Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2019

Civic engagement

Discipline
Institution
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1 - 27 of 27

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

C-Dem Researchers Meeting Notes, November 10, 2019, Consortium On Electoral Democracy Nov 2019

C-Dem Researchers Meeting Notes, November 10, 2019, Consortium On Electoral Democracy

Meeting Notes

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Millennials: Shifting Values And Influences For Civic Engagement, Marlene K. Rebori Oct 2019

Millennials: Shifting Values And Influences For Civic Engagement, Marlene K. Rebori

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Civic engagement is a complex field of study covering a spectrum of activities and is well-documented, especially among the millennial generation. Individuals of Generation Y, also referred to as millennials, are quickly approaching the point of becoming members of the largest living adult generation. Past research has indicated what motivates an individual to initiate civic engagement, but motivators that cause one to get involved civically often are not the same reasons that sustain civic engagement. However, getting on the pathway to civic engagement is a critical step to becoming an active and engaged citizen. To gain a better understanding of …

Go to article

“Trying To March Less And Organize More”: Culture, Capital, And Structure In Civic Engagement Among College Students, Bailey Haas Sep 2019

“Trying To March Less And Organize More”: Culture, Capital, And Structure In Civic Engagement Among College Students, Bailey Haas

Sociology Honors Projects

This study explores volunteerism and activism in tandem under the umbrella of civic engagement and questions the importance of intergenerational transmission of forms of capital and cultural models of agency in how and why college students choose to be civically engaged. This study utilized a mixed-methods design with a survey to determine base rates of engagement and semi-structured interviews to identify differences in engagement based on class culture and capital. Overall, there were not differences in rate of participation by social class, but students volunteered more regularly than they engaged in activism. The interviews illustrated how students theoretically distinguish activism …

Go to article

A New-Old Way To Explore Civic Engagement: Learning From The Past, Peter A. Nagler, Harry Basehart Jul 2019

A New-Old Way To Explore Civic Engagement: Learning From The Past, Peter A. Nagler, Harry Basehart

eJournal of Public Affairs

The authors propose that student-centered discussion and reflection on the attributes of good citizenship and the good citizen constitute an important way to promote civic engagement. The expectations of the Framers of the Constitution and the teachings of Western political thought both hold that active and responsible citizenship is vital to the life of the political community. In this article, the authors argue that a good citizen: (1) has a vision of what their country is and what it means; (2), is willing to sacrifice their private interests for the public good, or rather their notion of the public good; …

Go to article

Developing Civically Engaged Citizens In An Introductory Criminal Justice Course, Tamara J. Lynn Jul 2019

Developing Civically Engaged Citizens In An Introductory Criminal Justice Course, Tamara J. Lynn

eJournal of Public Affairs

Criminal justice programs are often considered a training ground for students’ future careers; however, that training often lacks a focus on civic engagement. This article highlights an experiential learning project in an introductory criminal justice course that was designed to develop the skills of civically engaged professionals. The project, combining research with service-learning, was implemented in an undergraduate criminology course to demonstrate the ways in which research and theory are necessary for implementing social and political change. Student participants achieved the desired learning outcomes and gained a deeper understanding of their role as change agents. The success of this project …

Go to article

Increasing Faculty-Librarian Collaboration Through Critical Librarianship, Adrienne Gosselin, Mandi Goodsett Jul 2019

Increasing Faculty-Librarian Collaboration Through Critical Librarianship, Adrienne Gosselin, Mandi Goodsett

Michael Schwartz Library Publications

Through the lens of critical librarianship, librarians are becoming increasingly involved in social justice, civic engagement, and human rights issues. This paper examines the collaboration between a subject librarian and a faculty member in an assignment that engaged in Public Sphere Pedagogy (PSP), a teaching strategy with the goal of increasing students’ sense of civic agency and personal and social responsibility by connecting their classwork to public arenas; and project-based learning, wherein students develop a question to research and create projects that reflect their knowledge, which they share with a select audience.

Go to article

Presentation Of C-Dem Launch In Montreal September 16, 2019, Consortium On Electoral Democracy Jun 2019

Presentation Of C-Dem Launch In Montreal September 16, 2019, Consortium On Electoral Democracy

Meeting Notes

No abstract provided.

