Civics Courses and the Political Knowledge of High School Seniors.

This document reports the results of a study of the extent to which civics education and other factors contribute to student political knowledge. In particular, the research focused on how much the civics curriculum, student background, demographics, home environment, and individual student achievement affect 12th graders' awareness of government and politics. Prior studies differ on the contribution of civics education to political awareness. Such diverse findings may be attributable to the different studies' focus on different dependent variables. Even those findings that identify a connection between political education and political knowledge diffr regarding the extent of that connection. In recent years, there has been relatively little work comparing course subject matter to civics knowledge and little range in the kinds of political knowledge about which students have been tested. It is important to make a distinction between exposure to political subjects and the selection of subjects that students remember. To be politically knowledgeable, students must be exposed to information and value that selection of information. Exposure is more a matter of structural factors in the curricular and home environment, while selection is an individual and motivational matter. Analysis of National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) data suggests that the school and the civics curriculum are in fact influential in terms oi the political awareness and attitudes of U.S. 12th graders. The document contains 50 references and 8 tables. (SG) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** CIVICS COURSES AND THE POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS* Richard G. Niemi University of Rochester Jane Junn Rutgers University U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Office or Edw....how Research and Improvement IcoiE CillONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Th s document has been reproduced as eived from the porton or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduCtiOn Quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent officil OERI poeitton or policy PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS M RIA L HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC). *We would like to thank Michael Heel for his assistance. Prepared for presentation at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC, September 2, 1993. Copyright by the American Political Science Association.