Article

Civic Responsibility and Higher Education

Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.

... This format of experimental learning is getting important in college's education. Moreover, Ehrlich (2000) indicates that civic engagement can make a difference in civic life and encourage developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference in communities. Previous studies have shown a substantial body of higher education literature and indicate that college students can learn civic values and commit to civic engagement through their curricular and co-curricular experiences (Bowman, 2011;Hurtado et al., 2012;Ro et al., 2022). ...
... Since civic engagement has been viewed as values, knowledge, skills, actions, efficacy, and commitment that could be assessed (Ehrlich, 2000;Hallman, 2016;Ro et al., 2022). Research and assessment instruments measuring civic learning and engagement can focus on one or more of these dimensions (Reason & Hemer, 2015). ...
... Since civic engagement has been viewed as values, knowledge, skills, actions, efficacy, and commitment (Ehrlich, 2000;Hallman, 2016;Ro et al., 2022), this study extended the original notion and confirmed it can be assessed with a causal structural model. This study answered the key questions in the introduction section. ...
Article
Full-text available
Plain Language Summary Measuring civic engagement in STEM programs This study intends to investigate college students’ civic engagement efficacy that might affect the entire sustainability of society in their later careers. We assumed students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs in higher education, typically viewed as science-oriented education, might neglect students’ civic engagement. To detect the issue in the specific field, we designed that civic engagement and its implementation were based on students’ self-efficacy measurement. The findings suggest the two dimensions of civic engagement in terms of civic engagement and implementation might impact students as active citizens and their involvement in local and global activities. While students’ time spent did have a significant influence on this model. This study provides an example to detect a specific student’s issue in STEM programs. The findings could bridge the knowledge gap between STEM education and civic engagement. There are several implications of this study, for researchers, this study found that the design of this study adopted the notion of self-efficacy can be used to investigate college students’ civic engagement progress. In this sense, the findings may provide helpful information for related policy makers. The related findings can enhance the benefits of implementing student’s civic engagement in specific programs. For institutional leaders, the findings may lead to in-depth discussions on the effects of civic engagement efficacy and the time spent on implementing efficacy. In STEM education, how to enhance students’ participation and reciprocal communication by way of extracurricular activities may give priority to institutional strategies.
... The US has seen the growth on campuses of centres devoted to community and public service ventures at colleges and universities across the nation, including land grant colleges. Some national higher education organisations such as the American Association for Higher Education (now defunct), the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Campus Compact have mounted major initiatives to harness and leverage up this work on behalf of the whole of higher education (Ehrlich, 2000;Sirianni and Friedland, 2001;Tonkin et al., 2004). The movement has been called in some circles, 'The Engaged Campus' movement. ...
... This movement sprang out of the critique of higher education levied by the Kellogg Commission in its 1999 report, Returning to Our Roots: The Engaged Institution. This movement looks at the issues of engagement from three levels within the institution: from the students' level, through faculty/ programmes and to institutional and community partnerships (Ehrlich, 2000;Sirianni and Friedland, 2001). Let us explore this model a bit further to see how it has been, and can continue to be, used to help enhance the learning experiences of marginalised students in higher education. ...
... How is that explained? Research shows that although young people have a very strong distrust of formal politics and politicians, they are inclined to volunteer to help their communities through service projects (Ehrlich, 2000). Others counter that the forms of engagement have simply changed for the current student generation or should be addressed as part of the call for civic renewal by all members of society -especially those members who have been historically marginalised and left out of the power process (Jones, 2008). ...
... Civic engagement encompasses a broad spectrum of behaviors, values, and skills aimed at making a positive impact on society (Ehrlich 2000). The definition of civic engagement spans from traditional political activities to social justice orientation, leadership skills, and intercultural understanding (AACU apud Bowen 2010: 1-2; Smith et al. 2017;Campbell D. E. 2006: 29-31). ...
... This implies a certain level of caution or self-awareness among students regarding their civic activities. It is a reflection that aligns with the perspectives described by (Ehrlich, 2000), which advocate for educational institutions to play a more substantial role in fostering not just civic actions, but a deeper sense of civic responsibility. Moreover, the frequency of discussions with professors about society or community issues, shows that only 7.4 % of students frequently engage in these conversations, whereas 44.7% never do. ...
Article
In contemporary society, the concept of civic engagement appears as an essential condition for the functioning of democracy and social well-being. Civic engagement transcends simple participation in the electoral process and encompasses a wider spectrum of activities: civic and community participation, activism, and public dialogue. Thus, cultivating civic engagement is a mission, duty, and responsibility for universities, particularly for social science programs. They derive from the need to form and shape not only professionals but also responsible and involved people from a civic and social point of view. However, the mechanisms by which higher education institutions can effectively cultivate such engagement among students remain a subject of debate and investigation. This study seeks to bridge this gap by exploring the strategies used by universities to promote civic awareness among students. Methodologically, this article proposes a study on one of the most important universities in the field of social, political, and administrative sciences in Romania. By analyzing the perceptions and experiences of students, the research provides new empirical data on how educational practices influencing civic and political engagement are evolving, or, conversely, reveals institutional shortcomings in fulfilling the mission of promoting civic engagement among students. In this sense, a standardized questionnaire was distributed to the students from the political science bachelor's degree program to analyze their perceptions and experiences regarding how the study programs and the teachers' activity incorporate the component of civic and political involvement. Data analysis highlights how and if higher education programs cultivate and shape student engagement through academic programs, extracurricular activities, or community partnerships.
... The first step in studying these factors is defining the terms I use. Drawing from Thomas Ehrlich (2000) I use a broad definition which encompasses both political and non-political engagement. Civic engagement is an activity in service of making "a difference in the civic life of our communities, and promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes" (Ehrlich 2000). ...
... Drawing from Thomas Ehrlich (2000) I use a broad definition which encompasses both political and non-political engagement. Civic engagement is an activity in service of making "a difference in the civic life of our communities, and promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes" (Ehrlich 2000). In this paper, civic engagement encapsulates any such activity from community service to political activism within organizational and collective settings. ...
Preprint
Full-text available
Civic engagement is essential to democracy, and adolescence is the time when many values and habits of engagement are formed. As such, this paper contributes to literature surrounding the effects of adolescent experiences and policy on long-term, adult civic engagement. Particularly, this paper seeks to develop a groundwork for a gap in the literature: the role of informal social factors in adolescence. Using nationally representative, longitudinal data, stepwise linear regression models are used to assess the effects of both sense of community and friendships in adolescence on long-term civic engagement. Interaction effects are additionally examined between these informal social factors, and formal factors, such as youth voluntary organization participation, which has been shown to interact positively with long-term civic engagement. Results demonstrate that both formal and informal factors have positive returns on long-term civic engagement. Additionally, results suggest that informal factors are most effective when combined with formal participation, and that a social commitment to civic engagement amongst peers is positively associated with long-term civic engagement. Further research is needed to confirm these relationships and better understand the exact mechanisms through which formal and informal factors operate and interact.
