How Can Youth Become Both Politically Engaged and Politically Open-Minded? Processes, Outcomes, and Challenges in the "Legislative Semester" Program

• In Event: Fostering Students' Political Engagement

Abstract

In the United States, elected leaders and the general public have become more politically polarized during the past several decades, making bipartisan compromise difficult. This paper explores how a unique high school government program may help to foster willingness to engage in political issues in an open-minded way. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, we examined the development of adolescents’ political engagement and political open-mindedness during their experiences in the Legislative Semester, an extended political simulation in which students researched, discussed, and debated controversial public issues with peers. We also analyzed teachers’ pedagogical strategies. Findings indicate that students in the program became more politically engaged and open-minded and that specific teacher strategies appeared to be especially helpful for this development.

Authors

• Brett Miller Levy, University at Albany - SUNY

• Annaly Rebeccah Babb-Guerra, The University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Sean Owczarek, University of Wisconsin - Madison