Effective methods for increasing levels of political self‐efficacy for girls and disadvantaged students in England

Abstract This study addresses the gap in rigorous evaluation of inclusive Citizenship Education methods in reducing gender and socioeconomic inequalities in political self‐efficacy. This article tests the effectiveness of two pedagogical approaches: counter‐narratives and think‐pair‐share. Within the context of the EU/UKRI Horizon project G‐EPIC, a quasi‐experiment was conducted with 253 Year 9 students (aged 14) recruited from 5 mixed schools across England. These schools are characterised by high levels of socioeconomic disadvantage and a significant proportion of English as an additional language. Participating students were randomly and systematically allocated into 3 groups according to age and gender, and different inclusive teaching methods were then applied in each group: (A) counter‐narrative reading, (B) counter‐narrative plus think‐pair‐share or (C) a control group. All groups then participated in a structured discussion on policies on climate change. Difference in difference (DiD) analysis was employed to test the effectiveness of the different approaches. The results demonstrate that reading a counter‐narrative significantly increases political self‐efficacy among disadvantaged students, with an enhanced effect when combined with think‐pair‐share. Among disadvantaged girls, the combined method proved most effective in boosting political self‐efficacy levels. This research identifies, for the first time, that counter‐narratives and small‐group discussions are effective approaches for increasing political self‐efficacy. The study offers a scalable pathway for teachers to reduce gender and socioeconomic inequalities in democratic participation among adolescents.