... Students join knowledge, skills, disposition, and efficacy to make a positive change in their community's quality of life through political and nonpolitical actions. (Ehrlich 2000) It can be groups or individuals working to address public issues. ...
Preprint
This paper summarizes the genesis and first deployment of an assessment of student civic knowledge, orientations, and skills at the beginning of their college experience as a way to improve civic engagement interventions and provide improved diagnostic data for student self-reflection and improvement. A survey was adapted and deployed to more than 600 students in a university orientation class in Fall 2024 to determine a baseline of civic knowledge, orientations, and skills. Future iterations of the assessment will provide a longitudinal measure of the value-add of civic interventions through a student's undergraduate experience.
... Civic responsibility extends beyond mere compliance with laws or participation in elections. It encompasses respecting the rights and opinions of others and engaging actively in the public life of a community in an informed, committed, and constructive manner, with an emphasis on the common good (Ehrlich 2000;Gottlieb and Robinson 2006). ...
Chapter
In response to the dynamic challenges of our world, the field of Applied Linguistics is experiencing significant shifts towards research that prioritizes praxis-oriented scholarly engagement, focusing on reflexive action to bring about transformative change. In line with these shifts, this chapter advocates for integrating Linguistic Landscapes (LLs) into education to develop competencies aligned with global citizenship, namely critical thinking and critical language awareness, intercultural competence, (global) civic responsibility and active participation. Drawing from recent and relevant literature on each of these concepts, evidence is presented from a European project on LLs in (modern) language education. This entailed analyzing empirical data from interviews and observations across five European contexts of primary and secondary education. The examples provided illustrate how pedagogical work around LLs in the language classroom can enhance the development of competencies deemed essential for global citizenship. Building on these findings, a framework for transformative change through LLs is proposed. This approach advocates for the integration of service learning to effectively bridge LLs as a pedagogical tool with global citizenship as an overarching educational goal.
... It equally strengthens one's citizenship as rightly pointed out by Weeks (1998). It can thus be summarized as Ehrlich (2000) that civic responsibility is "working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes." ...
Article
Full-text available
Often times, it appears that the task of national development or nation building has been viewed as the sole responsibility of leadership and what it offers a nation. It may not be out of place to state that it is only on few occasions have much attention been given to what followership or the citizens of a nation must not fail to do to enhance and promote nation building. Thus, in most countries of the world today especially in Africa, the common mantra has remained; "Leadership is the problem of Africa". In other words, people in this kind of localities always tend to hold the leaders responsible for the development or underdevelopment of their nation. It is a situation where everyone is on the lookout for what the government will do for him or her and while this mentality is maintained, little or no attention is given to what the citizen or individual has to and must do to contribute positively to nation building. This paper attempts an exegetical discourse on Luke 20:21-25 where an account is rendered on where Jesus Christ was confronted with the question on whether citizens should continue to pay tax to the governing system that exists then. And from his response, Christ authenticates the fact that civic responsibility is something one cannot shy away from irrespective of one's religious belief. Through an exegetical method of analysis and consultation of some well written related documents, the paper seeks to opine that despite what leadership has to offer to better a nation, a balanced national development cannot be achieved without the citizens carrying out their civic responsibilities as it remains a determining factor for the growth of a nation vis a vis nation building. It thus recommends that civic responsibility must be handled with all diligence by both the leaders and followers in a nation if there must be sustainable national development and growth.
... Desde entonces, los términos más comunes incluyen service-learning (conectando educación académica con servicio comunitario), community service, outreach, y volunteerism (servicio comunitario cocurricular). Civic engagement surgió a principios de los 2000, cuando los expertos extensionistas empezaron a cuestionar la efectividad de este campo para transformar el propósito social de las universidades y de la sociedad (Ehrlich, 2000;Peters, 2010;Saltmarch and Hartely, 2012;Jacoby, 2014). El término intentaba incluir todo lo relacionado con vinculaciones entre academia y comunidades externas. ...
Article
Full-text available
En este artículo se comparte un modelo de extensión universitaria basado en organización comunitaria creado en Estados Unidos. Este modelo considera cuatro prácticas fundamentales: reuniones uno–a–uno, formación de liderazgo colectivo, análisis de poder y reflexión crítica y rutinaria. A partir de los métodos de investigación narrativa y escritura colaborativa, se presenta un diálogo entre la creadora del modelo y dos profesionales de extensión universitaria en Chile en cuanto a similitudes y diferencias con prácticas y métodos de extensión en Chile. Los autores concluyen con sus reflexiones respecto de la importancia de diálogos a nivel internacional para formular estrategias que lleven a la continua mejoría del campo de extensión.
... California's community colleges play an essential role preparing the residents of California to become active participants in the state's democratic processes at all levelscommunity engagement, civic engagement, and leadership development in the workplace, communities, and local and state governance. Colleges' commitment to civic engagement is one of the core tenets for democracy to function (Colby et al., 2003;Ehrlich, 2000;Sullivan & Transue, 1999). When all faculty work together to fulfill their college's civic engagement A UNIFIED FACULTY MODEL mission, students will have equitable access to opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills, and life experience to hands-on (paid and course credit) work within their communities. ...
Article
Full-text available
he California Community Colleges (CCC) system plays a pivotal role as an engine for economic and social mobility in California and as a driver for the fifth largest economy in the world. In the past two decades, the CCC system has undergone significant “reform,” narrowing students’ educational opportunities and shrinking the student body by over one million students. During this period, the CCC system’s student outcomes have declined, stagnated, or only slightly improved despite decades of “reform” efforts. This paper illustrates that transitioning from a two-tiered to a nontiered—unified faculty—model will better serve the students, colleges, and state of California. The concept of a unified faculty emphasizes the elimination of the two employment tiers—part-time and full-time faculty—to create a nontiered structure. This model is based on faculty and collegewide unity as opposed to the current structure that has produced a divided faculty, inequitable service to students, and stagnant or diminishing student outcomes. Presently, the K-12 system and Vancouver model are structured around a unified, nontiered faculty model. It is time for the California Community Colleges to address the hypocrisy at the heart of its institutions: decades of disinvestment from the faculty and thus, students. Investing in a nontiered, unified faculty model will remedy the CCC system that is currently struggling to bring back the millions of students who have been pushed out of their colleges.
... Higher education plays a critical role in ensuring that students are prepared to lead lives as active, global citizens (36). Civic engagement exists on a continuum, and ranges from community-or politically oriented activities (37), which may occur at the individual level, or at public, collective level (e.g. helping a neighbor vs regular and intensive community service) (35). ...
