Papers by Lauren Collet-Gildard
Educational Researcher, 2016
Political interest is one of the most consistent predictors of political participation, but littl... more Political interest is one of the most consistent predictors of political participation, but little research has examined how it develops. This study explores adolescents’ political interest development during the 2012 U.S. presidential election. The research team collected and analyzed longitudinal data (surveys, interviews, observations) in high schools located in conservative, liberal, and centrist communities within one swing state. Findings indicate that students’ political interest increased during the election. These increases were related to greater public attention to politics and having opportunities to explore multiple sides of political issues and express political opinions. When guiding such experiences, some teachers struggled with various challenges, including one-sided political environments and students’ political cynicism. This study has numerous implications for education in democratic societies.
The Social Studies, 2017
Researchers have found that when young people participate in discussions of controversial politic... more Researchers have found that when young people participate in discussions of controversial political issues, they often become more politically engaged and informed (Hess 2009). Nonetheless, some educators avoid fostering such discussions because they can become heated and thus distract from academic learning (Hess 2002). Presidential elections,
Researchers have found that when young people participate in discussions of controversial politic... more Researchers have found that when young people participate in discussions of controversial political
issues, they often become more politically engaged and informed (Hess, 2009). Nonetheless, some
educators avoid fostering such discussions because they can become heated and distract from
academic learning (Hess, 2002). Presidential elections, including the highly publicized debates,
provide substantial material for discussions of major national and international issues, but no
published research has examined how educators can leverage these events to generate productive
civic learning experiences. In this article, we analyze data collected in seven high school classrooms
during the 2012 presidential election to examine the challenges and opportunities associated with
generating substantive, dynamic discussions of presidential debates. Our findings indicate that
students enjoyed learning about candidates’ different perspectives and that certain strategies were
especially helpful for fostering substantive discussions: (a) scaffolding students’ preparation for
discussion; (b) providing opportunities for students to address open-ended questions; (c)
redirecting students’ engagement in competitive, interpersonal dynamics to learning about public
issues; and (d) countering students’ partisan tendencies. We discuss implications for practice and
research and present a conceptual framework for generating dynamic, substantive democratic
discussions.
Political interest is one of the most consistent predictors of political participation, but littl... more Political interest is one of the most consistent predictors of political participation, but little research has examined how
it develops. This study explores adolescents’ political interest development during the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
The research team collected and analyzed longitudinal data (surveys, interviews, observations) in high schools located in
conservative, liberal, and centrist communities within one swing state. Findings indicate that students’ political interest
increased during the election. These increases were related to greater public attention to politics and having opportunities
to explore multiple sides of political issues and express political opinions. When guiding such experiences, some teachers
struggled with various challenges, including one-sided political environments and students’ political cynicism. This study
has numerous implications for education in democratic societies.
Researchers have found that when young people participate in discussions of controversial politic... more Researchers have found that when young people participate in discussions of controversial political issues, they often become more politically engaged and informed (Hess, 2009). Nonetheless, some educators avoid fostering such discussions because they can become heated and distract from academic learning (Hess, 2002). Presidential elections, including the highly publicized debates, provide substantial material for discussions of major national and international issues, but no published research has examined how educators can leverage these events to generate students’ civic learning. In this paper, we analyze data collected in seven high school classrooms during the 2012 presidential election to examine the challenges and opportunities associated with generating productive discussions of presidential debates. Our findings indicate that students enjoyed learning about candidates’ different perspectives and that certain strategies were especially helpful for fostering substantive discussions: (1) scaffolding students’ preparation for discussion, (2) providing adequate time for students to address open-ended questions, (3) redirecting students’ engagement in competitive, interpersonal dynamics to learning about the issues, and (4) countering students’ partisan tendencies. We discuss implications for practice and research and present a framework for generating the dynamic exploration of substantive issues with guidance and openness.
Uploads
Papers by Lauren Collet-Gildard
issues, they often become more politically engaged and informed (Hess, 2009). Nonetheless, some
educators avoid fostering such discussions because they can become heated and distract from
academic learning (Hess, 2002). Presidential elections, including the highly publicized debates,
provide substantial material for discussions of major national and international issues, but no
published research has examined how educators can leverage these events to generate productive
civic learning experiences. In this article, we analyze data collected in seven high school classrooms
during the 2012 presidential election to examine the challenges and opportunities associated with
generating substantive, dynamic discussions of presidential debates. Our findings indicate that
students enjoyed learning about candidates’ different perspectives and that certain strategies were
especially helpful for fostering substantive discussions: (a) scaffolding students’ preparation for
discussion; (b) providing opportunities for students to address open-ended questions; (c)
redirecting students’ engagement in competitive, interpersonal dynamics to learning about public
issues; and (d) countering students’ partisan tendencies. We discuss implications for practice and
research and present a conceptual framework for generating dynamic, substantive democratic
discussions.
it develops. This study explores adolescents’ political interest development during the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
The research team collected and analyzed longitudinal data (surveys, interviews, observations) in high schools located in
conservative, liberal, and centrist communities within one swing state. Findings indicate that students’ political interest
increased during the election. These increases were related to greater public attention to politics and having opportunities
to explore multiple sides of political issues and express political opinions. When guiding such experiences, some teachers
struggled with various challenges, including one-sided political environments and students’ political cynicism. This study
has numerous implications for education in democratic societies.
issues, they often become more politically engaged and informed (Hess, 2009). Nonetheless, some
educators avoid fostering such discussions because they can become heated and distract from
academic learning (Hess, 2002). Presidential elections, including the highly publicized debates,
provide substantial material for discussions of major national and international issues, but no
published research has examined how educators can leverage these events to generate productive
civic learning experiences. In this article, we analyze data collected in seven high school classrooms
during the 2012 presidential election to examine the challenges and opportunities associated with
generating substantive, dynamic discussions of presidential debates. Our findings indicate that
students enjoyed learning about candidates’ different perspectives and that certain strategies were
especially helpful for fostering substantive discussions: (a) scaffolding students’ preparation for
discussion; (b) providing opportunities for students to address open-ended questions; (c)
redirecting students’ engagement in competitive, interpersonal dynamics to learning about public
issues; and (d) countering students’ partisan tendencies. We discuss implications for practice and
research and present a conceptual framework for generating dynamic, substantive democratic
discussions.
it develops. This study explores adolescents’ political interest development during the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
The research team collected and analyzed longitudinal data (surveys, interviews, observations) in high schools located in
conservative, liberal, and centrist communities within one swing state. Findings indicate that students’ political interest
increased during the election. These increases were related to greater public attention to politics and having opportunities
to explore multiple sides of political issues and express political opinions. When guiding such experiences, some teachers
struggled with various challenges, including one-sided political environments and students’ political cynicism. This study
has numerous implications for education in democratic societies.