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Preparing for Citizenship: Immigrant High School Students' Curriculum and Socialization
Rebecca M Callahan1, Chandra Muller, Kathryn S Schiller
1Assistant Professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia , Athens, GA, 30602.
Theory and Research in Social Education
|July 30, 2013
Summary
High school social studies courses boost voter registration and voting for children of immigrants. School connection and parental education also promote civic engagement for all young adults.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Education Policy
Background:
- Immigrant adolescents are a growing demographic, yet their preparation for citizenship through schooling is understudied.
- Existing research links civics education, academic success, and school connection to later political participation, but applicability to immigrant youth is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of formal and informal school curricula on the early adult voting and registration behaviors of immigrant adolescents.
- To determine if established predictors of political participation apply to immigrant youth.
Main Methods:
- Utilized longitudinal, nationally representative data from the Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement (AHAA) study and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health).
- Employed multilevel models to analyze the relationship between school experiences and political participation.
Main Results:
- Increased high school social studies coursework was associated with higher self-reported voter registration and voting among children of immigrant parents.
- A greater sense of school connection and higher levels of parental education predicted registration and voting for all adolescents, irrespective of immigrant status.
Conclusions:
- Formal (social studies coursework) and informal (school connection) educational experiences significantly influence early adult civic engagement in immigrant youth.
- School environment and parental education are crucial factors in fostering political participation across diverse adolescent populations.
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