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The relationship between civic literacy and civic engagement : a study of the perspectives of voting age persons / Mark M. Spradley.
- Format:
- Book
- Thesis/Dissertation
- Author/Creator:
- Spradley, Mark M., author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Education.
- College students.
- American history.
- Democracy.
- Citizenship education.
- Politics.
- Educational sociology.
- Chief learning officer--Penn dissertations.
- Penn dissertations--Chief learning officer.
- Local Subjects:
- Education.
- College students.
- American history.
- Democracy.
- Citizenship education.
- Politics.
- Educational sociology.
- Chief learning officer--Penn dissertations.
- Penn dissertations--Chief learning officer.
- Genre:
- Academic theses.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (170 pages)
- Contained In:
- Dissertations Abstracts International 83-03A.
- Place of Publication:
- [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] : University of Pennsylvania ; Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2021.
- Language Note:
- English
- System Details:
- Mode of access: World Wide Web.
- text file
- Summary:
- This research study examines voting-aged persons' perceptions of their civic literacy, civic engagement, and the relationships that exist between civic literacy and civic engagement. To date, scant research has examined the possible relationship between civic literacy and civic engagement and how they may influence each other. Given the importance of civic literacy and civic engagement in the functioning of our democracy, understanding the ways these two aspects of civic life may influence each other seems crucial. In the literature, civic literacy cuts across many disciplines and is seen as benefitting all sectors of society and work. In discussions of civic engagement, scholars have continued to debate what influences participation. Yet only a few researchers have examined the ways in which civic literacy influences civic engagement, with very little research on how these aspects of civic life interact. Few qualitative studies have examined how voters view the ways in which their civic literacy influences their civic engagement and vice-versa. To enhance our understanding in these areas, thirty registered voters representative of Montgomery County, Maryland took pre-interview surveys of their civic literacy and civic engagement, and participated in a qualitative interview. The sample consisted of a diverse group of men and women, naturalized and birthright citizens, holders of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, Caucasian, Latino/Latina, African American/Black, and participants of one or more races. The results of the pre-interview surveys of civic literacy and civic engagement are reported and the interviews analyzed using thematic analysis. The study finds that participants performed relatively poorly on the civic literacy questions, despite the fact that many of them believed civic literacy was important. During the interviews, research participants also discussed a broad spectrum of civic engagement including: electoral participation, political action, volunteering, and consumer boycotts. Additionally, participants discussed their values, attitudes, and beliefs and how these influence their civic engagement. For example, participants discussed how their support for the Black Lives Matter movement was based on their beliefs. Other participants discussed how their attitudes influenced their support for the #MeToo movement. In another example, values inspired participants to volunteer. Furthermore, participants perceived that a relationship exists between civic literacy and civic engagement and that it is bi-directional. Keywords: civic literacy, civic engagement, voting-aged persons, political participation, volunteering.
- Notes:
- Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 83-03, Section: A.
- Advisors: Kaminstein, Dana; Committee members: Sokoloff, Harris; Power, Joshua R.
- Department: Chief Learning Officer.
- Ed.D. University of Pennsylvania 2021.
- Local Notes:
- School code: 0175
- ISBN:
- 9798538110803
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license.
- This item must not be sold to any third party vendors.
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