Generation Citizen Research Articles

Investigating the Impact of Generation Citizen’s Action Civics Education Program on Student Academic Engagement

Student-centered, project-based, guided experiential civics education approaches, like action civics, may have benefits for general academic outcomes. Action civics programs provide applied settings for learning civics: students work together in groups to take action on a local issue. To the best of our knowledge, we conducted the first quasi-experimental evaluation of the impact of a school-based action civics intervention, Generation Citizen (GC), on academic engagement. Exposure to GC was associated with increased participation in non-GC classes and there was no statistically significant effect on unexcused absences. Oftentimes, schools deprioritize civics education due to limited resources and/or focusing on other subjects; our findings suggest that action civics education may have useful, generalized spillover benefits for student academic engagement.

Can a school-based civic empowerment intervention support adolescent health?

Meaningfully engaging and supporting youth in their communities can promote their sense of efficacy and potentially their health and wellbeing. The objective of this study was to test whether a school-based youth civic empowerment program, Generation Citizen (GC), was associated with self-reported mental and physical health among participants, and whether these associations differed by two potential modifiers: civic self-efficacy and a sense of meaningful contributions to one's community. Participants were middle and high school students (N = 364) who participated in GC in the fall semester of 2014 and completed surveys at the beginning and end of the semester. Analyses revealed a small but statistically significant increase in self-reported physical health after GC and no statistically significant change in self-reported mental health. There was evidence of effect measure modification by civic self-efficacy such that the difference in physical health as civic self-efficacy increased was smaller post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. This could suggest that GC participation is particularly beneficial for those with lower civic self-efficacy. While our findings suggest that public health interventions may benefit from centering empowerment opportunities for youth, future research is warranted to better understand the particular role of civic self-efficacy in that process.

Action civics education and civic outcomes for urban youth: An evaluation of the impact of Generation Citizen

Abstract In action civics education, an emerging promising practice, students learn civics through taking action on a community issue of interest. We examine the action civics programme Generation Citizen (GC) using quantitative and qualitative student survey data. Our quantitative analyses used a quasi-experimental study design and a multilevel model. Participation in GC was associated with increased action civics knowledge, and there were some variations in impact by programme and classroom characteristics. We also qualitatively analysed students’ short reflections upon programme completion and found that students feel more prepared for civic action. Action civics shows promise for improving student civic outcomes, but more research, including longitudinal follow-up, is needed. Given the variations in impact that we observed, action civics practitioners should carefully choose the implementation setting.

Action Civics for Promoting Civic Development: Main Effects of Program Participation and Differences by Project Characteristics.

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.