articles by Frank Reichert
Politics, Groups, and Identities, 2025
In civically engaged research (CER), political scientists typically partner with community member... more In civically engaged research (CER), political scientists typically partner with community members and groups to jointly create and apply knowledge on politics, power, and governance that can promote self-governance. The reciprocal involvement of scholars, the people being studied, and broader communities is central to CER. It requires skills in collaborative problem-solving and the deployment of rigorous research methods. Yet, while CER studies have primarily adopted qualitative methods thus far, this article advocates for methodological pluralism and describes how CER can be conducted using a range of methods. This article reviews different ways of conducting CER and identifies new paths to CER. We present examples of (mostly mixed-methods) CER studies, distinguishing those with a dominant qualitative component from studies with a dominant quantitative component, exemplifying when and how these methods represent the most suitable approach to addressing research questions using a CER approach. We also draw on examples from other disciplines to showcase what rigorous quantitative CER might look like and when it may be warranted and feasible. We conclude by arguing that CER is an approach toward doing research that all political scientists, whether qualitatively oriented or quantitatively focused, should consider employing to maximize the benefits of their research.
Politics, Groups, and Identities, 2024
Civically engaged research offers significant potential to co-produce knowledge with systematical... more Civically engaged research offers significant potential to co-produce knowledge with systematically marginalized communities. However, the greater engagement with community partners as part of civically engaged research requires scholars to more deeply consider what vulnerability means in civically engaged research in an effort to minimize potential harm to community partners. We offer the vulnerability as identity facet (VIF) framework as a way to more deeply engage with the concept of vulnerability. In the VIF framework, we argue that vulnerability should be considered as a variable in its own right which varies by context and which requires reflexivity on the part of the scholar when evaluating risk with community partners. We demonstrate the utility of this view of vulnerability by applying the VIF framework to civically engaged research in natural disaster situations and in authoritarian contexts. In these examples, the VIF framework prompts additional methodological considerations and we lay out ways to enact this view of vulnerability.
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
Children with special educational needs (CSEN) in the early years have been identified as vulnera... more Children with special educational needs (CSEN) in the early years have been identified as vulnerable to the pandemic restrictions. This study explored the lived experiences of educators teaching CSEN online in Hong Kong during the COVID-19 school closures. Semi-structured interviews with 21 educators revealed that educators perceived the prolonged school closures and online learning as adversely affecting CSEN's development. In educators' observations, during school closures and upon returning to school, CSEN's academic learning was less affected compared to CSEN's social skills. Still, educators found that some autistic children coped better than CSEN with other types of needs (e.g. with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) in academic learning due to fewer classroom distractions and less social pressure. The insights from the educators provide key areas of focus for CSEN in the early years to recover from the aftermath of the pandemic and for future unforeseen school closures.
Sociology Compass, 2024
Political demands are a relevant factor in protest participation. However, most studies examined ... more Political demands are a relevant factor in protest participation. However, most studies examined demands as a tactical tool, and it remains unclear how the endorsement of collec tive demands may contribute to creating the mobilization potential. This analysis examines how collective demands facilitate links of collective identity, efficacy, and grievances with sympathy for normative and non-normative protest actions in the context of Hong Kong's anti-extradition law amendment bill social movement. The results show that collective demands are directly and indirectly related to sympathy for protest action and moderate the role of political dissatisfaction in forming the mobilization potential. The analysis also reveals distinct associations of sympathy for normative versus non-normative protest action with facilitating factors. These results are discussed with respect to their theoretical and practical relevance in forming the mobilization potential and how they may contribute to understanding social movements more generally.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2023
This study examined whether Internet addiction (IA) and digital competence (DC) mediated the asso... more This study examined whether Internet addiction (IA) and digital competence (DC) mediated the association between digital technology use and mental health problems in adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, when digital device use increased dramatically. Repeated cross-sectional data from a 3-year cross-cohort study adopting stratified random sampling were analyzed. In 2019, 569 adolescents (female = 312) from 14 secondary schools completed a DC assessment and an online survey on their digital technology use, IA, and mental health. In 2021, 775 adolescents (female = 397) from 11 of those 14 schools completed both instruments. Results showed that adolescents in 2021 spent more time using digital devices, were more digitally competent, and reported more mental health problems than adolescents in 2019. The prevalence of IA was 8 percent in 2019 and 12.4 percent in 2021. In both years, more frequent digital technology use predicted a higher risk of IA, which was associated with more mental health problems (indirect β = 0.08, p < 0.001 for 2019 and β = 0.05, p < 0.001 for 2021). In addition, in 2021, DC was positively associated with digital technology use and negatively with IA, which indirectly related to fewer mental health problems (indirect β = -0.01, p = 0.03). In conclusion, DC is a protective factor alleviating the positive associations of digital technology use and IA with mental health problems in adolescents when the ecological context requires high levels of digital device use.
