“Like a Competitiveness”: Teachers Encountering Obstacles While Developing Students’ Civic Engagement (Poster 43)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 9:35 am
  In Poster Session: Democratic Citizenship in Education: Varying Topics

Abstract

To raise students’ civic engagement, scholars have advocated for inquiry-based learning practices, but many practitioners find the methods challenging to utilize. Situated with rural and Indigenous school settings, this paper draws from a multiple case study, featuring four educators’ perspectives as they reflect over how their own beliefs, the school environment, and the local community affect their teaching. Findings revealed the following major tensions: (1) limitations in time and resources within the school and district, and (2) potential backlash from local community members based on students’ choice of civic action. This research is part of the Citizenship - Water Quality Curriculum Project, which organizes curriculum development efforts and increases teachers’ ability to develop students’ civic engagement and awareness of environmental concerns.

Author

• Taylor Scott Hamblin, University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse