Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Senior Thesis

Degree

Bachelor of Arts

Primary Major

Political Science

Second Major

History

Primary Minor

Philosophy and Religion

Second Minor

Visual Studies

Thesis Advisor

Alison Howard, MA

Abstract

Research on political socialization has shown that individuals’ families and education play a significant role in their later political actions and attitudes, but more needs to be understood on how large the role of education is and, specifically, what impact secondary education has on people’s political socialization. Literature suggests that educational standards that require more civics or social science courses are more effective in creating civically engaged individuals, and curriculums that employ service learning and experiential learning techniques are even more effective at increasing civic engagement, but to what extent does a person's perception of their educational experience factor into their adult civic engagement? This thesis examines how young adults perceive the impact of their high school social science and civics curriculum on their adult civic engagement. Specifically, this thesis asks to what extent do young adults view their secondary education as being the primary impact on their civic engagement? This study uses a survey of young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 that asks questions about their civic education and civic experiences in high school and post-high school to understand what they perceive to have had the largest impact on their engagement now that they are adults. There are two hypotheses for this thesis: H1: People who had a civically involved high school experience will participate in more civic activities after high school and H2: People who had civically involved high school experiences will identify education as being the main influence on their later civic engagement. This study supported both hypotheses. It found that people who had a civically involved high school experience, either through extra classes or civic activities, were more likely to participate in a higher number of civic activities as young adults than people who did not have a civically involved high school experience. It also found that those who had more civically involved high school experiences named education as the main influence. The role secondary education plays in political socialization is crucial to understand as states continue to adapt standards and curriculums to promote civic engagement to further energize our democracy in America.

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