Voice in the Classroom How Talking About Politics Teaches Teens About Civics

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Voice in the ClassroomHow Talking About
Politics Teaches Teens About Civics

• David E. Campbell
• University of Notre Dame

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Where Do Teens Learn About Politics?

• Home
• Media
• School
• ? Quantity
• ? Quality

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How Do We Know What Teens Know About
Civics?IEA Civic Education Study

• Conducted in 28 nations, including the United
  States
• In the U.S., representative sample of 124 schools
  (public and private)
• Students in 9th grade
• October 1999

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Civic Proficiency

• Sample Question
• In democratic countries, what is the function of
• having more than one political party?
• To represent different opinions in the national
  legislature (Congress)
• To limit political corruption
• To prevent political demonstrations
• To encourage economic competition

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Civic Proficiency

• Sample Question
• In democratic countries, what is the function of
• having more than one political party?
• To represent different opinions in the national
  legislature (Congress)
• To limit political corruption
• To prevent political demonstrations
• To encourage economic competition

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How Young People Learn About Civics
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Classroom Environment
Quality of Social Studies Instruction

• Often or Never?
• Students feel free to disagree openly with their
  teachers about political and social issues during
  class
• Students are encouraged to make up their own
  minds about issues
• Teachers respect our opinions and encourage us to
  express them during class
• Students feel free to express opinions in class
  even when their opinions are different from most
  of the other students
• Teachers encourage us to discuss political or
  social issues about which people have different
  opinions
• Teachers present several sides of an issue when
  explaining it in class
• Students bring up current political events for
  discussion in class

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How Young People Learn About Civics
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Can Civics at School Compensate foran Absence at
Home?
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Evidence for the Compensation Hypothesis
Maximum
Civic Proficiency
Mean
Minimum
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Where Do We Find Open Classrooms?

• Not just suburban, affluent schools
• Not just public schools
• Not just small schools
• In racially homogeneous environments
• Not race per se, but trust

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The Bottom Line

• Civic Proficiency Is Measurable
• Open Classrooms Improve Civic Proficiency
• Open Classrooms Require Trust