Students and Citizens: The Effects of Civic Education on Students and their Communities
Item
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Title
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Students and Citizens: The Effects of Civic Education on Students and their Communities
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Creator
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Walter Du Ruz Bender
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Degree Name
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Master of Arts in Teaching (initial licensure)
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Project Type
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Action Research Project
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Date
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6/15/2025
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Abstract
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The objective of this research project was to explore the effects that a focus on civic education had on students in a 9th grade high school classroom. Can civic education concepts benefit students who are not in a dedicated civics class? How can education prepare students to be active, engaged citizens? For the purpose of this project, I modified my lesson plans and assignment designs to include civic content and give students opportunities to connect historical issues to present-day problems in their communities. I interviewed students about their experiences during the project and tracked data about student grades and engagement. The data and interviews showed that students had positive outcomes as a result of civic education focused lessons. Many students spoke extensively about their interest in the subject, and most students had large improvements in grades and work completion. However, many students also expressed concern about the content becoming “too political,” which points to increasing political polarization among young people. My interpretation is that civic education-focused lessons have a definite positive effect for students and in fact are critically important to ensure that students can become engaged citizens.
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Keywords
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Education
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Civics
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Citizenship
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Committee Member
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Amy Bowden
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Ken Carano
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Rights
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Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/20/2025, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.
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https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en
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License
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CC-BY (attribution)
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Language
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eng
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Type
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Text
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Identifier
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WalterBender_ARP_2025
