It’s More than Just Debating: The Political Participation and Democratic Attitudes of Debate Programme Participants in Seven “New” Democracies

Bd.15,Nr.2
Youth Public and Political

Abstract

This study is focused on the democratic competencies and political participation of young
people taking part in debate programs in seven “new” democracies – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia. The research employs conventional methods adopted from
various established surveys for capturing the political attitudes and values of youths. Using a longitudinal
research design, we compare results from debaters and their non-debating peers on three dimensions:
political competence, democratic values and political participation. The results of the pre-tests indicate
that debaters’ attitudes are more in accordance with what a democratic theory would expect from active
and engaged citizens. Participating in debate activities did not reveal significant attitudinal improvements
during the short timeframe of our research (one school year), but the initial differences between debaters
and non-debaters remained stable over time.


Schlagworte:
debating; democratic values; electoral participation; issue-based participation; new democracies; political participation; youth
Literaturhinweise

Akerman, Rodie and Ian Neale. 2011. Debating the Evidence: An International Review of Current Situation and Perceptions. Reading: The English-Speaking Union.

Allen, Mike, Sandra Berkowitz, Steve Hunt, and Allan Louden. 1999. “A Meta‐analysis of the Impact of Forensics and Communication Education on Critical Thinking.” Communication Education 48(1): 18–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634529909379149

Amnå, Erik and Joakim Ekman. 2014. “Standby Citizens: Diverse Faces of Political Passivity.” European Political Science Review 6(02): 261–281. https://doi.org/10.1017/S175577391300009X

Bartanen, Kristine M. 1998. “The Place of the Forensics Program in the Liberal Arts College of the Twenty-First Century: An Essay in Honor of Larry E. Norton”. Forensic 84(1): 1–15.

Beer, Wolfgang, Will Cremer, and Peter Massing. 1999. Handbuch Politische Erwachsenenbildung. Schwalbach: Wochenschau-Verlag.

Bellon, Joe. 2000. “A Research-Based Justification for Debate across the Curriculum.” Argumentation and Advocacy 36(3): 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028533.2000.11951646

Bennett, W. Lance and Alexandra Segerberg. 2012. “The Logic of Connective Action: Digital Media and the Personalization of Contentious Politics.” Information Communication and Society 15(5): 739–768. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.670661

Bennett, W. Lance and Alexandra Segerberg. 2013. The Logic of Connective Action: Digital Media and the Personalization of Contentious Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139198752

Bergh, Johannes. 2013. “Does Voting Rights Affect the Political Maturity of 16- and 17-Year-Olds? Findings from the 2011 Norwegian Voting-Age Trial.” Electoral Studies 32(1): 90–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2012.11.001

Binnema, Harmen, Maud Adriaansen, and Dieter Verhue. 2007. Jonge Burgers En Democratie Kennis, Houding En Vaardigheden. Amsterdam: Veldkamp.

Brand, Jeffrey. 2000. “Advancing the Discipline: The Role of Forensics in the Communication Field.” Forensic 86(1): 1–14.

Burdewick, Ingrid. 2003. Jugend – Politik – Anerkennung: Eine Qualitative Empirische Studie Zur Politischen Partizipation 11- Bis 18-Jähriger. Opladen: Leske und Budrich. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-93460-4

Chan, Tak Wing and Matthew Clayton. 2006. “Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to Sixteen? Normative and Empirical Considerations.” Political Studies 54(3): 533–558. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2006.00620.x

Colbert, Kent R. 1987. “The Effects of CEDA and NDT Debate Training on Critical Thinking Ability.” Argumentation and Advocacy 23(4):194–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028533.1987.11951345

Cronin, Michael. 1990. “Debating to Learn across the Curriculum: Implementation and Assessment.” Paper presented at the Southern States Communication Association Convention, Birmingham, Alabama.

Derryberry, Bob R. 1997. “Forensics as a Cooperative Agent: Building a Tradition within an Academic Community.” Paper presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the National Communication Association in Chicago, Illinois.

Ennis, Robert H. 1987. “A Taxonomy of Critical Thinking Dispositions and Abilities.” Pp. 9-26 in Teaching Thinking Skills: Theory and Practice, edited by J.B. Baron and R.J. Sternberg. New York: W.H. Freeman/Times Books/ Henry Holt & Co.

European Commission. 2007. “Young Europeans: Survey among Young People Aged between 15–30 in the European Union (Eurobarometer #202).”

Field, Andy P. 2009. Discovering Statistics Using SPSS: (And Sex, Drugs and Rock “n” Roll), 3rd ed. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.

Gomez, Brad T. and J. Matthew Wilson. 2001. “Political Sophistication and Economic Voting in the American Electorate: A Theory of Heterogeneous Attribution.” American Journal of Political Science 45(4): 899–914. https://doi.org/10.2307/2669331

Goodwin, Jean. 2003. “Students’ Perspectives on Debate Exercises in Content Area Classes.” Communication Education 52(2): 157–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520302466

Green, Charles S. and Hadley G. Klug. 1990. “Teaching Critical Thinking and Writing through Debates: An Experimental Evaluation.” Teaching Sociology 18(4): 462–471. https://doi.org/10.2307/1317631

Hooghe, Marc, Ellen Quintelier, Cecil Meeusen, Soetkin Verhaegen, Joris Boonen, and Aurélie Smets. 2013. Parent-Child Socialization Study (PCSS) 2012–2013. Technical Report. Leuven: Centre for Citizenship and Democracy.