Article
Full-text available
Despite the growing body of research suggesting certain pedagogical approaches that can support student well-being, higher education has not fully embraced these approaches and typically still does not view well-being as a high priority in comparison with other metrics such as retention or GPA. Here, we contend that universities must play an active role in supporting lifelong well-being in their student populations by expanding their definitions of student success and providing opportunities and programs that support elements related to well-being. We propose a student well-being nexus, which comprises a sense of belonging, agency, purpose, identity, civic engagement, and financial well-being. This article provides a perspective on the importance of each element to well-being and which pedagogical practices have been shown to support various dimensions of well-being in undergraduate education, such as service learning, undergraduate research, and mentoring. In addition, it showcases 6 exceptional initiatives from various universities that aim to support one or more of the student well-being nexus dimensions, which can serve as models for other universities. Finally, several guiding principles are outlined for higher education institutions to support the implementation of student well-being initiatives and transformational learning opportunities. These include assessment of initiatives, embedding initiatives into the curriculum, and avoidance of creating additional financial burdens for students. These efforts can promote well-being on college campuses and beyond graduation.
... Public archaeology projects that prioritize community desires and concerns are grounded in methodologies that value reflexivity, collaboration, multivocality, and community-driven research. This type of collaboration aims to encourage civic engagement, community building, and the creation of social capital-transformations that can increase the quality of life for those communities (Little, 2007:1;Ehrlich, 2000). As archaeologists become more engaged with communities' goals, desires, and values-indeed, as projects become community-based rather than community-placed (McDavid, 2010)-archaeologists themselves can become involved in creating positive change and addressing social issues within communities (Stottman, 2010;Westmont, 2022a,, b;Barton, 2021). ...
Article
Full-text available
The working classes have been overlooked as a population that could benefit from social-justice-oriented critical public archaeology approaches. The Anthracite Heritage Program sought to address this gap by targeting educational attainment among students in the historically working class, chronically underserved northeastern Pennsylvania region. Public archaeology initiatives to promote interest and knowledge about undergraduate education revealed that the archaeologists’ greatest contribution was our own (class-based) knowledge of the intricacies of university admissions, funding, and life in the United States. In this way, the project ended up serving underserved communities in the ways that they needed help the most: securing the knowledge to attain class mobility.
... Traditional forms of civic engagement include voting and participation in the electoral process, engaging in discussion and debate, participating in community affairs, volunteering, advocacy, and protesting. People who are civically engaged feel it is their responsibility to address the problems of the larger society and promote a positive quality of life in their communities (Ehrlich, 2000). An engaged citizen has the ability, agency, and opportunity to act through a variety of channels (Delli Carpini, 2000;Bowen, Gordon, and Chojnacki, 2017). ...
Preprint
Full-text available
The vast disparities in the availability and quality of civic education for students with disabilities (SWDs) denies them the preparation to become competent, responsible, and impactful citizens. This study examines the effectiveness of the Center for Civic Education’s James Madison Legacy Project Expansion, which provides teacher professional development and a curriculum intervention based on We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution adapted for SWDs, in producing positive civic outcomes for middle and high school students. The study employs a randomized controlled trial design that compares students in classes with high percentages of SWDs who received the adapted WTP curriculum to those who took a standard civics class. The findings indicated that SWDs can successfully navigate an adapted civic education curriculum and significantly increase their civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Students who received the WTP curriculum intervention had greater gains in all three domains than those in the control condition.
... Misinformation, according to the American Psychological Association (2023), is false or inaccurate information whereas disinformation is the intentional presentation of false information which is deliberately intended to mislead. This particular course is designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of the major components and principles of civic leadership and is built around Ehrlich's (2000) definition of civic engagement. That is to make a difference in the civic life of communities by developing a combination of knowledge, skills, values, and the motivation to make that difference and promoting the quality of life in communities through both political and nonpolitical processes. ...
Article
Purpose This paper highlights an assignment in a combination upper-division undergraduate and graduate civic leadership class at a Midwestern state comprehensive university. The three-part assignment challenges students’ critical thinking skills and research capabilities while simultaneously necessitating the exploration of contrasting viewpoints on contentious issues. Design/methodology/approach Intentionally exposing students to diverse perspectives in a controlled environment. Findings We posit that the severity and frequency of these issues can be mitigated through focused efforts. Originality/value Students are better prepared to engage in civil debate on controversial topics, which continuously divide our communities, after completing a class using this pedagogical strategy.
... Topics include human rights, democracy, sustainable development, fair opportunities, development cooperation, business ethics and intercultural learning. The central goal in community facilitation is empowering each other, understood as mutual support in the pursuit and realization of one's own ideas, interests and desires for a good life (Ehrlich, 2000;Nussbaum & Sen, 1993). The individual initiatives and teams are themselves social learning systems: they have a structure, consist of complex relationships, and are characterized by self-organization and the constant negotiation of identity and cultural meaning of joint activities. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
This chapter presents the learning philosophy and learning system of the World Citizen School. The project started in 2013 at the Weltethos Institute of the University of Tübingen (The Global Ethic Project goes back to Küng (1997). ‘Weltethos’ is the German name for Global Ethic after which the Weltethos Institute and the Weltethos Foundation, which Küng co-founded, are named). Early in the development process, the founder and author of this paper was particularly influenced by the concept of the so-called “twenty-first Century Skills”, the 4C skill set of collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity. Against this background, the ability to think and act procedurally (following the inquiry-based learning approach) receives special attention as an action-guiding process logic. This is practiced in particular with the didactic method which can be described as “dialogue around a common vision, mission, goals, and values, based on the concept of the ‘learning organization’”. With the latter, the primary focus of the learning philosophy moves to ethical competence development, for which the Weltethos Project and the Capability Approach serve as a reflective framework.
... Service learning is considered a high-impact educational practice that fosters "the student success, retention, skill, sensitivity, and commitment necessary for effective citizenship in a global world, engaging students in community-based problem solving and addressing social justice issues locally, nationally, and globally" (Strait, Turk, and Nordyke, 2015). Civic engagement means cultivating a community possessing knowledge, skill, and motivation to make an impact in the civic life of communities (Ehrlich, 2000). A community-engaged education, one that involves "active, collaborative, and student-directed learning, is a key to making higher education relevant to more students." ...
... Service learning is considered a high-impact educational practice that fosters "the student success, retention, skill, sensitivity, and commitment necessary for effective citizenship in a global world, engaging students in community-based problem solving and addressing social justice issues locally, nationally, and globally" (Strait, Turk, and Nordyke, 2015). Civic engagement means cultivating a community possessing knowledge, skill, and motivation to make an impact in the civic life of communities (Ehrlich, 2000). A community-engaged education, one that involves "active, collaborative, and student-directed learning, is a key to making higher education relevant to more students." ...
... Service learning is considered a high-impact educational practice that fosters "the student success, retention, skill, sensitivity, and commitment necessary for effective citizenship in a global world, engaging students in community-based problem solving and addressing social justice issues locally, nationally, and globally" (Strait, Turk, and Nordyke, 2015). Civic engagement means cultivating a community possessing knowledge, skill, and motivation to make an impact in the civic life of communities (Ehrlich, 2000). A community-engaged education, one that involves "active, collaborative, and student-directed learning, is a key to making higher education relevant to more students." ...
... Findings revealed that these media content has also inspired the respondents regarding their desired Civic Engagement (Table 08). (Ehrlich, 2000). For this study it was explored to what extent respondents highlighted social issues and their solution on New Media platforms. ...
