Does university participation facilitate young people’s citizenship behaviour in the UK?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Universities can be understood as a key site for the transmission of democratic values by helping young people participate directly in democratic activities and education. Thus, it is important to understand whether and how citizenship learning takes place at universities in the UK. This article uses citizenship in transition (CiT) data to examine the possible ways in which university experiences influence student citizenship from a constructivist learning perspective. Based on Habermas’ theories of communicative action and communities of practice, the article proposes that the experience of participating in activities and organisations and the self-identity that is gained by reaching understanding, coordinating interaction, and effecting socialisation at universities are able to promote citizenship learning in the UK. Building on a quantitative analysis, this article shows that students’ sense of belonging to their universities and their participation in organisations generally lead to more civic behaviour in the future.