Introductory American Government Research Articles

Variations on Ballot Format in Low-Information Elections

A common problem with studying the impact of ballot formats is the inability to test them in real world circumstances, due to the inability to vary election methods within states each year. This study examines the effect of ballot format on low information judicial elections. The pool of subjects consisted of over 550 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory American Government classes. Each subject was given an information sheet to simulate the usually available information about each candidate, and then asked to complete one of three randomly distributed ballots. Each ballot contained a race for President, U.S. Senate, and two hypothetical judicial posts. The three ballot formats given to the subjects included a straight ticket format, partisan format without the straight ticket option, and a non-partisan format. The results help to better identify the impact of alternative ballot formats on voter decision.

MOOCs and Community College Distance Education

MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses that enroll thousands of students. MOOCs are constructed so that one professor provides course materials to as many students who want to participate, the students listen to the lectures, read the text materials and complete computer graded online assessments and then the students receive a certificate of completion for the course. Whether the course provides any kind of academic credit is an open question, but some colleges are investigating how to use MOOCs for college credit. With the possibility of serving thousands of students in one course, MOOCs appear to be a cost effective way to allow students to fulfill at least some of their general education requirements. But, do MOOCs provide the opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and foster civic engagement that most instructors of introductory American government classes strive to include in their classes? This paper will explore the development of MOOCs and how and if they should be incorporated at the community college level.

Portraits of Religion in Introductory American Government Textbooks: Images of Tolerance or Intolerance

The link between religion and political tolerance in the United States, which has focused predominantly on Christianity, is replete with unfavorable images. Often, religious adherents (largely Evangelicals or the Christian right) are characterized as uneducated, poor, and white, suggesting that members of these groups may act in an intolerant manner. Our objective is to examine how different religious groups and individuals of faith pictorially appear within introductory American government textbooks. Are they visually portrayed as politically tolerant or intolerant? Are the images of individuals and groups presented as exercising rights to speech, assembly, and petition or as a threat to others' civil rights? What general themes or issues surrounding the visual representation of religion and politics are emphasized? We find that the textbook depictions show religious individuals in a tolerant light (just about as likely to be the victims, as the perpetrators, of intolerance), educated, and not poor. Although people of color are shown in numerically similar proportions to that in the U.S. population, there is an overrepresentation of the Muslim faith. Legal issues surrounding the separation of church and state emerged as one dominant theme in the textbooks. Finally, the textbook pictures convey a message that religion and politics are connected with a number of the images mixing the two.

Hippies, Feminists, and Neocons: Using The Big Lebowski to Find the Political in the Nonpolitical

AbstractFilms used for political science instruction are typically political or historical and are selected to examine concepts developed by the filmmaker within the context of a curriculum. This approach may not be appropriate for introductory American government classes given students' weak foundation of political knowledge and lack of interest in politics. This article examines an alternative model of film use employing the seemingly nonpolitical filmThe Big Lebowski. Viewed early in the semester, the film highlights the ubiquitous presence of politics in society and government's relevance to everyday life. Clip montages of the movie characters were used to enhance discussion of the First Amendment, voter identification, social capital, and foreign policy throughout the semester.

Is Class Appreciation Just a Click Away?: Using Student Response System Technology to Enhance Shy Students' Introductory American Government Experience

Do individual-level student characteristics affect appreciation for, and benefit from, the use of student response system technology? We investigate the usefulness of in-class electronic student response systems (“classroom clickers”) to understand if it benefits some college students more than others. Specifically, we investigate whether shyer students benefit more from the use of the student response system, with the expectation that shyer students will appreciate using the system more and consequently make more positive gains in attitudes about the class, knowledge of politics, and political engagement. Utilizing original survey data collected from Fall 2009 and Fall 2010 introductory American Government courses, we find that shyer students show greater attitude improvement over the course of the semester, exhibit more knowledge about politics and engage in more outside-of-class political discussions than less shy students when electronic student response systems are utilized, but no such difference emerges when more traditional in-class feedback methods are used. Overall, the findings presented here suggest that, at least marginally, the use of in-class electronic response systems can improve the educational experience of students who are typically isolated by traditional classroom teaching methods.

