Analysis of cultural validity of the International Study of Civic Education and Citizenship

Abstract

The article addresses the cultural validity of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), organized by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement. The intention was to analyze the way this large-scale test has epistemological, conceptual and cultural scopes and limitations, which may influence the results of Mexican students. For this, cognitive interviews were conducted with 19 students with ages between 13 and 14 years old, located in different regions (north, center and south), using two items of this project. The results show how the items generate different interpretations of the information presented, depending on the epistemological position of the students, their linguistic mastery, as well as their own contexts. The article highlights the need to continue analyzing the cultural validity of international assessments in the Mexican student population.