The Affect of American Government on Civic Literacy & Engagement

• In Event: TLC at APSA: Civic Engagement Track Panel 2: Assessing the Immediate and Lasting Impacts of Civic Engagement Education

Abstract

Having conducted a pretest/posttest assessment of American Government courses for almost a decade, Gooch and I are able to show the statistically significant impact American Government has on average civic literacy. Requiring the American Government class in institutions of higher education does matter and does seem to have some staying power.
Unfortunately, we are also able to show that the American Government course by itself does not have a statistically significant impact on civic engagement of students. If anything, in some areas the American Government course may have a negative impact on civic engagement, although the impact is minimal and not statistically significant.
We argue such knowledge is essential to share with state legislatures and institutions of higher education to promote more formal civic instruction for democratic citizen development. It is also essential to validating our discipline's value in an age when such liberal arts programs are under attack. Political science does offer a unique value other disciplines cannot so clearly meet when it comes to citizenship development.

Authors

• Michael T. Rogers, Arkansas Tech University

• Donald M. Gooch, Stephen F. Austin State University