Preparing College Students for Active Citizenship Through the Use of Action Projects

Authors

  • Milton A. Fuentes Montclair State University Author
  • Ruby Yedloutschnig Montclair State University Author

Abstract

Research indicates that young adults are politically disengaged. To help college students recognize that they do have influence as citizens and are capable of effecting change, 46 students in two sections of the course Children's Rights and Child Advocacy were asked to engage in an action that supported or challenged policies, practices, or messages directly involving the welfare of children. The students were then asked to reflect on their action projects and to complete the sentence "I learned that __________." Qualitative analyses of the students' responses yielded four themes: Taking action can be powerful; taking action can be easy; people can make a difference by taking action; and people can learn new information by taking action. These findings suggest that action projects are an effective teaching strategy that prepare college students for active citizenship.

Published

2024-03-22