Article
Full-text available
The rapid rise of New Media has enabled society to share information through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It has become a vital tool for information dissemination, leading to the emergence of a Media Literate. New Media has also evolved into a platform for sharing civic knowledge, addressing social issues, and engaging in civic activities, commonly known as "Civic Engagement." Young people, in particular, have been instrumental in leveraging platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram for Civic Engagement. For this, a survey of 450 university students in Punjab, Pakistan, was conducted. The results indicate that these students actively use New Media for various Civic Engagement activities, including fundraising, political involvement, advocacy campaigns, and social innovations. The empirical evidence suggests a strong correlation between increased use of New Media platforms for Civic Engagement by university students and a subsequent increase in Civic Engagement across society as a whole.
... Actualmente, existe una tendencia a fomentar una cultura participativa en la educación superior, dada la extensión del acceso a ella y la repercusión que en la formación de los ciudadanos tiene (cfr. Ehrlich, 2000;Hollander, Saltmarsch y Zlotkowski, 2001;Egerton, 2002;Pavlin, Dezelan y Svetlik, 2013). Esto adquiere revista española de pedagogía año LXXIII, nº 260, enero-abril 2015, 23-51 aun mayor relevancia cuando son los estudiantes universitarios quienes presentan el mayor interés por los temas políticos, en comparación con la población en general, así como una mayor disposición hacia la participación política que la de sus coetáneos no universitarios (Fundación BBVA, 2010 Como se desprende de la actividad acometida desde estos organismos, gran parte del trabajo que se realiza para promover el compromiso cívico en las universidades se enfoca hacia la implicación de los estudiantes a través de iniciativas curriculares, como por ejemplo el service-learning (Naval, García, Puig y Santos, 2011, 83). ...
... Actualmente, existe una tendencia a fomentar una cultura participativa en la educación superior, dada la extensión del acceso a ella y la repercusión que en la formación de los ciudadanos tiene (cfr. Ehrlich, 2000;Hollander, Saltmarsch y Zlotkowski, 2001;Egerton, 2002;Pavlin, Dezelan y Svetlik, 2013). Esto adquiere revista española de pedagogía año LXXIII, nº 260, enero-abril 2015, 23-51 aun mayor relevancia cuando son los estudiantes universitarios quienes presentan el mayor interés por los temas políticos, en comparación con la población en general, así como una mayor disposición hacia la participación política que la de sus coetáneos no universitarios (Fundación BBVA, 2010 Como se desprende de la actividad acometida desde estos organismos, gran parte del trabajo que se realiza para promover el compromiso cívico en las universidades se enfoca hacia la implicación de los estudiantes a través de iniciativas curriculares, como por ejemplo el service-learning (Naval, García, Puig y Santos, 2011, 83). ...
... California's community colleges play an essential role preparing the residents of California to become active participants in the state's democratic processes at all levelscommunity engagement, civic engagement, and leadership development in the workplace, communities, and local and state governance. Colleges' commitment to civic engagement is one of the core tenets for democracy to function (Colby et al., 2003;Ehrlich, 2000;Sullivan & Transue, 1999). When all faculty work together to fulfill their college's civic engagement A UNIFIED FACULTY MODEL mission, students will have equitable access to opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills, and life experience to hands-on (paid and course credit) work within their communities. ...
Preprint
The California Community Colleges (CCC) system plays a pivotal role as an engine for economic and social mobility in California and as a driver for the fifth largest economy in the world. In the past two decades, the CCC system has undergone significant “reform,” narrowing students’ educational opportunities and shrinking the student body by over one million students. During this period, the CCC system’s student outcomes have declined, stagnated, or only slightly improved despite decades of “reform” efforts. This paper illustrates that transitioning from a two-tiered to a nontiered—unified faculty—model will better serve the students, colleges, and state of California. The concept of a unified faculty emphasizes the elimination of the two employment tiers—part-time and full-time faculty—to create a nontiered structure. This model is based on faculty and collegewide unity as opposed to the current structure that has produced a divided faculty, inequitable service to students, and stagnant or diminishing student outcomes. Presently, the K-12 system and Vancouver model are structured around a unified, nontiered faculty model. It is time for the California Community Colleges to address the hypocrisy at the heart of its institutions: decades of disinvestment from the faculty and thus, students. Investing in a nontiered, unified faculty model will remedy the CCC system that is currently struggling to bring back the millions of students who have been pushed out of their colleges.
... This study explores the outcomes of SL for university students in the Dominican Republic. In the U.S. context-and in the fields of ISL and GSL-there are ample studies focused on the positive impacts of SL for university students (Ehrlich, 2000;Kiely, 2004;Tonkin, 2004), but there is much less from LAC. Although there is room for growth in this area, recent studies in the LAC context focused on the impact of SL on students point to various competencies gained and a positive effect on civic attitudes and skills (Bringle & Hatcher, 2010;Crabtree, 2008;Díaz et al., 2019;Furco, 2005;Tapia, 2010). ...
Article
This mixed-methods research charts the student impact, with special attention to the effects on civic attitudes and skills, of a service-learning (SL) project implemented as part of a noncredit-bearing course at a private university in the Dominican Republic. The context of the study is situated within an understanding of SL in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it serves to offer a counterpoint to studies that center on International Service Learning or Global Service Learning in the Dominican Republic given that these approaches traditionally focus on U.S.-based college students engaged in SL abroad. The main goal of the study is to evaluate changes in the civic attitudes and skills of the university students as well as to gain a better understanding of the impact of SL coursework for Dominican students engaged in a local SL project. The quantitative portion of the study included a pre- and postcourse survey (a Spanish translation of the Civic Attitudes and Skills Questionnaire). The qualitative element consisted of semistructured interviews with individual students.
... Reflection and reciprocity are key concepts of service learning" (p. 6). Other syllabi in the sample included definitions offered by various scholars (e.g., Boyer, 1996;Bringle & Hatcher, 1995Ehrlich, 2000;Eyler & Giles, 1999), higher education organizations (e.g., Association of American Colleges & Universities), and national service legislation and government programs (e.g., National and Community Service Act of 1990, National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993, Serve America Act of 2009). ...
Article
Seeking to advance knowledge and understanding of service-learning, this study analyzed how 270 syllabi from 193 four-year institutions that were recipients of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement communicated frameworks and expectations of service-learning courses. Findings revealed variance in how syllabi identified, defined, and discussed service-learning as well as differences in how syllabi communicated the work and expectations of service experiences tied to courses. Specifically, findings revealed that numerous terms and definitions invoked throughout syllabi are used to describe academic work linked to community-based experiences. Findings also revealed a lack of clarity within syllabi regarding community work (e.g., whether service was mandatory or optional, the time required in service, whether credit was awarded for service) as well as a lack of specifics on community partnerships. Through this survey of the field, syllabi were used to visualize service-learning practice, explore its contours, and raise pertinent questions that invite further examination about the field.
