title: Action Civics for Promoting Civic Development: Main Effects of Program Participation and Differences by Project Characteristics.
abstract: Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study examined the effect of participating in an action civics intervention, Generation Citizen (GC), on civic commitment, civic self-efficacy, and two forms of civic knowledge. The sample consisted of 617 middle and high schools students in 55 classrooms who participated, or were soon to participate, in Generation Citizen. Hierarchical linear models revealed that participating in Generation Citizen was associated with positive gains in action civics knowledge and civic self-efficacy. Qualitative coding identified three types of project characteristics that captured variability in the action projects student chose to complete: context, content, and contact with decision makers. Interactions between project characteristics and participation in GC revealed differences in civic outcomes depending on project characteristics.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.|University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Parissa J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ballard
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.|Generation Citizen, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Alison K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: TNTP, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Littenberg-Tobias
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006076:Government; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011057:Politics; D011593:Psychology, Social / Q000193:education*; D011641:Public Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States
keywords: Action civics; Civic education; Civic engagement; Schools; Youth