An Experimental Evaluation of Holocaust Museum Field Trip Experiences in Secondary Students' Civic Values

• In Event: 30.081 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 30.081-6 - Program Evaluation With a Purpose: Creating Equal Opportunities for Learning in Schools

Abstract

Teaching about the Holocaust provides secondary school educators with critical lessons and challenges for imparting valuable teachable moments about democratic civic values. Holocaust museums throughout the United States have taken an active role by providing school teachers with rigorously-prepared educational resources. One such resource is the provision of guided student tours of Holocaust museums. Through the implementation of a field experiment, we assess the impacts of these experiences with 750 secondary school students. We find that these learning opportunities effectively convey historical facts about the Holocaust. Moreover, while this learning opportunity does not appear to significantly impact students’ affective perspectives with regard to civic values, it does increase their willingness to support charitable causes that serve this purpose.

Authors

• Daniel Henry Bowen, Texas A&M University

• Brian Kisida, University of Missouri