... Public libraries can use their influence to help their community identify misinformation and caution others against sharing it. By definition, civic engagement is the idea by which a set of knowledge, skills, values, motivation, and actions are developed to create change and make a better society (Singh, 2020;Coward et al., 2018;Ehrlich, 2000). This paper aims to introduce how public librarians create change in the community and their understanding of information crises and information disorders. ...
Article
Full-text available
Objective. Public libraries can be powerful advocates for civic engagement. They have a responsibility to rekindle civil society and educate and inform the public. Libraries must expand their role beyond physical and virtual space to promote civic practices in fighting fake news. Libraries can use their influence to help students and librarians identify misinformation and caution others against sharing it. This paper aims to introduce how librarians can activate their civic roles and define information disorders. Methods. Public librarians were interviewed using discourse analysis to identify the profession's information challenges and understand their civic roles. Results. Public librarians identified a variety of ways to perform their civic roles, and several constructs emerged in the definition of information disorders. Conclusions. This pilot study offers a glimpse into how public librarians interact with information and filter misinformation circulating on social media. Civic librarianship is evident, but librarians face professional challenges. Although this study focuses on public librarians, the authors believe that many aspects can be accustomed by all types of librarians.
... Political efficacy, or "the feeling that individual political action does have, or can have, an impact upon the political process, i.e., that it is worthwhile to perform one's civic duties" (Campbell et al., 1954, p. 187), is an important predictor of political engagement. Further, according to Ehrlich (2000), civic engagement is defined as working to make a difference in the civic life of communities through political and non-political processes, including volunteering and service. ...
Article
Full-text available
Our study of the nationally representative data of adult populations from the 2012/2014/2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) provides essential information on the roles of information processing skills (literacy skills) in the context of social, cultural, and political participation among Black women and men in the U.S. Specifically, our analysis documents associations between the literacy skills, civic engagement, and political efficacy of Black women in comparison to the general adult population and Black men.
... Participants also articulated they created supportive relationships, not only with adults but also with their peers (Arnold, 2019d). Therefore, we also conclude the CWF program provided participants an opportunity to practice civic skills -a key indicator of a quality program (Arnold, 2019d;Cambell et al., 2011;Ehrlich, 2000). For example, participants not only discussed building important skills but practicing those skills and using the knowledge gained during and after the program experience. ...
Article
In recent decades, numerous approaches have been used to promote the development of youth’s civic identity. Evidence of the success of these approaches, however, is insufficient. In response, this case study sought to document the outcomes of Louisiana 4-H members who participated in the Citizen Washington Focus (CWF) program. Through our analysis of the data, five themes emerged: (1) Positive Sparks, (2) Learning About Self and Others, (3) Youth-Adult Partnerships, (4) Program Engagement, and (5) Practicing Civic Skills. We interpreted findings through the lens of Arnold’s 4-H Thriving Model, which provided insight into how the 4-H members experienced civic identity development as a result of the CWF program. We concluded CWF served as a powerful way to assist youth in developing their civic identity. For example, participants discussed building skills and practicing such during the program, which improved their self-efficacy. The 4-H members also highlighted bill writing and civil discourse as skills they transferred into their lives after returning home. Going forward, implications and recommendations are offered for future research, theory, and practice.
... Civic engagement is a core element of a thriving democratic society. It is a complex construct that involves developing and applying civic knowledge and skills in order to effect positive change in one's community or society (Ehrlich, 2000). Participation in civic society can take on diverse forms, including voluntary work for or membership in community organizations; political activities such as voting, attending a protest, or engaging with politics through social media; and general problem solving alongside other citizens to work towards community improvement (Barrett & Brunton-Smith, Contact: Kaitlyn Battershill (battersk@mcmaster.ca) ...
Article
Full-text available
Civic engagement is a multi-faceted concept that is integral to the proper functioning of a democratic society. The present study investigates the effect that a wide range of individual-level demographic, educational, cognitive, and health-related predictors have on civic engagement and its facets, providing an overview of 34 countries around the world. The use of canonical correlation analysis allows us to quantify both the shared and unique contribution of the predictors to two facets of civic engagement, voluntary work and political efficacy. The common scale of the analysis provides an intuitive visualization of barriers and pathways to one's engagement in the community and society at large. We further ground our findings in country-level socio-demographic data, providing external validation to our method.
... However, despite increasingly embracing these terms, the nonprofit arts sector is still grappling with the ideas behind them, including engagement with audiences, communities, and civil society. For example, while there are political and social dimensions of both civic and community engagement (Adler & Goggin, 2005;Ehrlich, 2000), these terms tend to be used to refer to any activities that take place within arts and culture nonprofits even when some of them are not directly related to producing the arts. Furthermore, these terms have been used interchangeably without clear distinction from one to another, and the theoretical meaning and foundations underlying these terms remain underexplored in the arts and culture literature. ...
... Civic engagement aims to promote the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes. It also includes forms of political, environmental, and community activism (21). ...
Article
Full-text available
Objectives: To identify the validated and reliable indicators and tools to assess good governance for population health, wellbeing, and equity in urban settings, and assess processes of multisectoral action and civic engagement as reported by peer-reviewed articles. Methods: We conducted a systematic review searching six databases for observational studies reporting strategies of either urban health, multisectoral action or civic engagement for wellbeing, health, or equity. Results: Out of 8,154 studies initially identified we included 17. From the included studies, 14 presented information about high-income countries. The general population was the main target in most studies. Multisectoral action was the most frequently reported strategy (14 studies). Three studies used Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART). Health indicators were the most frequently represented (6 studies). Barriers and facilitators for the implementation of participatory health governance strategies were reported in 12 studies. Conclusion: Data on the implementation of participatory health governance strategies has been mainly reported in high-income countries. Updated and reliable data, measured repeatedly, is needed to closely monitor these processes and further develop indicators to assess their impact on population health, wellbeing, and equity.
... Attainment of a higher educational level was associated with higher levels of social contact with family, friends, and healthcare providers, along with more social participation prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults with higher educational degrees had larger increases in video calls and larger decreases in in-person visits with friends and family, as well as with healthcare providers, suggesting that older adults with higher educational degrees may be both less inclined to make in-person visits to adhere to social guidelines and more digitally literate [41,42]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Objective This study aimed to assess changes in social contact with family, friends and healthcare providers, as well as social participation in working, volunteering, religious services and other organized activities, among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic while examining the role of pre-COVID sociodemographic characteristics or cognitive and physical limitations in changes in social contact and participation. Methods We conducted secondary data analyses in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) COVID-19 questionnaire, collected in 2020 during a period of workplace closures and social distancing guidelines. We linked data to pre-COVID sociodemographic and medical information collected in 2019 before COVID interrupted social life. The frequency of participants’ social contact and social participation prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, were compared using paired t-tests for summed scores. Multivariate linear regression was used to relate participants’ socio-demographic, prior physical and cognitive performance with levels of social contact and participation and with changes reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results In total, results from 2,486 eligible participants revealed that COVID-19 was associated with decreased social contact among family and friends (change: -0.62; SE: 0.06; p<0.0001), and social participation among older adults (change: -0.58; SE: 0.02; p<0.0001). Pre-COVID characteristics including older age, lower educational attainment, poorer physical performance, and more chronic conditions were associated with lower social contact and social participation and with how older adults adapted their social lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion These results emphasize the importance of increasing digital inclusion for older adults in a major crisis.
