ABSTRACT
The proper function of democracy within any society mainly depends on its citizens. Acquiring necessary knowledge and skills to participate as citizens takes place through education originating from home, group activities, general education, and civic education. Alienated and disaffected students are those who have a low sense of belonging to school and less engaged in school activities with relatively poor achievement performance. If students are alienated at school, they are often in a marginal position compared to mainstream students. The International Civic and Citizenship Studies (ICCS) are important large-scale international studies focused on the assessment of civic knowledge, values, and actions. ICCS measured 14-year-old students' civic knowledge, civic attitudes/values, and civic participation experiences, as well as participation intentions. The regional surveys for European and Latin American countries were revised to include new aspects and accommodate changes. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
