ways adolescents view democratic issues in which democratic values are competing. To do so, three democratic issues with varying conditions were designed, and discussed during interviews with students in vocational education. The results show that most adolescents consider both democratic values that underlie an issue. Furthermore, as the conditions in which the issues take place were altered during the interviews, adolescents explicitly evaluated different perspectives and starting shifting between both values. The findings of this study show that adolescents’ views on democratic issues are layered, and include considering multiple democratic values and taking account of the conditions in which these are situated.

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