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This study examines the relationship of civic education to the acquisition of political knowledge. Specifically, this research examines the influence of civic education on knowledge levels generally as well as the effectiveness of particular types of curriculum approaches and activities. Using data from an original national probability survey and a survey of alumni of the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program, the study finds that civic education is positively related to political knowledge. Lecture and textbook approaches to civic education are associated with higher levels of factual knowledge about political institutions and processes. Innovative curriculum approaches, such as the use of current events, classroom activities, and community activities, can be effective in conveying political knowledge when they are not the dominant basis for the learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the relationship between the development of a sense of civic duty and participation in extracurricular activities and civic education. The study shows that civic education's greater exposure and innovative teaching methods correspond higher levels of voting responsibility and civic duty. It reveals that participation in service extracurricular and political activities is also associated with a general sense of voting responsibility and civic duty.

What does the 2008 U.S. presidential election tell us about the emerging political cohort? Data collected over time demonstrate a clear life-cycle effect, whereby younger voters, especially those who are less well-educated, participate at lower rates than do voters at later life stages (Dalton 2008, Jennings and Stoker 2008). In this paper we will look at the data that are available from the 2008 election from exit polls that are largely presented by CIRCLE, PEW and ANES data are due to be released in March 2009, Census data in the spring as well). We will also present data on 400 alumni from a high school civics program, We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. These data are interesting because we ask open-ended questions to typical American National Election Study (ANES) questions by asking respondents, for instance, why did you vote, or did political contacting by a party or candidate influence your decision to vote or who to vote for? Alumni conceive of voting as integral to good citizenship. They use websites to stay well-informed, and are able to distinguish between the two parties by noting different policy and ideological stances. They express more patience with the give and take of compromise essential to representative democracy. Data presented here then will draw from nationally representative samples of youth (now characterized as voters under 30), as well as a survey of nearly 400 We the People alumni. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that focuses on the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The authors gathered data from exit polls presented by CIRCLE and PEW. They also offered information on We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, a high school civics program. The authors also gathered data from nationally representative samples of youth as well as a survey of nearly 400 We the People alumni. The respondents were asked on why did they vote or the influence of political contacting by a party on one's decision to vote.

In this paper, we will explore voter turnout and political engagement by younger political cohorts in the 2008 presidential elections. After presenting data from representative studies, we will turn to a group of youth who took part in a rigorous civic education high school program, We the People; the Citizen and the Constitution. Following the November elections, we will survey a sample of over 6,000 youth who have joined the We the People alumni network. We will use items from the American National Election studies, but also delve deeper through open-ended responses. We will present comparative data on alumni turnout and political participation, but also ask alumni about their why they voted, how much attention they paid to politics, and let them explain how they conceived of their civic duty. If youth were contacted by politicians, did it make them want to vote? Did they feel their votes made a difference? ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the content of 12 top candidates' speeches, websites and debates to obtain their positions on 30 topical issues, on “non-issues” (campaign finance reform, regulating corporations, poverty, for instance), and candidates’ framing of issues. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia, the most populous Islamic nation, is struggling to democratize. Part of this effort relies upon civics courses that attempt to impart democratic skills, as a supplement to Pancasila, the state ideology impressed upon students at every grade level of education. One-third of Indonesians are under fifteen years of age. They face challenges posed by corruption and poverty. They are also entering into a political environment where attitudes toward the United States are largely unfavorable, and one where many political parties, including Islamic parties, are actively recruiting voters. I explore a new civics curriculum in instruction as a means to foster commitment to democratic principles and behaviors considered important for democratic stability. The data analyzed here are based on a study I conducted on 1,500 adolescents in six diverse provinces in 2002-03. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors for important measures of political engagement on a range of participatory skills and political attitudes in an emerging democracy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, among seventh- and eighth-grade students, half of whom had participated in a civic education program. A sample of over 1,400 students from four cantons were surveyed on measures of political skills, participation and attitudes. Drawing from theory and research, I developed hypotheses for predictors of these scales and analyzed the data using hierarchical linear modeling. In this sample, comprised primarily of Catholic and Muslim youth, civic education and active teaching proved significant predictors for nearly all scales measuring political skills and attitudes conducive to participatory democratic citizenship. Gender was also a significant predictor across most scales, which indicated that girls were less skilled and felt less efficacious than boys. Students belonging to minority ethnic groups within classrooms scored lower across some measures, as did those coming from less privileged backgrounds. Significant interaction effects revealed that Bosnian Croats made greater gains in some instances than Bosniac students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that this gender gap appears early in the life cycle, as early as adolescence. I will use data from transitioning democracies to examine gender differences among adolescents' political attitudes, interest and engagement. I will exp ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]