Determining the Impact of Informal and Formal Civic Learning Opportunities on Post–High School Civic Engagement

• In Event: Youth Power, Politics, and Activism in Democratic Citizenship Education

Abstract

Compounding inequities in civic education have widened the civic opportunity gap and increased the civic debt owed to historically marginalized communities. More recently, the role of schools in fostering lifelong civic engagement has been highlighted amidst increasing political polarization, nationalistic curricula, and educational inequities. Consequently, schools are faced with how to best address these disparities through civic curriculum and pedagogical choices. Using data from the Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge of Youth Post-Election 2012 survey in a logit regression model, we examine how and to what extent formal and informal K12 civic learning opportunities impact post-high school civic engagement. Findings suggest informal learning experiences, including interactions with diverse peer groups, are most impactful in post-high school civic engagement.

Authors

• Tara Lynn Bartlett, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Margarita Pivovarova, Arizona State University