Go to article

C-Dem Researcher Meeting June 6, 2019, Consortium On Electoral Democracy Jun 2019

C-Dem Researcher Meeting June 6, 2019, Consortium On Electoral Democracy

Meeting Notes

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Kids These Days: Increasing Youth Engagement In Community Heritage And Social Justice Through The Implementation Of A Youth Participatory Empowerment Model, Melanie Canaday-Talley, Lindsay Clemens, Amanda J. Dworak Rowland, Mary Gillis, Curlinda Mitchell Blacksheep, Jancarlos Jose Romero May 2019

Kids These Days: Increasing Youth Engagement In Community Heritage And Social Justice Through The Implementation Of A Youth Participatory Empowerment Model, Melanie Canaday-Talley, Lindsay Clemens, Amanda J. Dworak Rowland, Mary Gillis, Curlinda Mitchell Blacksheep, Jancarlos Jose Romero

Dissertations

The purpose of this co-authored, qualitative, action research study was to examine how to empower youth to become active participants in their communities. Citizen engagement in community and public life is vital to a healthy democracy and young people have a unique place in community citizenry, but are often dismissed or excluded from decision-making. The research team developed a model, the Youth Participatory Empowerment Model (YPEM), to guide youth through a process of identifying and engaging a community heritage or social justice need in their community. The team assembled a guidebook of activities to engage groups in difficult self, group, …

Go to article

Shifting Views: How Experiential Learning Shapes University Students’ Sense Of Civic Engagement And Solidarity On Migration, Karen Larke May 2019

Shifting Views: How Experiential Learning Shapes University Students’ Sense Of Civic Engagement And Solidarity On Migration, Karen Larke

Master's Theses

Higher education institutions have put more weight on the use of experiential learning to provide students with opportunities to grow intellectually and develop as engaged citizens. Many recent studies have looked at the quality and educational impacts of a variety of experiential and service learning experiences, yet few have explored what other ideological impacts may result from specific non-curricular experiential learning experiences. This study measured the impact of experiential learning, in the form of week-long migration-themed trips, on undergraduate student’s self-reported levels of solidarity, and related measures of civic engagement and political engagement and activism around migration issues. This study …

Go to article

The Microsociety® Model: An Assessment Of Civic Engagement Outcomes Amongst Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Jewel Hurt May 2019

The Microsociety® Model: An Assessment Of Civic Engagement Outcomes Amongst Fourth And Fifth Grade Students, Jewel Hurt

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Despite existing as a democratic country, America has wavered in prioritizing civics education in schools. This thesis analyzes the work of MicroSociety® as one program that helps students ‘learn by doing’ in the enactment of a school-wide community simulation. To test the program outcomes, a reliable survey was administered to fourth and fifth grade students at two different MicroSociety schools. The results showed that MicroSociety students reported higher average levels of civic engagement when compared to a national sample. The positive results were also consistent across both MicroSociety samples despite stark differences in the demographic profiles of each school. …

Go to article

Teaching Empathy: Examining The Relationship Between State Political Environment And Social Studies Curriculum, Norman Morris Ellis Iii May 2019

Teaching Empathy: Examining The Relationship Between State Political Environment And Social Studies Curriculum, Norman Morris Ellis Iii

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In the age of partisan divide in America, education plays a pivotal role in overcoming social and political barriers––bridging these divides by creating a shared understanding of core values and beliefs that promote the tolerance and acceptance of the diversity of others and the recognition of the inequities that exist in society. Although there are number of factors that have contributed to our nation’s division, this paper specifically investigates how public education might play a role in mitigating social and political tension, and the political factors that might facilitate or hinder the implementation of valuable curriculum goals. The purpose of …

Go to article

They Sold Our Park! How Local Governments Fail At Democracy, Zandria Michaud May 2019

They Sold Our Park! How Local Governments Fail At Democracy, Zandria Michaud

Global Honors Theses

In 2016 the city of Kent, Washington sold a public park to a housing developer. While this sale may seem typical, what was disconcerting to Kent residents was not only that they were losing a park, but also that they knew nothing of the sale. The entire process of selling the park to a housing developer had been in the works for more than ten years, and yet, no one thought to ask the residents about it. From this sale, several issues arose regarding city level government democracy and the role of citizens in policy decision-making. By critically examining the …

Go to article

Character Count Or Vote Count: How Social Media Has Shaped Modern Politics And Challenged The Meaning Of Civic Engagement, Hannah Scott May 2019

Character Count Or Vote Count: How Social Media Has Shaped Modern Politics And Challenged The Meaning Of Civic Engagement, Hannah Scott

Honors Theses

Social media has taken the world and compressed it into a single button for all to access. As tactics and protocol has already changed, social media has reached its invisible hand into modern U.S. politics and has altered the landscape of political action. Through surveys, article analysis, and social media observation, this study examined how social media has changed modern civic engagement, if social media can even be considered civic ‘engagement’, and how it has separated itself from ‘traditional’ civic engagement. Through previous literature and a conducted survey, the finding of this study suggest that social media not only positively …

Go to article

Promoting Civic Engagement Through Academic Library Outreach Programs, Kristen S. Shuyler, Liz Chenevey, Ryan Winfree Apr 2019

Promoting Civic Engagement Through Academic Library Outreach Programs, Kristen S. Shuyler, Liz Chenevey, Ryan Winfree

Kristen S. Shuyler

How are Virginia's academic libraries promoting civic engagement? This poster presents results of a statewide civic engagement survey and shares one academic library's civic engagement outreach activities. Civic literacy competencies, such as the ability to contact representatives, are related to information literacy skills, and libraries should continue to promote them.

