ERIC Number: EJ1070928
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1551-2169
EISSN: N/A
Turning Civic Education into Engagement: Evaluating the Efficacy of the Democracy USA Project
Yanus, Alixandra B.; Kifer, Martin J.; Namaste, Paul; Elder, Sadie Leder; Blosser, Joe
Journal of Political Science Education, v11 n3 p279-300 2015
The Democracy USA (DUSA) Project was an interdisciplinary experiential-learning project designed to engage students and faculty in the 2012 elections. It was launched in response to the U.S. Department of Education's national call to action ("A Crucible Moment") on civic engagement and democratic education. The project had five key components: affiliated coursework, a colloquium series, extracurricular activities, The American Dream Project, and collecting public opinion data. This article presents an analysis of pre- and posttest data collected from over 500 students at a midsize southern liberal arts college during the Fall 2012 semester. The findings underscore the importance of varied approaches and interdisciplinary collaborations to engage students in the democratic process. We find that students enrolled in DUSA classes demonstrated little change in their civic engagement. However, those who participated in cocurricular programming, extracurricular activities, or learned about the program during the semester exhibited changes in both their political skills and willingness to participate in politics.
Descriptors: Civics, Citizenship Education, Democracy, Interdisciplinary Approach, Experiential Learning, Elections, United States Government (Course), Undergraduate Students, Liberal Arts, Colleges, Pretests Posttests, Extracurricular Activities, Student Surveys, Statistical Analysis, Skill Development, Citizen Participation, Multivariate Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A