Jerome, Lee and Bhavini Algarra. 2006. English-Speaking Union London Debate Challenge: 2005–06 Final Evaluation Report. Cambridge and Chelmsford: Anglia Ruskin University.

Kennedy, Ruth R. 2009. “The Power of In-Class Debates.” Active Learning in Higher Education 10(3): 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787409343186

Kirlin, Mary. 2002. “Civic Skill Building: The Missing Component in Service Programs?” PS: Political Science and Politics 35(3): 571–575. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096502000872

Kitschelt, Herbert, Zdenka Mansfeldová, Radoslaw Markowski, and Gábor Tóka. 1999. Post-Communist Party Systems: Competition, Representation, and Inter-Party Cooperation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139175173

Klingemann, Hans-Dieter and Dieter Fuchs, eds. 1998. Citizens and the State. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/0198294735.001.0001

Lin, Alex. 2015. “Citizenship Education in American Schools and Its Role in Developing Civic Engagement: A Review of the Research.” Educational Review 67(1): 35–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2013.813440

Massing, Peter. 2002. Jugend Und Politik: Jugenddebatten, Jugendforschung, Jugendpolitik. Schwalbach: Wochenschau-Verlag.

McAllister, Ian. 1998. “Civic Education and Political Knowledge in Australia.” Australian Journal of Political Science 33(1): 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10361149850697

McFarland, Daniel A. and Reuben J. Thomas. 2006. “Bowling Young: How Youth Voluntary Associations Influence Adult Political Participation.” American Sociological Review 71(3): 401–425. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240607100303

McFarland, Daniel and Carlos E. Starmanns. 2009. “Inside Student Government: The Variable Quality of High School Student Councils.” Teachers College Record 111(1): 27–54.

Mirazchiyski, Plamen, Daniel H. Caro, and Andrés Sandoval-Hernández. 2014. “Youth Future Civic Participation in Europe: Differences between the East and the Rest.” Social Indicators Research 115(3): 1031–1055. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0258-2

Norris, Pippa. 2002. Democratic Phoenix: Reinventing Political Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511610073

Norris, Pippa. 2003. Young People and Political Activism: From the Politics of Loyalties to the Politics of Choice? Report for the Council of Europe Symposium “Young people and democratic institutions: from disillusionment to participation” in Strasbourg.

Nugent, Richard. 2006. “Civic, Social and Political Education: Active Learning, Participation and Engagement?” Irish Educational Studies 25(2): 207–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/03323310600737552

Owen, Diana, Rebecca Chalif, and Suzanne Soule. 2011. Civic Education and Knowledge of Government and Politics. Paper presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting in Palm Desert, California.

Pettigrew, T.F. and R.W. Meertens. 1995. “Subtle and Blatant Prejudice in Western Europe.” European Journal of Social Psychology 25(1): 57–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2420250106

Quintelier, Ellen. 2007. “Differences in Political Participation between Young and Old People.” Contemporary Politics 13(2): 165–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569770701562658

Reichert, Frank and Murray Print. 2017. “Civic Participation of High School Students: The Effect of Civic Learning in School.” Educational Review 70(3): 318–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2017.1316239

Rhomberg, Markus. 2009. Politische Kommunikation. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink Verlag.

Rogers, Jack E. 2002. “Longitudinal Outcome Assessment for Forensics: Does Participating in Intercollegiate, Competitive Forensics Contribute to Measurable Differences in Positive Student Outcomes?” Contemporary Argumentation & Debate 23(1).

Sanders, Judith A., Richard L. Wiseman, and Robert H. Gass. 1994. “Does Teaching Argumentation Facilitate Critical Thinking?” Communication Reports 7(1): 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/08934219409367580

Sloam, James. 2016. “Diversity and Voice: The Political Participation of Young People in the European Union.” The British Journal of Politics and International Relations 18(3): 521–537. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369148116647176

Stadelmann-Steffen, Isabelle and Linda Sulzer. 2017. “Just Another Brick in the Wall? The Relationship between Classroom-Based Political Education and the Political Interest of Young Adults in Switzerland.” Journal of Youth Studies 21(4): 552–575. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1395832

Torney-Purta, Judith V. 2009. “International Psychological Research That Matters for Policy and Practice.” American Psychologist 64(8): 825–837. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.64.8.825

Williams, David E., Brian R. McGee, and David S. Worth. 2001. “University Student Perceptions of the Efficacy of Debate Participation: An Empirical Investigation.” Argumentation and Advocacy 37(4): 198–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028533.2001.11951670

Yoldaş, Özlem Becerik. 2015. “Civic Education and Learning Democracy: Their Importance for Political Participation of Young People.” Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 174(286): 544–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.703

Youniss, James, Jeffrey A. McLellan, and Miranda Yates. 1997. “What We Know About Engendering Civic Identity.” American Behavioral Scientist 40(5): 620–631. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764297040005008

Metriky

0


609

Views

475

PDF (English) views

49

Mobi (English) views

41

EPUB (English) views