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Diversity in Classrooms: The Relationship between Deliberative and Associative Opportunities in School and Later Electoral Engagement
Author(s) -
KawashimaGinsberg Kei,
Levine Peter
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
analyses of social issues and public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1530-2415
pISSN - 1529-7489
DOI - 10.1111/asap.12038
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , politics , civic engagement , political science , deliberation , student engagement , social psychology , psychology , public relations , sociology , pedagogy , law
Previous research has found that attending racially pluralistic high schools is associated with a reduced likelihood of future electoral and civic engagement. Analysis of a national survey of 18–24 year olds after the 2012 election confirms this finding. However, certain school and family practices and extracurricular activities appear to compensate. Discussion of controversial current issues in social studies classes diminishes the negative association between attending a racially pluralistic school and electoral engagement. School‐based discussion is particularly important for young people who attend pluralistic schools and who do not participate in political discussion at home. Opportunities to associate with peers who share common interests through issue‐oriented groups predict electoral engagement. Considering that strong arguments can be made in favor of racial diversity in schools, it is important to compensate for the lessened electoral engagement in diverse schools by creating policies and teacher preparation resources that promote high‐quality discussion of controversial issues in classrooms, and by encouraging students to participate in extracurricular groups that address political issues.