Longitudinal Analysis of Civic Engagement Education

• In Event: We Can Do Hard Things: Challenges and Opportunities in PSCI Education

Abstract

Recent events have highlighted the lack of knowledge about government, its policies, and its processes and some citizens’ unwillingness to engage in peaceful, respectful democratic deliberation to work through differences and create policy to solve our common problems. Many Americans also have a thin understanding of our global-local connections, assuming that some form of isolationism is still feasible in a 21st century world (Acemoglu & Robinson 2019; Foa et al 2019). Meanwhile, most colleges do not have sufficient civic engagement education options in students’ majors (Matto et al 2017; AAC&U 2012; Matto et al 2021). Faculty training programs have begun to address these gaps (Surak et al 2017), and curricular and co-curricular options are increasing (Strachan& Bennion, 2017). Yet longitudinal research on the success of civic engagement education in achieving goals of developing lifelong, active citizens is sparse, with preliminary research just beginning (Classen and Monson 2015; Battistoni 2019; Harringer et al 2019).
This study seeks to evaluate one university’s civic engagement program to see if longitudinal quantitative and qualitative data demonstrate any significant correlation between two civic engagement courses and lifelong civic engagement of alumni. After sending the IRB-approved survey to all alumni whom we can find contact data for (potentially 220, via email), we are following-up with 75-100 to schedule online focus groups (online given their geographic range), a necessary method to accompany surveys for high-level publishing in this research area. (Bernstein 2021). The paper will include a brief description of the two courses and the associated civic engagement community program followed by presentation and evaluation of written survey data and focus group interviews. It is hoped that these data can reveal how and where these two civic engagement courses and the associated program are and are not achieving their long-term civic engagement goals and provide lessons for constructing and evaluating similar programs.

Authors

• Alison Rios Millett McCartney, Towson University

• Michele Calderon, University of Maryland Baltimore County

• Madeleine Meyer, Towson University

• Connor Cameron, Towson University

• Alexia Fitz, Towson University