Youth Civic Engagement: Sociopolitical Development in Schools with Lessons from and for Multicultural Education.

Abstract

This dissertation employed multiple methodologies in two separate but related studies to examine the role of schools in developing youth’s sociopolitical development. The first study examined whether the relationship between racism awareness and civic engagement varied by level of school-based youth agency, perceptions of school racial climate, and perceptions of student voice climate. This study used cross-sectional methodology that included a sample of 140 suburban high school students (13–19 years old) from diverse racial backgrounds. Results showed that students who were more aware of racism, who felt greater sense of agency in school-related scenarios, and that perceived more positive school racial climate were more likely to report higher scores on civic accountability. Students who felt greater sense of agency in school-related scenarios, had parents with higher education levels, and were in higher-grade levels were more likely to report higher scores on expectations for civic engagement.

The second study used a mixed-method design to explore the role of intergroup dialogues in promoting students’ sociopolitical learning. First, I examined the effects of a high school intergroup dialogue course on students’ sociopolitical development (i.e., racism awareness and civic engagement) using a quasi-experimental design. The second phase of the study included qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews from three key informants involved in the facilitation of the high school dialogue course. Interview data explored the process of facilitating dialogues and sociopolitical learning in secondary education. Quantitative analysis did not find any significant effects of the course on students’ racism awareness or civic engagement. However, qualitative data suggests that the course provided opportunities for learning that raised students’ awareness of local intergroup dynamics across multiple social identities. Interviews with intergroup dialogue educators also identified factors that assisted and hindered the implementation of the high school dialogue course. Implications for intergroup dialogue pedagogy in secondary education and social work practice are discussed. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of the role of schools in promoting adolescents’ sociopolitical competencies through an empowering school culture.