Bringing Women In: Gender and American Government and Politics Textbooks

This study of 12 introductory American government and politics textbooks shows that their main narratives still focus largely on men's experiences as political actors and pay little attention to women's experiences. While on average just 9% of pages included in-text references to women, 28% of images and 17% of sidebars, tables, figures, and charts included women. Especially in-text references to women focus almost exclusively on white, middle-class women, thus ignoring the complex reality of gender, race, ethnicity, and class. This article offers suggestions for how women's political experiences could be integrated fully into these textbooks, rather than relegating women to a sidebar or photo. I focus on three main topics within the literature on women and politics: ongoing discrimination against women in the political sphere; different life experiences that affect them as political actors; and the real political contributions of women that are usually overlooked. I argue that integrating the experiences of women would offer students a more nuanced and comprehensive view of American government and politics. I conclude that bringing women into American government and politics textbooks is both possible and worthwhile.

Video Killed the Textbook Star?: Use of Multimedia Supplements to Enhance Student Learning

Multimedia use in the collegiate political science classroom has had a negative image since Janda's (1992) early work on CD-ROM-based video presentations. In the nearly two decades since, multimedia has matured and best practices have emerged to challenge the “sobering” findings presented by Janda. Many of the best practices point to student interest in interactive materials, but one of the great advantages of multimedia use is the accommodation of multiple learning styles that better engage students in course materials generally. Using a web-based multimedia supplement in addition to a textbook and other traditional classroom pedagogies, this article tests student performance on a fully integrated multimedia supplement with interactive graphics, videos, and vital source documents as an assessed part of student participation in an introductory American Government class among 14 sections over three years. Results of the study suggest that multimedia supplements, when consistent with interactive media best practices, improve student learning outcomes generally and specifically show the greatest improvement in written test components, especially with students who struggle early in a course.

Examining the Importance of Pre-Instruction Political Knowledge Assessments in Introductory American Government Courses

Question: How do we connect to students who are admittedly not interested in politics or government, and only sit before you because of some state or college requirement? Answer: Tailor the class to who the students are.

Collaboration and Problem-Based Learning: Integrating Information Literacy into a Political Science Course

This paper details the collaborative efforts of a reference librarian and a political science professor to seamlessly meld the study of politics with the acquisition of information literacy skills using a problem-based learning approach. Students in an introductory American Government class were engaged in a group project in which they acted as media consultants for the political candidate of their choice. Two information literacy sessions were embedded into the project. ACRL Information Literacy Standards were used to generate and assess performance outcomes. Student feedback, as well as pre-test and post-test results, indicate that a problem-based approach to enhancing information literacy in political science courses effectively engages students interest and improves students’ information literacy skills.

Challenging the Constitution: Convening a Mock Constitutional Convention for American Government Students

AbstractSimulations are useful tools in the classroom for an assortment of pedagogical reasons. I have devised a mock constitutional convention for use in introductory American government courses to better engage students and spur critical thinking about the U.S. Constitution. This article details the particulars of the simulation and its outcomes.

Problem-Based Learning in Introductory American Politics Classes

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered learning model used heavily in the natural sciences. By supplying students with contextualized problems and stopping short of handing them the tools to solve the problems, instructors take on the role of facilitator rather than expert. Use of PBL in political science, and more generally the social sciences, has been limited, while research on the effectiveness of PBL on student learning in political science has been even scarcer. The authors explore the design and implementation of PBL exercises in an introductory American Politics and Government class. A range of topics are discussed including problem design, overcoming instructor and student reluctance, content coverage compared to a traditional survey course model, and PBL as a tool to improve information literacy. Assessment of the use of PBL is provided through measures of student satisfaction and learning outcomes. The results suggest that PBL should be considered as a viable pedagogical tool in political science.

Video Killed the Textbook Star? Use of Multimedia Supplements to Enhance Student Learning

Multimedia use in the collegiate political science classroom has had a negative image since Janda’ (1992) early work on CD-ROM based video presentations. In the nearly two decades since, multimedia has matured and best practices have emerged to challenge the ‘sobering’ findings presented by Janda. Many of the best practices point to student interest in interactive materials, but one of the great advantages of multimedia use is the accommodation of multiple learning styles that better engage students in course materials generally. Using a web-based multimedia supplement in addition to a textbook and other traditional classroom pedagogies, this paper tests student performance on a fully integrated multimedia supplement with interactive graphics, videos, and vital source documents as an assessed part of student participation in an introductory American Government class among fourteen sections over three years. Results of the study suggest that multimedia supplements, when consistent with interactive media best practices, improve student learning outcomes generally and specifically show the greatest improvement in written test components.

Representation and the Rules of the Game: An Electoral Simulation

ABSTRACTIt is often a difficult proposition for introductory American government students to comprehend different electoral systems and how the rules of the game affect the representation that results. I have developed a simulation in which different proportional-based electoral systems are compared with a single-member plurality electoral system. In addition, the simulation can also serve to illustrate other concepts commonly introduced in introductory courses.

