Using Inquiry to Promote Democratic Citizenship Among Young Adolescents During Summer Civics Camps

• In Event: 66.082 - Creating a Continual Cycle of Justice-Oriented Citizens: Examining the Use of Inquiry Learning in Pre-K–16

Abstract

This descriptive study investigated how participating in an inquiry project during 5-day summer civics camps impacted middle schoolers’ conceptions of citizenship. We wondered how taking part in small group action civics projects might cause students to begin to see themselves as young citizens capable of advocating on behalf of themselves and their communities. As part of a larger study of Civics Camp [pseudonym], the questions guiding this presentation are:
1.    How were students’ understandings of citizenship influenced by participation in a group inquiry project during summer civics camps?
2.    In what ways, if any, were students’ beliefs about themselves as citizens influenced by participating in the summer civics camp?
Civics Camp was held on two university campuses for five consecutive days in 2017. Using an action civics model of inquiry (Epstein, 2014; Levine, 2007) as the camp’s primary curriculum, small groups of middle schoolers selected a community issue they found interesting (e.g., cyber bullying), gathered information about the issue to determine root causes, proposed ways to address the issue, and communicated their proposals with family members and the public.
Framing our work is Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004b) typology of citizenship: the personally responsible citizen, the participatory citizen, and the justice-oriented citizen. Researchers have shown middle schoolers tend to hold personally responsible understandings of citizenship (e.g., obeying laws, volunteering) (Chiodo & Martin, 2005; Hickey, 2002). We wanted to determine whether participating in the inquiry process, with its advocacy component, might lead middle schoolers toward more participatory or justice-oriented views of citizenship.
Participants were 68 first-time camp attendees entering grades 5-9. Primary data sources included surveys administered online the first and final days of camp. Secondary data sources included individual comments written (1) on completed inquiry projects, and (2) during structured reflection exercises. Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed using Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004b) typology of citizenship. Survey responses for scaled questions are being analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Findings show most campers began and ended camp with personally responsible notions of citizenship; descriptions of “good citizens” included volunteering, helping others, and working with others for the good of the community. However, some campers were beginning to lean toward participatory and even justice-oriented understandings. Comments on the post-survey, for example, revealed campers noting that good citizens will “stay informed,” “state your opinion,” “look out for people,” and “show leadership.” Data are being analyzed to answer the second research question, about how students’ beliefs about themselves as citizens may have been influenced by taking part in camp.
Castro and Knowles noted that “democratic citizenship education champions the citizen as an instrument for improving society and making the world a better place to live” (2017, p. 306). Here, youth had opportunities to become instruments of their local communities and propose rational solutions to real issues through the inquiry process. Our findings offer insights about benefits and challenges associated with teaching democratic citizenship through inquiry, such as the need for explicit instruction to help students recognize connections between citizenship and advocacy.

Authors

• Michelle Bauml, Texas Christian University

• Karon Nicol LeCompte, Baylor University

• Brooke Blevins, Baylor University

• Nate Scholten, Baylor University

• Tori Davis, Baylor University

• Nate Scholten, Baylor University

• Tori Davis, Baylor University