Promoting Democratic Engagement During College: Looking Beyond Service-Learning

Abstract

Preparing students to be engaged participants in our democratic society has long been an important college outcome. Over the past few decades, postsecondary institutions have primarily attempted to improve civic outcomes by integrating service activities into their curricula. While research on the effects of service learning are plentiful, research on how other educationally beneficial activities influences democratic outcomes is scarce. In this study, we find that service learning may not be the only means for promoting democratic outcomes because other high impact practices, most prominently learning communities, had greater or equivalent relationship to two dimensions of democratic engagement. Preparing students to be engaged participants in our democratic society has long been an important college outcome (Boyte & Hollander, 1999; Ehrlich, 2000; The National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, 2012). Some of our nation's founding fathers, such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, asserted that educated citizens were necessary for our democracy to flourish, and Franklin and Jefferson founded the Universities of Pennsylvania and Virginia to provide such education. Similar beliefs were a rationale behind the Morrill Act of 1862, which created land grant colleges. More recently, the President's National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (2012) stated, "As a democracy, the United States depends on a knowledgeable, public spirited, and engaged population. Education

Muévete conmigo, un proyecto de aprendizaje servicio en el contexto de la educación física, la actividad física y el deporte

“…Las principales razones por las que se realizan estas actividades es por la accesibilidad para poder desarrollar la actividad, ya que no se necesita un material demasiado específico para su uso (González-Calvo et al, 2018). En este sentido, es imprescindible que el ApS se constituya bajo parámetros viables y no demasiado exigentes de participación, lo que permite que sea perdurable en el tiempo y genere un verdadero impacto a nivel social (Howe & Fosnacht, 2017).…”

Formación para la ciudadanía deliberativa, debates en la educación superior y las experiencias de estudiantes chilenos

“…Asimismo, algunos estudios han analizado las actividades a través de las cuales los estudiantes tienden a desarrollar una mayor participación ciudadana. Se ha puesto una atención específica sobre las iniciativas de voluntariado y de servicio acción (Howe & Fosnacht, 2017;Li & Frieze, 2016) y en la importancia de que las universidades, respetando la diversidad cultural de los estudiantes, pongan a su disposición los recursos y los espacios para que aumenten su compromiso ciudadano (Bowman, 2011). Sin embargo, en ello también influyen las comprensiones acerca formación para la ciudadanía deliberativa de la ciudadanía y de la democracia presentes en las políticas sobre educación superior y que han incidido en cómo los estudiantes se desenvuelven como actores políticos en sus universidades, más desde una perspectiva individualista que comunitaria (Abrahams & Brooks, 2019).…”

Personality Dimensions and Importance of the Social Role of the University Student in Explaining Student Involvement in Student Organization

“…Of these, the Five-Factor Personality Model is best known. The series of research in the field of political science has resulted in data indicating that all five personality dimensions have a certain connection with certain aspects of political behavior, and student involvement in student organization can be assumed as a behavior needed for civic democratic society engagement (Howe and Fosnacht, 2017). Student involvement in student organizations is considered as a direct representation of their likely involvement outside of school/college/university later in life.…”