Cultivating Civic Competence: Simulations and Skill-Building in an Introductory Government Class

I examine the impact of simulations on student learning and on the growth of civic competence in an introductory American government class. By civic competence, I refer to an individual's skill and ability to make sense of vast amounts of political information; to work with others (and in civil opposition to other people's ideas) where appropriate; and to develop effective strategies for political action. The simulations I describe here are successful in building political skills for students, albeit with some limitations seen across sex and racial lines. Students emerge from the class more confident in how well they can handle the tasks that effective civic participation requires. What is more, I show that their feelings of confidence are driven largely by the skills they have attained and not by the objective political knowledge they have gained. These results provide strong evidence that we ought to reconsider how we teach students in the introductory American government class.

Single Session Simulations: The Effectiveness of Short Congressional Simulations in Introductory American Government Classes

ABSTRACT Simulations are widely viewed to be effective pedagogical tools; however, evidence concerning their effects on student learning has been largely anecdotal or unsystematic in nature. In addition, most of the literature focuses on fairly complex simulations that require more class time and demand more of students than may be possible in many circumstances, particularly in introductory level classes. In the fall of 2004, I conducted a quasi experiment in order to better understand the potential effectiveness of short and simple legislative simulations in introductory level classes. The conditions under which students in both classes were taught were very similar, with the exception of the simulation, which was only used in one of the classes. Results of a pretest indicated that the classes were not significantly different in either their knowledge of legislative processes or a variety of other potentially relevant characteristics. Analysis of a posttest given to both of the classes after the simulation indicated that there was a difference in knowledge of legislative processes, with the class participating in the simulation performing significantly better than the nonsimulation class. In addition, the simulation class scored significantly higher than the nonsimulation class on the exam following the simulation. These results are important for two primary reasons. First, they provide empirical support for claims regarding the effectiveness of simulations. Second, they indicate that even brief simulations can increase student knowledge.

Simulations and Student Learning

ABSTRACT While many political scientists advocate simulations as an effective teaching tool to facilitate student learning, we have very little systematic evidence that this is true. In this research note I provide experimental evidence showing that six of eight measures of student learning were significantly higher in introductory American Government courses that included a simulation of the United States Senate. These results provide quantitative support for the widespread anecdotal evidence about the teaching effectiveness of simulations.

Engagement or Regurgitation? Teaching American Government without a Textbook

A great deal of debate exists regarding the pedagogical utility of using a standard textbook in the introductory American government course. We used a quasi-experimental research design to test empirically the assertion that teaching American politics without using a textbook will foster superior learning by students and greater satisfaction with the course. Two sections of the course were taught using a standard textbook, and two sections were taught using a series of short, critical books on American politics. Student performance was evaluated through the use of a pretest and posttest, midterm and final examinations, and a questionnaire. Contrary to our expectations, we found evidence that students learn more and perform better on exams when a standard textbook is used Based on these findings, we suggest that instructors carefully consider the decision toforego using a textbook in the introductory American government course.

Major Players: Bureaucracies In American Government

For more than 50 years, Herbert Kaufman has been an astute observer of public bureaucracies. In this essay, Kaufman draws on his extensive experience in explaining the role of public bureaucracies in the American political system. Kaufman was motivated to write the essay because of his concern that public bureaucracies are not given adequate attention in American government textbooks. We hope that PAR readers will use the essay to educate students and others about the important role of public bureaucracies in American government.—LDT

The Four—Yes, Four—Types of State Primaries

T here is a common-and understandable-error in many introductory American Government textbooks, which is usually found in the obligatory chapter on elections and voting. These books distinguish well between open and closed primaries. They then explain the blanket primary, in which all candidates are placed on one primary ballot,' but-as with the traditional open and closed systems-results-by-party are kept separate for purposes of advancing two opposing candidates to a general election. This is where the mistake usually occurs. Though they describe the blanket primary system correctly, textbooks often attribute it to three states:

Brief Field Experiences: An Instructional Tool For Undergraduate Political Science Classes

For introductory American government courses, I require students to attend a public forum, community meeting, or legislative session. In reaction papers, students are urged to consider any pre-meeting publicity, public accessibility of the meeting sites and times, and participant interaction, as well as the opportunity for community members to air their opinions. After the event, class members must appraise the quality, quantity, and emphasis of the media coverage. Students often question whether they and the reporters had attended the same meeting and these students thus learn to evaluate