Notions of Good Citizenship and Civic Engagement of Immigrant Students: Implications for Social Studies Education

• In Event: Rethinking Civic Engagement and Education: Identities, Controversies, and Critical Citizenship

Abstract

This qualitative case study explores the civic engagement of immigrant students and their ideas about good citizenship through semi-structured interviews with Korean immigrants in the United States. Findings reveal that all participants agreed on the ideas of justice-oriented citizenship and participatory citizenship as key elements of being good citizens, and they distinguished between the characteristics of a good person and those of a good citizen. There was a disparity between participants’ ideas on good citizenship and their actual civic engagement, and the gap was influenced differently by their legal citizenship status. This study highlights how social studies educators help immigrant youth maintain and practice their participatory and social justice-oriented citizenship ideals.

Author

• Sunun Park, Cheongju National University of Education