Go to article

Generating Civically-Engaged Undergraduate Student Scientists In General Education Classrooms, Tara T. Lineweaver, Tonya R. Bergeson Apr 2019

Generating Civically-Engaged Undergraduate Student Scientists In General Education Classrooms, Tara T. Lineweaver, Tonya R. Bergeson

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

No abstract provided.

Go to article

The Convergence Of Libraries, Voter Education, And Civic Literacy, Natalie Lowengruber Apr 2019

The Convergence Of Libraries, Voter Education, And Civic Literacy, Natalie Lowengruber

Honors Projects

The aim of this project was to explore how libraries, particularly academic libraries, intersect with voter education in promoting civic engagement. After reviewing research on the library’s role in democracy and civic engagement, I forged this connection through collaborating with librarians to develop an interactive workshop open to the Grand Valley community. The main goal of this workshop was to increase voter education and equip voters with tools to become better informed on candidates, legislation, and policy before the midterm elections of November, 2018. Participation in democracy is a lifelong practice and civic duty that begins with a strong educational …

Go to article

Youth Cognitive Empowerment: Development And Evaluation Of An Instrument, Paul W. Speer, N. Andrew Peterson, Brian D. Christens, Robert Reid Jan 2019

Youth Cognitive Empowerment: Development And Evaluation Of An Instrument, Paul W. Speer, N. Andrew Peterson, Brian D. Christens, Robert Reid

Department of Family Science and Human Development Scholarship and Creative Works

Psychological empowerment (PE) is a multicomponent construct that involves the mechanisms through which people and groups gain control over their lives and environments. Psychological empowerment has previously been operationalized using measures of sociopolitical control among young people, with findings indicating links between PE and other positive developmental outcomes. Sociopolitical control, however, is only an indicator for the emotional component of PE. Research has largely neglected the cognitive component of PE, particularly in studies of younger people. In fact, few studies to date have presented and empirically tested measurement instruments for the cognitive component of PE among youth. In this study, …

Go to article

Vcu Service-Learning Impact Measure (Slim) Report, 2018-2019, Tamanna Sohal, Katie Elliott Jan 2019

Vcu Service-Learning Impact Measure (Slim) Report, 2018-2019, Tamanna Sohal, Katie Elliott

Division of Community Engagement Resources

The VCU Service-Learning Office distributes the Service-Learning Impact Measure (SLIM) at the end of every semester to evaluate the impact of service-learning classes on student learning. Results are used to guide program improvements that enhance the quality of service-learning courses and outcomes for students, faculty, and partners.

Go to article

Civic Life In The Divided Metropolis: Social Capital, Collective Action, And Residential Income Segregation, Amber Wichowsky Jan 2019

Civic Life In The Divided Metropolis: Social Capital, Collective Action, And Residential Income Segregation, Amber Wichowsky

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Social capital is presumed to help individuals who lack financial or human capital achieve collective action through their social ties and networks of relationships. But does it help individuals overcome their socioeconomic disadvantages relative to their wealthier neighbors, or does the accumulation of social capital merely reproduce socioeconomic disparities, particularly in economically segregated places? Leveraging data from the Current Population Survey, I test whether residential income segregation is associated with larger income differences in social capital investments and collective action. I find that in more economically segregated places, wealthier residents are more likely to be members of neighborhood organizations and …

Go to article

Using Drawings To Understand Perceptions Of Civic Engagement Across Disciplines: ‘Seeing Is Understanding’, Sharon Feeney, John Hogan Jan 2019

Using Drawings To Understand Perceptions Of Civic Engagement Across Disciplines: ‘Seeing Is Understanding’, Sharon Feeney, John Hogan

Articles

In this article, we wish to investigate if disciplinary differences exist among students when considering the topic of civic engagement. We use freehand drawing to create a learning environment in the classroom wherein students can seek to develop meaningful associations with civic engagement. The drawings examined here, produced by three different class groups, provide insights into how young adults perceive their society and their place in it, and thus communicate their understanding of civic engagement. Freehand drawing, in bypassing cognitive verbal processing routes, leads students to produce clearer and more holistic images. It allows them to put into visuals a …

Go to article

Influence Of Combat Veterans’ Attitudes And Behaviors On Community Reintegration, Nicole Dawn Cmerek Jan 2019

Influence Of Combat Veterans’ Attitudes And Behaviors On Community Reintegration, Nicole Dawn Cmerek

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A civil-military divide exists within the United States and is perpetuated by a distinct lack of communication between the civilian and military sectors within the population. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether attitudes and behaviors of combat veterans affect their positive reintegration into civilian communities. Binder’s social ecology theory provided the framework for the study. Data were collected from 255 combat veterans who responded to a survey. Results were analyzed using a hierarchical multiple linear regression model to determine the influence of military job satisfaction, post-deployment stressors, post-deployment support, and civic engagement on community reintegration efforts, …

Go to article

From The Empire State To The North Star State: Voter Engagement In The 2016 Election, Katharine M. Hill, Shannon R. Lane, Jenna Powers, Tanya Rhodes Smith Jan 2019

From The Empire State To The North Star State: Voter Engagement In The 2016 Election, Katharine M. Hill, Shannon R. Lane, Jenna Powers, Tanya Rhodes Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Voter engagement has the potential to be a fundamental part of social work practice and key to the professional socialization of social work students. This article describes a classroom-based voter engagement project conducted in two undergraduate social work programs in different U.S. states with significantly different voting laws. We describe the rationale, process of implementing the project, evaluation, and review the results in the context of the 2016 election. We suggest future research that can help develop best practices and methods for implementation of voter engagement in social work practice and education in the future.

Go to article

Clinical Social Workers, Gender, And Perceptions Of Political Participation, Jason Ostrander, Janelle K. Bryan, Shannon R. Lane Jan 2019

Clinical Social Workers, Gender, And Perceptions Of Political Participation, Jason Ostrander, Janelle K. Bryan, Shannon R. Lane

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

Political participation to create social change is considered a professional and ethical imperative for social workers. Although researchers have examined overall political participation by social workers, little is known about how clinical social workers participate and the broader societal factors that influence their political participation. A critical phenomenological methodology was used with a sample of 23 clinical social workers from New England states to (1) identify how socio-political forces influenced their political activity; and, (2) understand how the concept of power affected individuals’ level of engagement or inclination toward the political process. This article describes one of the study’s major …

Go to article

Flourishing Young Adults: Lived Lifelong Learning Experiences Through Civic Participation, Junghwan Kim, Christiana G. Horn, Kasie T. Crall, Lisa B. Friesen Jan 2019

Flourishing Young Adults: Lived Lifelong Learning Experiences Through Civic Participation, Junghwan Kim, Christiana G. Horn, Kasie T. Crall, Lisa B. Friesen

Adult Education Research Conference

This phenomenological study aims to examine the lived learning experiences of eight young adults who participated in two AmeriCorps organizations and how those experiences impacted their civic engagement.

Go to article

A Qualitative Study Exploring Motivation And Engagement Among Millennial Volunteers In Nonprofit Organizations, Joanne Quinones Jan 2019

A Qualitative Study Exploring Motivation And Engagement Among Millennial Volunteers In Nonprofit Organizations, Joanne Quinones

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation focused on capturing the lived experiences of Millennials and explore their motivation and engagement for volunteering in a nonprofit organization. This study illustrates the importance of civic and social engagement in our society. The Millennials have been labeled as “Genme or the me generation” (Twenge, Campbell, Hoffman, & Lance, 2010, p. 1117; Twenge, 2006, p. 1), as they have been criticized for focusing on their own self-interest. While millennials have been considered as being technologically savvy, since they grew up with the internet. The millennials, have a social interest in offering support to a cause versus an …

Go to article

Distinguishing Beliefs About Social Inequality: Associations Among Dimensions Of Critical Consciousness, Lauren M. Alvis Jan 2019

Distinguishing Beliefs About Social Inequality: Associations Among Dimensions Of Critical Consciousness, Lauren M. Alvis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Critical consciousness researchers posit that critical reflection, which refers to a critical awareness of structural inequalities between socially constructed groups and external political efficacy beliefs (i.e., perceptions of government responsiveness) are important precursors to effective political action (Diemer et al., 2016; Watts, Diemer, & Voight, 2011). However, little is known about emerging adults’ views of social inequality and political change regarding specific marginalized groups. There are different forms of social inequality and the extent to which individuals experience these inequities is partially determined by multiple sociodemographic characteristics including race/ethnicity, sex, sexual-orientation, and gender identity (Hurst et al., 2016). Identifying potential …

Go to article