Schools' We-mentality and Students' Civic Engagement - A Text-based Approach

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Sociology of Education
• Civic Education

Background:

• A strong sense of community within schools is crucial for students' civic development.
• Understanding the factors influencing students' perception and education of community is essential.
• The concept of 'we-mentality' in schools requires empirical investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between schools' we-mentality and students' civic outcomes.
• To determine if a stronger we-mentality is associated with increased civic engagement.
• To explore the impact of trust and openness on students' civic attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Automated content analysis of school general principles to measure we-mentality.
• Survey data collected from 488 students across 13 German schools.
• Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and multi-level regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• A significant positive association was found between stronger school we-mentality and higher levels of student engagement in local civic activities.
• Students demonstrating greater trust in others reported more positive attitudes towards civic issues.
• Willingness to engage with new and unknown tasks correlated with more favorable civic attitudes.

Conclusions:

• Schools can foster civic education and participation by cultivating a strong we-mentality.
• Promoting trust and openness among students enhances their civic attitudes.
• The findings offer valuable insights for designing educational strategies to boost adolescent civic involvement.