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2023
Teachers’ beliefs influence educational goals, teaching practices, and learning outcomes, and are... more Teachers’ beliefs influence educational goals, teaching practices, and learning outcomes, and are thus of great importance for civics research. This comparative study used semi-structured interviews with 17 teachers in Hong Kong and Germany conducted in 2020 to examine teachers’ beliefs about digital citizenship and education in digital societies. The teachers acknowledged the positive influences of digitalization on information gathering and participation opportunities. They also highlighted the threat of manipulation and interference by antidemocratic actors but rarely reflected on the influences of digitalization on the citizenship concept.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2022
Cyberbullying has become a critical issue in many parts of the world. Children affected by bullyi... more Cyberbullying has become a critical issue in many parts of the world. Children affected by bullying in cyberspace may also experience various other problems in their daily lives, such as emotional and behavioral issues. Despite the well-documented positive correlation between digital technology use and cyberbullying experiences in adolescents, a paucity of research has explored the association between digital technology use and cyberbullying, and the extent to which digital literacy (DL) and parental mediation moderate these relationships among primary school-aged children. This study addressed these research gaps. A total of 736 children (third grade, female = 52 percent) in Hong Kong, selected through stratified random sampling, reported on their digital technology use, parental mediation of technology use (i.e., active mediation and restriction), and cyberbullying experiences. A performance-based assessment measured children's DL. Results showed a positive association between children's digital technology use (both for leisure activities and for schoolwork) and cyberbullying experiences (both as perpetrator and victim). These positive associations were more pronounced among children with low levels of DL (only victims) as well as among children with highly restrictive parents (both perpetrators and victims). Implications for digital citizenship education and parental intervention are discussed.
Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice
Hong Kong was one of the first places hit with the COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020 and has sinc... more Hong Kong was one of the first places hit with the COVID-19 outbreak in January 2020 and has since responded with several periods of full or partial school suspension, during which teaching and learning often occurred remotely using digital means. During this time, collecting
research data and testing students have become more difficult than before. In this article, we report on a large-scale digital literacy (DL) performance assessment in Hong Kong that had to be conducted in a mix of modes—onsite, online supported, and online self-directed—during the pandemic. We discuss the administrative and methodological challenges of assessing DL, and explore preliminary data on the associations between student performance and the assessment mode adopted. We further discuss potential implications, including for high-stakes testing, and make recommendations for assessing DL remotely.
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 2022
Background:
Digital competence can help children and adolescents engage with technology for acqu... more Background:
Digital competence can help children and adolescents engage with technology for acquiring new knowledge and for broadening social contact and support, while reducing the risk of inappropriate media use. This study investigated the effects of digital competence on the risk of gaming addiction among children and adolescents. We explored whether students with good digital competence were protected from the adverse effects of media use and the risk of gaming addiction.
Methods:
1956 students (690 primary and 1266 secondary) completed a digital competence assessment and a self-report questionnaire on their mental health status, use of digital devices, and experiences of cyberbullying. Multiple regression analyses with further mediation and moderation analyses were performed to investigate the association of digital competence with gaming addiction and mental health in children and adolescents.
Findings:
Regression analyses showed that children and adolescents with better digital competence were less likely to develop gaming addiction (β = -0.144, p < 0.0001) and experienced less cyberbullying behaviour as perpetrators (β = -0.169, p < 0.0001) and as victims (β = -0.121, p < 0.0001). Digital competence was found to mediate the relationship between digital device usage time and gaming addiction.
