Engaging Engagement: Framing the Civic Education Movement In Higher Education

Woolard, Chad

doi:10.30707/etd2014.woolard.c

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…By far the great majority of research conducted on the field of democracy initiatives on college and university campuses has been conducted by individuals, centers, and foundations directly responsible for such initiatives (see, e.g., Carcasson, 2008, 2010; Levine, 2010; Mathews, 2009). Higher education democracy initiatives already embrace both evaluative research on their own activities and critical dialogue on the promises and outcomes of democracy initiatives as part of their missions (Boyte, 2015; Dostilio, 2017; Welch, 2016; Woolard, 2017). The cottage industry of research publications on higher education democracy initiatives, subsidized by national associations and largely consumed by those within the field, is an aspect of their development that is worthy of study in its own right.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Is Community Engagement For?: The Endless Loop of Democratic Transparency

Lee

2020

American Behavioral Scientist

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This article approaches college and university community engagement as a publicity practice responding to complex pressures in the U.S. higher education field. Democracy initiatives in American academia encompass a range of civic activities in communities near and far, but the forces driving their production are decidedly nonlocal and top-down. Good intentions are no longer enough for colleges and universities facing crises on a number of fronts. Today’s community collaborations must be intensive, reciprocal, deliberative, and appreciative. This mission of democratic transparency pursued by institutions involves extensive efforts to certify civic empowerment for public audiences and funders, trade and professional associations, state legislatures, and federal regulators. A promotional perspective on community engagement in higher education shifts attention from the authentic grassroots transformations that are its putative focus to the larger processes driving this activity and its outcomes: not least, the pursuit of legitimacy through increasingly elaborate self-assessment strategies. This endless loop—and its demands that engagement be ever more democratic and transparent, in its practice and in its evaluation—demonstrates not only the reach of promotional transparency, but its characteristic shape and reflexive organizational routines.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Is Community Engagement For?: The Endless Loop of Democratic Transparency

Lee

2020

American Behavioral Scientist

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“…Furthermore, students who participated in protests were more likely to demonstrate complex thinking about democracy and awareness of global problems. Civic engagement in higher education is an amorphous concept due to changing definitions over time and its inclusion of countless constructs (Jacoby, 2009;Woolard, 2017). Countryman (2012) specifically argues civic engagement should challenge students to contemplate the racial injustices in the United States, while Purce (2014) believes civic engagement is a broad habit that needs to develop within students through experiences interacting with the world around them.…”

Section: A Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…To see a variety of ideas about what it means to be civically engaged, look no further than the missions of higher education institutions, each espousing a unique way to cultivate civic engagement and citizenship. Ambiguity in defining civic education makes it difficult to create and promote experiences for students (Woolard, 2017). On the national front, both academic and student affairs organizations such as the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) advocate for civic engagement at colleges and universities.…”

Section: A Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Activists, Non-activists, and Allies: Civic Engagement and Student Types at MSIs

et al. 2018

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Higher education institutions across the country aim to contribute to students' ability to become active citizens. Civic engagement has long been an emphasis of higher education and has become a focal point from innovations such as the Carnegie Foundation's elective classification for community engagement and service-learning (Saltmarsh and Zlotkowski, 2011). Researchers have demonstrated that foundational values of democratic engagement including inclusiveness, relationships between students who engaged in cross-racial interactions, co-curricular activities and diversity experiences are related to higher levels of civic awareness and engagement (Bowman, 2011; Hurtado and DeAngelo, 2012). Furthermore, students who participated in protests were more likely to have complex thinking about democracy and awareness of global problems. Civic engagement is embedded in the history of minority student groups on college campuses, with their influence on increased access and resources, as well as their fight for more inclusive and productive campus environments (Abrego, 2008; Gasman et al., 2015; Borjian, 2018). Although civic engagement has been examined across various student groups, there is limited research on the impact of civic engagement at minority-serving institutions. This study uses a large-scale, cross-sectional approach to analyze college students' participation in civic engagement activities at 24 minority-serving institutions from 2013 to 2017 using data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Aspects of civic engagement examined include students' participation in events that address social or political issues, frequency of interactions with diverse others, participation in leadership and service-learning activities, and perceptions of their institution's contribution to their growth in areas such as becoming an informed and active citizen. Additionally, researchers explored students' ability to resolve conflicts that involve bias and prejudice and contribute to the well-being of their community; how frequently students inform themselves of state, national, or global issues; and how they may organize others around a common cause. The data led to the creation of three types of student activists. The results have implications for student affairs professionals, administrators, and faculty to redefine how students participate in civic engagement activities, to shape civic education experiences on their campus, and to help students learn how to find and use their voices.

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“…As organizations, SGAs help student access institutional entities while holding them accountable, serving as a platform for practical civic engagement. According to the criteria derived from Keeter et al (2002), and Woolard (2015), this engagement is indicated by SGA leaders' interactions with students regrading problems on campus, or conversations with administrators regarding organizational concerns, and even involvement in process of curating and executing an electoral campaign.…”

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confidence: 99%

Increasing Engagement With Student Government Associations: An Examination Of Student Publics

Patel¹

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Engaging Engagement: Framing the Civic Education Movement In Higher Education

Cited by 3 publications

References 49 publications

Who Is Community Engagement For?: The Endless Loop of Democratic Transparency

Who Is Community Engagement For?: The Endless Loop of Democratic Transparency

Activists, Non-activists, and Allies: Civic Engagement and Student Types at MSIs

Increasing Engagement With Student Government Associations: An Examination Of Student Publics

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