“I Don’t Remember One Thing About Civics”: Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Ideas About Civic Learning

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Beliefs, Practices, and Preparation for Civic Learning (Table 8)

Abstract

It is the responsibility of the American public school system to provide a robust civic education for all—because the success of the United States as a healthy global democracy depends on it. However, civics coursework is not universal in K-12 or higher education; and civic education is funded at 5 cents per student versus $50 for STEM disciplines. In this study, we examined elementary pre-service teachers’ perspectives on information and media literacy, civic learning, and engagement. We designed an intervention within a higher education pre-service teacher education course and applied a mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis, to examine if pre-service teachers’ learning experiences in their methods course shifted attitudes toward their future practice as teachers.

Authors

• Daniela Kruel DiGiacomo, University of Kentucky

• Laura H. Darolia, University of Kentucky

• Carly Muetterties, Common Good

• Stephanie Mobley, Civic Lex