Interpretation:
Digital competence is associated with less gaming addiction and could potentially lead to better mental wellbeing by reducing the risks of gaming addiction and cyberbullying. Education that promotes digital competence is essential to maximize the benefits of media use, while reducing the potential adverse effects from the inappropriate use of digital devices.
Asia Pacific Education Review, 2021
Students from less fortunate families and in less advantaged schools often perform worse than the... more Students from less fortunate families and in less advantaged schools often perform worse than their more advantaged peers. The Australian Labor Government (2007–2013) initiated the “Building the Education Revolution” to establish a more effective and just education system, reaching a meaningful consensus on the development of active and informed citizens across all Australian states and territories. Using nationally representative data, this study examines how student background, school context, and school composition are associated with civic knowledge, whether students from low-status families are particularly disadvantaged in schools with more advantaged peers (big-fish-little-pond effect), and whether and how these associations have changed between 2007 and 2013. The results of multiple-group multilevel linear regression models suggest that student background and school characteristics are associated with civic knowledge, and that school characteristics moderate the associations between civic knowledge and school composition. Taken together, the data provide little evidence that the disparities in civic knowledge due to socioeconomic inequalities have declined over time. These inequities are problematic as gaps in civic knowledge can affect the quality of democracy, particularly in a country where voting is mandatory. The reproduction of educational inequality remains a challenge for social and educational policy in Australia.
Frontiers in Political Science, 2021
Youth have often been described as politically apathetic or disengaged, particularly with respect... more Youth have often been described as politically apathetic or disengaged, particularly with respect to more conventional forms of participation. However, they tend to prefer non-institutionalized modes of political action and they may express themselves on the Internet. Young people have also been recognized as having a “latent preparedness” to get politically active when needed. This paper reports forms of offline and online participation adopted by young adults in Hong Kong who were surveyed shortly before the anti-extradition bill social movement of 2019 and 1 year later. The results tentatively suggest that young adults may not be very active in politics when they do not perceive the need to bring about change. However, they are involved in expressive activities and on the Internet more broadly, and ready to turn their latent participation into concrete political participation when they are dissatisfied with government actions and believe it is their responsibility to act against laws perceived to be unjust. Cross-sectional and cross-lagged panel analyses show that youth’s participation in offline political activities is associated with their online participation. Positive effects of past experiences in each mode on participation in offline and online political activities show the mobilizing potential of social media and provide support for the reinforcement hypothesis, though previous participation in offline activities appears as a better predictor of political participation when compared with prior participation on the Internet.
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2021
Teachers serve as mediators of classroom experience and dialogue, and as individuals delivering c... more Teachers serve as mediators of classroom experience and dialogue, and as individuals delivering curriculum. Their education-related beliefs influence how they teach. After reviewing literature in English and in German, this article examines teachers’ beliefs about the aims of citizenship education in Austria and Switzerland using the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study. Latent class analysis identifies distinct teacher profiles associated with teachers’ characteristics and with teaching-related practices. Teachers who emphasize knowledge acquisition utilize assessments in their classes more frequently; those who prioritize critical thinking and argumentation are comparatively more likely to use civically stimulating pedagogy.
Political Science, 2021
How young people become active citizens to sustain democracy is a crucial question for a modern d... more How young people become active citizens to sustain democracy is a crucial question for a modern democracy like Australia to pose in a context of youth political disillusionment with politics. The present research investigates this question in the context of young Australian adults’ norms of citizenship and intended political participation. The results show that encouraging young people to engage in decision-making processes in school or the community may cultivate active democrats, while law-abidingness works as a moderator of other citizenship norms. It remains a major challenge for democracies to promote engaged citizenship norms, prepare young people to be interested in civic issues, and facilitate skills that make politically self-efficacious young citizens.
Cambridge Journal of Education, 2021
Teachers are key agents in the political socialisation of adolescents. Therefore, knowledge about... more Teachers are key agents in the political socialisation of adolescents. Therefore, knowledge about teachers’ beliefs concerning citizenship is essential, as these beliefs likely relate to how educators socialise young people via preferred modes of teaching. Studying the link between teachers’ citizenship norms and associated teaching styles can inform us about how to improve citizenship education in schools. The authors use the 2016 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study data, relying on the unique Teacher Survey conducted in Flanders (n = 1983) using multilevel latent class analysis. They identify five profiles of teachers’ concepts of good citizenship. These profiles are further correlated with goals of citizenship education emphasised by teachers as well as the sources and activities used to teach civics in the classroom. The results suggest that teachers can be seen as instructional gatekeepers, with teachers supporting more engaged and all-around norms of citizenship more frequently implementing active teaching styles.
Theory & Research in Social Education, 2020
Interactions within classrooms contribute to adolescents’ democratic civic development by providi... more Interactions within classrooms contribute to adolescents’ democratic civic development by providing resources fostering students’ political understanding. Many teachers participate in social or political groups in their communities and more broadly. These out-of-school experiences inform their classroom practices and are contextualized by national situations. The role played by these experiences has received little attention from social studies researchers. The present analysis examined teachers’ organizational participation and its association with classroom discourse and practices by utilizing large-scale data from 12 countries in Europe and Asia. A person-centered statistical approach identified four organizational participation profiles among teachers that were further examined in relation to classroom practices. Teachers who were active in a broad range of organizations were likely to provide more stimulating civic and political learning environments with potential to foster students’ active construction of civic and political understanding. Contextual factors and implications for civic and citizenship education at school are discussed.
Educational Technology Research & Development, 2020
Digital literacy competence (DL) is an important capacity for students’ learning in a rapidly cha... more Digital literacy competence (DL) is an important capacity for students’ learning in a rapidly changing world. However, little is known about the empirical structure of DL. In this paper, we review major DL assessment frameworks and explore the dimensionality of DL from an empirical perspective using assessment data collected using authentic software applications, rather than simulated assessment environments. Secondary analysis on representative data collected from primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong using unidimensional and multidimensional item response theory reveals a general dimension of digital literacy performance and four specific, tool-dependent dimensions. These specific DL dimensions are defined by the software applications that students use and capture commonality among students’ performance that is due to their familiarity with the assessment tools and contexts. The design of DL assessment is discussed in light of these findings, with particular emphasis on the influence of the nature of digital applications and environments used in assessment on the DL achievement scores measured.
Computers & Education, 2020
Digital literacy (DL) is an important capacity for students’ learning in a rapidly changing world... more Digital literacy (DL) is an important capacity for students’ learning in a rapidly changing world. However, tension exists between the theoretical conceptualizations of DL as a multidimensional construct and empirical studies reporting unidimensional DL scores. Also, little is known about how DL may vary among different age cohorts, and whether and at which age do performance gaps emerge with respect to gender. The focus of this research is to develop a test appropriate for measuring DL performance at different ages and a comprehensive DL assessment framework has been adopted for this purpose. Using data from three age cohorts of students (one from primary schools and two from secondary schools), the dimensionality of DL and performance differences are examined. Comparisons of unidimensional and multidimensional item response models suggest the measured DL to be a unidimensional construct. The results also show that secondary school students obtained higher levels of DL compared to primary school students. A gender gap in DL is found among secondary school students. There is also a need for further research to understand through longitudinal studies the emergence of the gender gap in DL performance.
Social Psychology of Education, 2019
Democracies rely upon politically knowledgeable citizens for their legitimacy and to sustain them... more Democracies rely upon politically knowledgeable citizens for their legitimacy and to sustain themselves. In Australia, policy initiatives have addressed concerns about the low levels of political knowledge among young people. Yet research about how young Australians acquire political knowledge, beyond schools, is scarce. The present study referring to the concepts of situated learning, self-determination and knowledge gap, asks whether young adult’s participatory practices (e.g., participation in politics, prior involvement in decision-making at school) predict political knowledge. Analyses that control for multiple predictors of political knowledge suggest differential associations between political knowledge and different participatory practices. Motivational inequality, as defined by interest in politics, moderates the associations with party-political participation and participation at school; the conditional effect of party-related political participation is further moderated by educational resources. Gendered differences are identified for some participatory practices. Directions for future research and the importance of participatory experiences and how to establish a foundation of young citizens’ political knowledge are discussed.