... It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes". (Ehrlich, 2000). Civic involvement and engagement are the outcome of a good education and the practical side of the true meaning of citizenship that is crucial in social change and progress. ...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this study is to assess the experience of public speaking contest in Moroccan Preparatory Classes of Higher Engineering Schools (Classes Préparatoires aux Grandes Ecoles) ( CPGE).The participants of this study were CPGE teachers from different centers in Morocco . The study uses qualitative design . The contents of teachers’ interviews were analyzed qualitatively. The results of the study demonstrate clearly that the public speaking contest is crucial for CPGE students to enhance their speaking skills in professional contexts and everyday practices ; however, it is challenging for many students. The difficulties CPGE encounter in the public speaking contest are aligned to many factors . Firstly, they do not have the habit of speaking English publicly before an audience . Secondly , most students do not master the skills of public speaking. Thirdly, they are not involved in extra-curricular activities to sharpen their speaking skills. The study ended up by suggesting practical solutions to overcome such challenges.
... In our HCS course, students were given a civic engagement task requiring a minimum of two hours of volunteering and a written summary to synthesise goals of the organisation with the SDGs and four capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence. Civic engagement incorporates working to make a difference in the life of communities with the development of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference (Ehrlich, 2000). It means promoting the quality of life in a community through participation in both political and non-political processes; such activities are of personal and public concern, individually life enriching, and socially beneficial. ...
Article
Full-text available
To realise the entitlement to Learning for Sustainability (LfS), the authors advocate for a post-critical orientation in university-based teacher education of the ‘head, heart, and hands’ model of transformative learning as an organising principle. Integration of intellect, emotion, and body as the activation triad can encourage students and teachers towards transformative engagement. Educational policies of the Scottish government, the influence on teaching practices, and benefits to student learning experiences are explored through the context of COP26 and teacher education in Scotland. Implications are proposed to inspire change in higher education for educating for a sustainable future.
... It means promoting the quality of life in a community and solving public problems through both political and non-political processes. Civic engagement is undergirded by constructs of collective action and social responsibility (Ehrlich, 2000). ...
Book
Full-text available
LINK TO BOOK: https://pressbooks.nebraska.edu/developinghumanpotential/ This Online Educational Resource textbook is intended to provide an overview and introduction of leadership through the lens of how students can develop and maximize their own interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are crucial to navigating the professional world and can help us to better understand ourselves. This textbook approaches interpersonal skills from a personal level and allows the reader to immerse themselves into activities and scholarship across topical areas. Through the text, learners can create their own Personal Leadership Philosophy and expand this into a Civic Leadership Philosophy to help them understand the impact leaders can have on their communities and workplaces. This text is freely available per the terms of the Creative Commons copyright. Links to digital PDF and ePUB file formats are provided but may not maintain intended page breaks or formatting. About the Editors Contributors Foreword: History Foreword: About the Title I. Main Body Introduction 1. How I See Myself 2. Defining My Personal Values 3. Defining my Vision & Setting Personal Goals 4. Communicating with Leadership Congruence 5. Nonverbal Communication & Active Listening in Small Groups 6. Developing Trust & Being Trustworthy 7. Perceptions are Only From My Point of View 8. Diversity & Inclusion 9. Meeting the Challenge of Effective Groups & Teams Membership 10. Engaging with Empathy 11. Managing Conflict Expectations 12. Leadership & Civic Engagement: Becoming the Change Maker This book was originally conceptualized as a textbook for a class at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln called “Interpersonal Skills for Leadership.” A book by the same name was originally written in 1996, with a second edition published in 2005 by Dr. Susan Fritz and colleagues (Fritz et al., 1996, 2005). Since the text was up for a new edition, we met with Dr. Fritz, who is a strong supporter of Online Educational Resources (as well as all free or low-cost texts for students). Dr. Fritz graciously offered to write a part of the Foreward for this text and offered great feedback and advice (aka, wisdom). Two of the three authors of this chapter have worked with Dr. Fritz for many years as graduate students, as staff, and, eventually, as faculty. We are grateful for her support and mentoring over the years, including with this current project.
Article
The paper focuses on the theoretical analysis of the specifics of civic engagement in educating the solidarity generation of university students. The purpose of the article is to explore the features of civic engagement in fostering a generation of university students grounded in solidarity. The general objectives for achieving this aim were: 1) to study and identify the essence of the notion “solidarity generation”; 2) to highlight the concept of solidarity as a pedagogical category; 3) to analyze civic engagement as an effective method of interpersonal interaction in forming the solidarity generation of students. The study employed the following theoretical methods: analysis and synthesis to formulate the foundational propositions of the article; and examination and systematization of primary sources on the topic under study.The essence of the notion “solidarity generation” is highlighted. The concept of solidarity as a pedagogical category, which encompasses interaction, friendly intentions, and moral and ethical obligations, is covered. The modern generation of students is considered to be the solidarity generation, encouraged by their deep concern for each other, their interconnectedness in today’s changing, interdependent world, and their striving for a common goal: unity and social justice. The civic engagement as an effective method of interpersonal interaction in forming the solidarity generation of students is analyzed. Civic engagement of students is viewed as their active and confident involvement in the activities of communities at the local, state and global levels for the general public benefit as a whole and for the development of solidary relationships in particular. Civic engagement refers to civic and/or political actions contextualized in different settings (e.g., campus or community, national or global, and online), encouraging young people, representatives of the solidarity generation, to further proactive participation in the life of the community, the state, etc., increases their knowledge about a certain community and its problems, makes them more tolerant and sympathetic to others. In this context, solidarity becomes a need for the development of effective subject-to-subject interaction in today’s higher education, and it is based on the unification of such concepts as common interests, interconnectedness, unanimity, interdependence, joint responsibility, providing for the pooling of resources and opportunities for all actors to achieve common goals while maintaining the interests of each and every subject in balance with public interests.
Article
Full-text available
This article takes stock of research on political participation and civic engagement in Albania, a country generally perceived as lacking a civil society and a democratic political culture. Rather, Albanian political culture since the 1990s has been characterized by political conflict and dysfunctional parliamentary life. On top of this comes widespread public dissatisfaction and a general lack of interest in politics. The general assumption is that a democratic political culture remains to be developed. Reviewing articles on public engagement in English-language journals and reports published in the recent decade, the overall picture is that research on Albanian political participation is poorly developed. There is a considerable amount of research and NGO reports dealing with formal political activity (electoral participation and party membership) and-in particular-studies of social movements, including protests and demonstrations. Other forms of participation are largely overlooked, like political consumption, social involvement, and civic engagement.
