This paper, the fourth in a series of five on the current state of citizen education, examines citizen participation in contemporary democracy. The content is presented in four parts. The first covers the areas of citizen participation and levels of analysis and includes the domains of citizenship, citizenship as behavior, and micro and macro levels of citizenship. The second part on the concept of participation deals with instrumental citizen participation, supportive participation, citizenship as compliance, and self-interest and consensus. The next part examines patterns of citizen activity, including modes of participation, dimensions of participation, and participation and community policymaking. The last part discusses participation and individual fulfillment. The appendix contains the comments of those who reviewed this paper. (EM)