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2019
This article examines teachers' beliefs about the aims of citizenship education in 12 countries f... more This article examines teachers' beliefs about the aims of citizenship education in 12 countries from Europe and Asia. A latent class analysis of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study of 2009 identified three distinct profiles of teachers' beliefs about the goals of citizenship education. These profiles are associated with teachers' characteristics and with national indicators of democratic development. Profiles can be more useful than single beliefs in understanding how teaching contributes to students' civic development. Teachers across countries thought it far more important to foster students' participation in the school or local community than to foster future political participation.
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articles by Frank Reichert
research data and testing students have become more difficult than before. In this article, we report on a large-scale digital literacy (DL) performance assessment in Hong Kong that had to be conducted in a mix of modes—onsite, online supported, and online self-directed—during the pandemic. We discuss the administrative and methodological challenges of assessing DL, and explore preliminary data on the associations between student performance and the assessment mode adopted. We further discuss potential implications, including for high-stakes testing, and make recommendations for assessing DL remotely.
Digital competence can help children and adolescents engage with technology for acquiring new knowledge and for broadening social contact and support, while reducing the risk of inappropriate media use. This study investigated the effects of digital competence on the risk of gaming addiction among children and adolescents. We explored whether students with good digital competence were protected from the adverse effects of media use and the risk of gaming addiction.
Methods:
1956 students (690 primary and 1266 secondary) completed a digital competence assessment and a self-report questionnaire on their mental health status, use of digital devices, and experiences of cyberbullying. Multiple regression analyses with further mediation and moderation analyses were performed to investigate the association of digital competence with gaming addiction and mental health in children and adolescents.
Findings:
Regression analyses showed that children and adolescents with better digital competence were less likely to develop gaming addiction (β = -0.144, p < 0.0001) and experienced less cyberbullying behaviour as perpetrators (β = -0.169, p < 0.0001) and as victims (β = -0.121, p < 0.0001). Digital competence was found to mediate the relationship between digital device usage time and gaming addiction.
Interpretation:
Digital competence is associated with less gaming addiction and could potentially lead to better mental wellbeing by reducing the risks of gaming addiction and cyberbullying. Education that promotes digital competence is essential to maximize the benefits of media use, while reducing the potential adverse effects from the inappropriate use of digital devices.
research data and testing students have become more difficult than before. In this article, we report on a large-scale digital literacy (DL) performance assessment in Hong Kong that had to be conducted in a mix of modes—onsite, online supported, and online self-directed—during the pandemic. We discuss the administrative and methodological challenges of assessing DL, and explore preliminary data on the associations between student performance and the assessment mode adopted. We further discuss potential implications, including for high-stakes testing, and make recommendations for assessing DL remotely.
Digital competence can help children and adolescents engage with technology for acquiring new knowledge and for broadening social contact and support, while reducing the risk of inappropriate media use. This study investigated the effects of digital competence on the risk of gaming addiction among children and adolescents. We explored whether students with good digital competence were protected from the adverse effects of media use and the risk of gaming addiction.
Methods:
1956 students (690 primary and 1266 secondary) completed a digital competence assessment and a self-report questionnaire on their mental health status, use of digital devices, and experiences of cyberbullying. Multiple regression analyses with further mediation and moderation analyses were performed to investigate the association of digital competence with gaming addiction and mental health in children and adolescents.
Findings:
Regression analyses showed that children and adolescents with better digital competence were less likely to develop gaming addiction (β = -0.144, p < 0.0001) and experienced less cyberbullying behaviour as perpetrators (β = -0.169, p < 0.0001) and as victims (β = -0.121, p < 0.0001). Digital competence was found to mediate the relationship between digital device usage time and gaming addiction.
Interpretation:
Digital competence is associated with less gaming addiction and could potentially lead to better mental wellbeing by reducing the risks of gaming addiction and cyberbullying. Education that promotes digital competence is essential to maximize the benefits of media use, while reducing the potential adverse effects from the inappropriate use of digital devices.