Article
Full-text available
Over the past decade, banditry has escalated dramatically in Nigeria's North-West, leading to the loss of thousands of lives and the destruction of property valued in the millions of Naira. The violence in the region is rooted in complex, interrelated issues, primarily stemming from localized disputes between farmers and herders over land resources. This situation has been exacerbated by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) since 2014. The severe impact of armed banditry on peace and security in the region necessitates research aimed at identifying pragmatic solutions to this crisis. This study employs a qualitative approach to directly engage with affected communities, capturing their experiences and perspectives. The findings highlight the urgent need for coordinated action by both national and state governments to address the underlying causes of the crisis effectively. The study concludes with recommendations for intensifying efforts to resolve these fundamental issues and mitigate the ongoing threat of banditry.
Chapter
Numerous barriers exist today that limit or prohibit the curricular deployment of civic engagement activities in higher education. Specifically, the primary barriers to civic skill instruction are mission creep, institutionalization, and optics. Effective civic learning programs develop strategies to overcome those barriers. Mission creep describes a problem of definition and scope. Acts of civic engagement, including internships, service-learning, and community-engaged projects, are possible only when students have extant civic skills to effectively act for progress in their communities. Students must be able to ‘walk before they can run.’ Institutions that intentionally instill civic skills through curricular methods have much more robust and sustainable civic engagement efforts than institutions that do not. Institutionalization is a measure of larger campus-wide support for civic engagement efforts. One defining characteristic of more successful civic engagement programs is a permanent office with directorship by faculty, administrative staff support, dedicated budget allowance, and place within the university’s mission. Finally, optics is the public perception of ideological bias in the work of civic engagement. Since the core work of engagement efforts is in building civic skills, the work is not necessarily ideological in nature. Institutions that can show bipartisanship or non-partisanship in their work are likely to have more success than institutions that cannot. In this chapter, I explore all three barriers using data from a survey of American Democracy Project campus leaders. The conclusion offers a set of recommendations for guiding principles for institutions seeking to integrate civic skill learning into their curriculum.
Chapter
Colleges and universities play an important role in preparing students for active and informed participation in civic and political life. To properly address the multifaceted nature of civic engagement, campus-wide initiatives are typically comprised of multiple academic courses and co-curricular programs. Given the magnitude of civic engagement initiatives and complexity of the construct, how do colleges and universities assess whether the initiative is effective for all students? This chapter provides practical suggestions for assessing campus-wide civic engagement initiatives. The chapter provides guidance on how to define civic engagement, study the campus climate, create student learning and developmental outcomes, choose assessments, map programming, articulate program theory, and collect data. We emphasize how assessment can be used to generate support and transparency for the initiative with the ultimate goal of improving students’ civic learning and democratic participation.
Chapter
The current deficit of assessment makes civic engagement work in higher education vulnerable. Using Weber State University as a case study, I lay out the need for good assessment, discuss the range of instruments available, including their benefits and shortcomings, and argue that using multiple assessment modalities is necessary to fully understand the microdemocracies we find on our campuses. For higher education to fully embrace its role in educating for citizenship, institutions can use a comprehensive assessment approach to identify best practices and foster students’ skills, knowledge, and agency, which are especially necessary in an era of divisive politics and democracy under duress.
Thesis
Full-text available
The challenges of today’s globalized world are manifold. This relates to challenges to overcome political and social crises around the globe. Solutions to these challenges are urgently needed, more precisely social innovations that help solve these complex global problems. Universities and educational institutions provide places where people can learn to create solutions and social innovations. Future generations need decision-making and problem-solving skills to be able to shape constant change. They also require the skills to work with people of different cultures and religions, to cooperate and to consider different perspectives in their daily work. Therefore students, teachers, lecturers, and researchers alike must understand how they can change and improve the world. They need to learn how to analyse and research social problems and how to create solutions in an entrepreneurial way. Teachers should learn how to design learning programmes or develop holistic learning systems. Finally, they must understand what competencies they and their students need to do this. In this globalized world, universities and educational institutions have a special responsibility to develop and offer learning programmes that help meet global and local challenges, and to do so together with stakeholders from society, politics, and business at both national and international levels. This dissertation therefore addresses the nascent field of social innovation education. It examines the field mainly from the perspective of economics and business education literature with its ramifications in various social science disciplines. It contributes to social entrepreneurship education and its interfaces with global citizenship education, education for sustainable development and management education in general. In addition, social, curricular, and extracurricular learning settings in communities of practice, which include (volunteer) engagement in initiatives, social start-up teams and project teams, serve as the central object of inquiry in this work. The first paper (Chapter 1) asks how a holistic learning system for social innovation education can be designed and anchored institutionally. It describesthe World Citizen School model developed at the Weltethos Institute 1 at the University of Tübingen, which identifies and systematically reflects on the various constitutional aspects of a holistic learning system. The second paper (Chapter 2) examines the principles according to which social-innovative teaching and learning settings can be designed. Using the design-based research approach as a method for the development of the learning design “social innovation camp”, the study describes the theoretical foundations, the process, and their practical relevance on the basis of the inquiry-based learning approach. The third paper investigates what (social) entrepreneurial competencies engaged students develop or can develop through their volunteering (Chapter 3). The subjects of this study are engaged students from different student initiatives and their “communities of practice” in which they engage with different topics and activities. In total, more than 1000 engaged and non-engaged students from 13 different universities were interviewed. The results of the three studies, their strengths and limitations are discussed and reflected on in the context of the young concept of critical entrepreneurship education and critical pedagogy. Finally, practical implications for the further development of social innovation education are formulated. The dissertation contributes on an institutional and didactic level, as well as to the discussion about the transfer function and third mission on a higher education policy and socio-political level of the young concept. All studies were developed within an explorative approach, due to the young concept of social innovation education. The starting point for all considerations and questions arose from the practical implementation and development of the “World Citizen School” model, which began in 2013 at the Weltethos Institute of the University of Tübingen as a "social innovation school" and whose formats have since been tested at other universities. Both the results and the approach are closely linked to the tradition of pragmatism.
Article
Implementation of service-learning within courses may increase students’ overall attitudes towards themselves, their community, and their school and improve academic performance. The study aim was to understand students’ perceptions of prior civic engagement experiences and level of scientific literacy to gauge if participation in course-based service-learning impacted continual community engagement and improved scientific literacy. Students completed a pre- and post-assessment tool measuring their level of community engagement and scientific literacy administered in six courses. Results showed that service-learning did not negatively affect student perception of civic engagement. Students enrolled in service-based courses demonstrated significant improvement in their scientific literacy. Participation in service learning facilitates growth in scientific inquiry and civic engagement.
