A Qualitative Analysis of How College Experience Increases Civic Engagement

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Abstract

There is limited research that seeks to explain how higher education increases civic engagement. Evidence suggests that there is something distinctive about the college environment that encourages students to participate in civic and political activities at a higher than average rate. This research attempts to assess how exposure to the college environment shapes civic behavior. Through classroom observations and interviews with college students and dropouts, I evaluate the extent to which the teaching and social networks at four colleges/universities in Indiana (USA) effectively expose students to the types of knowledge and experience that are known to increase civic engagement. I find that (1) social networks seem to exert a stronger influence on the likelihood of civic engagement than exposure to collegiate teaching and that (2) various types of college institutions are well equipped to bolster civic engagement amongst their students regardless of whether they graduate or not.

Author

• Maryann Kwakwa, Georgetown University