How Can Social Studies Relate to Youth Civic Engagement? Preparation for Informed Civic Participation Through an Inquiry Approach: The Singapore Social Studies Curriculum

The term civic engagement is used in many different ways and a wide range of definitions can be found for the concept. Civic engagement can mean personal or collective action and it can include both political and nonpolitical participation. It can be defined simply as a sense of connection to the community and it can also be understood as active participation in a variety of social and political activities initiated by citizens or the government. Effective civic engagement rests on citizens’ ability to understand issues from multiple perspectives and possession of civic competencies to act for the common good. This paper presents a case of Social Studies in Singapore. It discusses the affordances and challenges of an inquiry approach that focuses on the development of critical thinking skills to prepare students to be informed, concerned and participative citizens. It suggests that Social Studies, as a classroom subject, can provide opportunities for civic engagement through the discussion of issues.