Article
Full-text available
This study focuses on migrant women and their civic participation in civil society organizations and/or immigrant associations. Despite women’s migration having a long global history and being of academic interest, extensive knowledge of this situation has increased substantially in recent decades; research on the civic participation of immigrant women in Portugal is still incipient. The structural conditions affecting these women’s mobility processes remain overlooked, concealing their vulnerabilities. Additionally, success stories of migrant women, which could serve as inspirations for others, are often invisible. This exploratory research examines the role of female immigrant leaders and the demands they face in facilitating immigrants’ integration into Portuguese society. Eight qualitative interviews were conducted with diverse immigrant organizations in Portugal, advocating for immigrant rights and promoting integration through various strategies. The results reveal that migrant women’s experiences and participation in leadership roles are shaped not only by their migrant background and their qualifications but also by the difficulties they encountered upon arrival in Portugal. These leaders tend to focus on constraints, particularly regarding the organization’s sustainability, rather than emphasizing opportunities for civic participation. Nevertheless, this study also reveals that participation in IOs leads to increased autonomy and a heightened sense of empowerment for these women. It grants them a voice, visibility, and recognition both in the host society and their own communities. Overall, the study sheds light on the significance of recognizing immigrant women’s contributions and challenges, as well as the crucial role played by immigrant organizations in promoting integration and advocating for immigrants’ rights in Portugal. It also emphasizes the need for the government to financially support these organizations.
Chapter
This book presents a remarkable collection of theoretically and practically grounded chapters from internationally recognized scholars based in the Global North and the Global South who have shared their perspectives on the role of the modern university as an excellent public institution ethically engaged in social transformation. The authors posit that, if discussed from this perspective, an ethically engaging university can uphold a ‘pedagogy of hope’ or an ethical Pedagogy, demonstrating that higher education has not become detached from the ‘lifeworld’ or falling short of exploring issues of politics or morality. Moreover, the authors propose that a defining goal of this fresh outlook should be to develop students who feel empowered to become ethically motivated and civically active individuals, as this will facilitate a generation of learners who are then able to challenge the multiple and increasing ethical dilemmas that impact on people’s development and well-being. This is the first publication dedicated to an ethical analysis of universities’ engagement with the local/global community. This book attempts to create conceptual spaces where, given the limits of Western–Eastern dynamics, learners and educators can work together to realize fresh approaches, interpretations, and productive spaces for social transformation and community engagement applicable to the current era of globalization.
Article
Full-text available
Many key concerns require engagement with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge. Consider the complexity and nuance of climate change, energy policy, health and medicine, and data security. Informed voting or decision-making on such issues is no easy task; effective participation in our society requires considerable STEM capabilities. Education of all age groups is essential for a scientifically knowledgeable population involved in making democratic decisions about the future. Lindeman argued for adult education learning processes hand-in-hand with democratic processes, yet, once adults leave formal education, there are woefully few opportunities for the general public to learn or engage with STEM content. Adult education as a field has an important obligation to continue to support adults’ STEM learning. This obligation includes helping scientists and STEM educators better connect to adult learners in informal and nonformal settings. This paper explores adult STEM education for democratic participation. We begin with an overview of adult STEM education, followed by STEM knowledge and skills, with a focus on the utility and value of scientific processes and ways of thinking. We then continue with the function of STEM learning in democratic processes followed by frameworks of adult STEM, specifically scientific literacy and place-based education, and conclude with implications and recommendations for adult education practice.
Article
Full-text available
Merrimack College is a Catholic Augustinian College. This single institutional case study shares the work of faculty and the College to institutionalize community engaged research through the development of a Community Engaged Action & Research Cluster (CERC). Through the case study, we elucidate the sphere of influence of faculty with regard to community engagement and the ways in which that sphere of influence can add value to individual careers and the institution as a whole. This case study also demonstrates the impact of institutional engagement initiatives on faculty research and civic engagement in food justice.
Article
Each year Pakistan suffers monetary set-back and loss of precious lives due to climate change and related catastrophes. Global Climate Risk Report (2021) declared Pakistan to be amongst the top 10 countries to be most affected by climate change and the very next year the country got hit by mega floods. Citizen’s awareness about issues faced by a nation help towards resolution of those issues. Right to a healthy environment and right to information regarding issues of society are considered fundamental. Awareness regarding climate change is the right of every Pakistani so they realize the magnitude of this problem. Green awareness has the potential to make an impression on citizens and help tackle issues related to climate change. Awareness can reach citizens through several ways, including online media which enjoys vast penetration in Pakistan. According to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (2023) 54% of Pakistani population have broadband connections and 53% have mobile broadband connectivity which provides an opportunity to impart awareness. Green awareness through online media has positive impacts on environmental beliefs and behavior of citizens. Data coming from 1420 university students of Punjab revealed various associations tested with Pearson Chi-Square. Results indicated association between online media usage of citizens and green awareness. Additionally, awareness carried a positive association with pro-environment beliefs of respondents. Positive association was also found between green awareness and pro-environment behavior of respondents. Keywords: citizen participation, climate change, basic human rights, awareness through online media, pro-environment beliefs, environment-friendly behavior, pro-environment online engagement.
Article
This study examined whether an emotional geography-based community participation project enhanced students’ civic engagement competence. The participants identified community problems based on emotional geographies, created their own spatial stories using spatial analysis and emotional mapping, and finally proposed spatial development strategies. A civic engagement competence questionnaire and reflective journals were used to examine the project’s pedagogical effects. The results showed that civic engagement competence scores increased statistically significantly after the activities. The themes extracted via thematic analysis included the cultivation and manifestation of civic engagement competence, as well as emotional geography activities for civic engagement competence in educational contexts.
Article
Full-text available
Üniversitelerin toplumsal katkı açısından misyonları ve içinde bulundukları bölgedeki görevlerinin neler olduğu düşünülürse bir parçası olduğu topluma akademik katkılardan sonra sosyal, ekonomik ve beşerî-etik, etnik çeşitlilik, hümanizm vs. gibi- bazı açılardan katkı sağlamaları beklenir. Mezunlarının ileride bir parçası olacakları toplumu daha yakından tanımaları ve üniversitenin tüzel bir kişilik olarak toplumda bıraktığı izlenim ve etki, kurumun toplumdaki paydaşları ve uygulama alanları ile olan ilişkisini sağlam tutmasını sağlamakla kalmayacak aynı zamanda kabul edeceği öğrenci kitlesi ve akademisyen camiasının kalite ve etkililik seviyesini de artıracaktır. Başka bir ifade ile üniversitenin topluma maddi-manevi anlamda sağladığı katkı, bu durumun kurum adına bir “kazan-kazan” ilişkisine dönüşmesini sağlayabilir. Çalışmada, üniversitelerin “kurumsal sosyal sorumluluğu” kavramının üniversite-toplum ilişkisi ve paydaşları açısından nasıl bir önem arz ettiği, dünya genelinde bu iki unsurun sosyal sorumluluk tabanında nasıl birleştiği ve bu durumun Türkiye’deki tabloda nasıl seyrettiği gibi konulara değinilerek uygulamaya yönelik birkaç noktanın altı çizilecektir. Çalışmanın üniversitelerin kurumsal sorumluluğu ve toplum iş birliği açısından alandaki sayılı çalışmalara ek olarak global bir panorama çizmek ve Türk üniversiteleri açısından toplumsal katkı sağlamaya yönelik uygulamaların nasıl genişletilebileceğini vurgulamak adına alan yazına katkı sağlaması hedeflenmektedir.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.