Children and young people (henceforth referred to as young people) are one of the groups most affected by climate change and are at the forefront of climate action. Yet, there is scarce evidence on how young people navigate the challenges presented by climate change using their personal strengths and the resources accessible to them. This study…

A survey of the nation's civic health reveals troubling trends, with historic lows in trust among individuals and key institutions such as government, media, and the courts. Political polarization has significantly increased among Americans in the last 40 years, surpassing eight other democratic nations and challenging the idea that it is merely a…

This article examines the relation between education, voting and representation, and, in particular, the argument that more highly educated people should have more votes, as they should be better at judging important political decisions. In the past this issue attracted the attention of great thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Newman and Mill. In…

This paper focuses on a group of young people in Singapore connected by the love for their communities and their desire to use drama for social change. In particular, we investigate how a participatory arts-based approach can enable young people to reflect on the importance of solidarity. We draw on Freire's pedagogy of solidarity, arguing for the…

This theoretical paper focuses on the social processes of public engagement with science and their implications for science education. The core of our argument is that science education should help people become better at evaluating, using, and curating their epistemic networks to make personal and civic decisions and to understand the natural…

An i-voting system may promote electoral participation by reducing travel cost and time to polling places, especially among youth who are more accustomed to technological changes. We study the linkage between travel costs on election day and voter turnout by comparing past electoral participation with stated voting behavior in a hypothetical…

Continued migration flows are inevitable, and research into favorable conditions for educating students in pluralistic societies is timely. This study attempts to address the operationalization of favorable conditions when educating children in diverse societies. Previous research into the contact hypothesis and acculturation theory has suggested…

In a time of record polarization and the questioning of the value of higher education, the internship plays an important and positive role in developing the civic minded graduate. Utilizing best practices in experiential education, an internship nurtures important civic skills in students and an orientation towards the common good. Through focus…

In a time of for-profit schooling, continuing segregation, racism, book banning, unconscionable inequality, and antiquated approaches to pedagogy, the prescription for democratic schooling seems daunting. Yet the path is clear: We need to change society to enable democracy in schools; we need democratic schooling to bring the public out of its…

In their Four Resources Model, Freebody and Luke (1990) described four roles that readers take as they engage with texts: the code breaker, meaning maker, text user/analyst, and text critic. In this article, we propose the addition of a fifth role, the text actor. In this role, readers engage with texts that can incite, inform, and inspire them to…

Our exploratory study analyzes the civic-mindedness of university graduates in an engaged university with emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Slovakia. The research sample consisted of 452 graduates of the second level of university studies. To map and analyze civic-mindedness, we used the Civic-Minded Graduate Questionnaire (CMG;…

This article is an exploration of the potential of a more purposeful application of criticality in undergraduate classrooms. Conventional pedagogy, often lecture-based, does not prepare students well for life, a career, or service toward the common good. A more critical approach in the classroom stimulates critical thinking, critical…

This paper examined the level of Environmental Civic Actions (ECA) using a modified version of the Environmental Action Scale (EAS) and Place Attachment Theory (PAT). The Environmental Action Scale measured the level of participation that would have a collective impact on environmental issues. The data was obtained "via" online…

Scientific observation is a disciplinary-informed way of looking at the world that requires the coordination of domain knowledge and perceptual skills with specialized tools and techniques to systematically identify objects, organisms, specimens, or phenomena of interest. Identification is a particular form of skilled observational practice where…

Public science events (PSEs) are an increasingly popular mode of informal science engagement. The burgeoning research on PSEs suggests a number of important benefits for visitors to these events, including increased scientific knowledge, improved attitudes toward science, and an increased awareness of science in everyday life. However, these…