Conclusion

This book has provided much food for thought and reflection. Fundamentally, there is much debate about what it means to be a citizen, and therefore what constitutes citizenship, with each contributor making their own case in light of their understandings and research. As Don Rowe points out, if the purpose of schooling and the ways in which education should be organised are contested, it is not surprising that there are different ideas about the nature and processes of citizenship education (CE). In addition, some of the complexity in the field is due to the growth in international and comparative perspectives on CE that David Kerr highlights. This has made the field more interesting and diverse, but also more complex and harder to pin down. Whilst Andrew Peterson is optimistic that in the UK there is evidence that CE provision and outcomes for students are improving overall, he nevertheless acknowledges that the lack of conceptual clarity and agreement about its aims and purpose raise important practical questions for citizenship teaching. Reassuringly, Ian Davies reminds us that it would be neither realistic nor desirable to expect a simple resolution to the debates that have been highlighted in this book. This concluding chapter provides an overview of some of the themes that have

emerged here. These are grouped as: wider political issues; issues to do with time and place; issues of social justice and participation; and professional and pedagogical issues. The chapter will conclude with some final thoughts about two possible stances that CE teachers might take towards these debates.