Authenticity in the High School Classroom and the Development of Civic Efficacy

• In Event: Perspectives on the Role of Authenticity in Project-Based and Active Learning Humanities Classrooms

Abstract

1. Objectives
This study is a preliminary investigation of the impacts of an active learning framework and authentic learning experiences on civic efficacy development among high school students. We hypothesized that the framework and active and authentic learning experiences would promote civic efficacy.
2. Theoretical framework
The power of active learning pedagogy is fully realized when students connect their learning with what matters to them and the world outside the classroom. By engaging rigorously and creatively with disciplinary content, processes, and ways of thinking, learners construct identities as actors within the discipline. Identity development is especially important in the context of civics education, which must equip young people with the skills and motivation they need to influence their communities. This study tested the effects of a reflection-action framework and related learning experiences on the development of civic efficacy, the belief that one is able to influence civic life.
3. Methods
To evaluate the effects of the reflection-action framework and learning experiences on civic development, a pre-post quasi-experimental mixed methods design was used. At the start of the semester (Time 1), students were asked to complete a survey addressing key civic attitudes and dispositions. At the end of the semester (Time 2), students completed the same battery of Time 1 measures in addition to a brief measure of learning experiences. Classroom observations and teacher interviews were conducted to contextualize and supplement the survey.
The treatment group included 4 teachers who had completed PD and intended to use the framework in some form during the study semester. The comparison group included 3 teachers (one teaching two classes) interested in the framework but who would not use it during the study. Students in participating teachers’ classes were invited to participate in the study.
4. Data
Time 1 and Time 2 surveys were obtained from 85 students across eight classes. The measures discussed here included Citizenship Self Efficacy (CSE; Schulz et al., 2010), Internal Efficacy (IE; Schulz et al.), and a 9-item measure of learning experiences. The CSE measure addresses confidence in specific civic skills, such as public speaking and standing for election, while the IE measure assesses more abstract feelings of civic competence. The self-report measure of learning experiences using Likert-style scales was based on research showing that good pedagogy is disciplinary, authentic, iterative, and collaborative (Grossman et al., 2019). A factor analysis yielded two coherent factors, one related to Student Agency and the other to Higher Order Thinking. Responses to items associated with these factors were averaged to yield separate scores for each factor.
5. Results
Mixed models clustering students within classes were used to test hypotheses. Although there was no discernible effect of the framework, Student Agency predicted growth in civic efficacy across both measures. The positive effect of Higher Order Thinking was limited to the measure of IE.
6. Significance
These findings point to the critical role of authentic active learning in civics education and highlight the value of efficient self-report measures of learning experiences for understanding student development.

Authors

• David Kidd, Harvard University Graduate School of Education

• Chaebong Nam, Harvard University