Young people?s interest in the 2004 presidential election is at its highest since 1992. According to a September MTV/The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) poll conducted by CBS News, 81 percent of young registered voters are paying close attention to the campaign, compared to 85 percent in 1992, the last…

Roughly forty million boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18 take part in organized athletic activities, most of which are not school-based. Boys and girls play in sports as varied as swimming, baseball, soccer, wrestling, and field hockey. The great majority participate in "recreational" leagues in which teams enroll all-comers, compete…

In this working paper, the authors review the literature on college students' political attitudes and behaviors. It is hoped that this review will help to refine research questions and ultimately lead to a larger follow-up research study on college student political engagement. The literature review was based on the following three questions: (1)…

This study compared more than 1,000 high school students who participated in service-learning programs with those who did not participate in schools matched for similar demographics and student achievement profiles. The intention was to estimate the effects of service-learning compared to more traditional ways of teaching similar subject areas.…

Giving Back to the Community: African American Inner City Teens and Civic Engagement was an exercise in ethnographic research. Intentionally different from the more common quantitative studies conducted on civic engagement, this qualitative data gathering project was intended to focus solely on the patterns of civic engagement habits of low income…

Civic education conducted in schools plays a significant role in fostering citizenship but teaching about these themes is often incorporated in history or social studies courses and not found in a distinct subject. An essential part of improving civic learning opportunities for students is preparing teachers more adequately for civic-related…

The historical study of university campuses can tell us much about the changing character and presuppositions of citizenship. Likewise, the study of citizenship can shed considerable light on the nature of universities. Throughout American history, various elite institutions can be seen struggling to establish a semblance of order and control in…

For many young people, adult education offers a "second chance" to obtain a high school credential, to develop literacy skills, or to succeed in a new country and a new language. With more support, it can also represent a second chance for youth to develop civic knowledge and skills and lifelong patterns of civic engagement. The aim of this study…

This research assumes a relatively stable lifeworld for young people. For example, it assumes that the meaning of volunteering or service is sufficiently similar across multiple contexts to remain a valid and stable indicator. By extension, it also assumes that the lifeworld of young people today is not undergoing a period of rapid, and perhaps…

This literature review is specifically interested in empirical research addressing the relationship between adolescent participation in extracurricular activities and adult political engagement. Relevant research is found in political science, psychology, education and sociology. In order to capture the literature most directly related to the main…