Service Learning and Political Socialization

Service Learning and Political SocializationAuthor(s): Diana OwenSource: PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Sep., 2000), pp. 638-640Published by: American Political Science AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/420871 .

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Service Learning and Political Socialization* Diana Owen, Georgetown University

Social scientists' initial forays into

the field of political socialization were directly linked to goals of creating good citizens beginning in childhood (Merriam 1931, 1934; Sears 1990; Wallas 1908). With the advent of behavioralism, however, researchers began viewing the study of political socialization as an end in itself (Ball 1995). The emphasis on objective, scientific analysis caused researchers to abandon participant observation, in-depth interviews, and classroom experiments, thus preclud- ing the collection of interesting and valuable data that could be used to inform the development of civic education programs. Further, the dom- inant theoretical model assumed that political orientations are trans- mitted from family members and teachers to young people. This model led to rather sterile debates about which agent was the most in- fluential, rather than to discussions about how agents might successfully inspire the development of democratic citizenship values in children and adolescents (Torney-Purta 1999).

Problems of theory and method, contradictory research findings, and evidence of the volatility of political orientations over time contributed to declining scholarly interest in the field of political socialization in the 1980s, especially investigations of preadults (Cook 1985; Merelman 1986). However, political socialization research is currently experienc- ing a renaissance sparked in part by concerns about citizenship education, of which service learning is an important component. Networks such as the APSA Task Force on Civic Education have been formed to unite educators and researchers. These networks allow for an unprec- edented exchange of ideas linking academic inquiry and service learning. Further, they have fostered a

dialogue between scholars from di- verse disciplines working on issues related to political socialization.

There is a natural affinity between political socialization scholarship and service learning initiatives. De- cades of political socialization research have produced a substantial repository of information and trends about children and adolescents' political identities, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and behaviors that can inform service learning projects. The empirical evidence of young people's civic orientations can be used to identify issues that can be addressed by service learning programs.

Today, many socialization scholars and educators share concerns about young people's low levels of knowledge, interest, and engagement in traditional political activities like voting. Socialization researchers have pieced together a rather com- plex profile of the young citizen. Young people are fed up with gov- ernment and politics as usual, especially at the national level. They are less likely to support established political institutions, such as political parties, than are other citizens. Their feelings of patriotism and national pride are weaker than those among members of older cohorts. Still, younger generations have not given up on governmental politics entirely, as they are no more cynical or less efficacious than other Ameri- cans. There is some evidence that they are engaged in community-level volunteerism even as they avoid the political mainstream (Craig and Bennett 1997).

In addition, the process by which young people are socialized politically today is complicated, diffuse, and haphazard. The family and school, long assumed to be vital in developing preadults' political orientations, generally have not been effective political socializers. Children and adolescents spend a tremendous amount of time with mass media, increasingly alone (Roberts et al. 1999). The potential for political socialization to occur via mass media is strong. It may be the case that

mass media can be employed to stimulate political involvement. For example, young people are heavy users of the Internet, and practical efforts to introduce them to the political uses of the net may be effective in turning them on to politics (Cubrith 2000). Service learning initiatives that incorporate the political uses of the Internet may work to further political learning.1

Socialization studies lend support to the contention that service learning can be effective in fostering po- liticization. Researchers have found that participation in extracurricular activities and service learning programs is associated with a greater tendency toward political engagement. For example, the classic Ben- nington College study demonstrated that a combination of curriculum innovations and service learning in- stilled civic attitudes in young women during the Depression that for some lasted a lifetime (Alwin, Cohen, and Newcomb 1991). More recently, Youniss and Yates (1997) discovered that involvement in community service, such as working in a soup kitchen, stimulates students to think about political issues, establish political identities, and develop long- term habits of civic participation. Socialization scholars also have ex- amined the effects of interventions in the civics curriculum that call upon students to become actively engaged with the subject matter. Studies indicate that curriculum innovations can shape political attitudes such as tolerance (Brody 1994), promote electoral involvement (McDevitt and Chaffee 1998), and encourage students to identify with a political party (Benitez 1995).

Political socialization studies tell a great deal about what young people know, feel, and think, as well as the ways in which they act politically. Research furnishes fewer insights into exactly why and how young people come to develop their political orientations. Civic education and service learning programs provide important research opportunities for

Diana Owen is associate professor of political science in the Communication, Culture and Technology Program at Georgetown University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1986.

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Evidence suggests that today's youth are engaged in community-level volunteerism even as they avoid the political mainstream. Here volunteers clean and repair a park in Detroit. Photo by Jim West/Impact Visuals.

638 PS September 2000



scholars interested in determining how political socialization and learning can be accomplished. They can provide insights into the complicated processes that are involved in the teaching and learning of meaningful, long-term civic orientations.

The growing symbiotic relation-

ship between political socialization and service learning should be en- couraged. As political educators, socialization scholars should con- tinue to rekindle the civic education roots of the field. Keeping in mind the practical implications of socialization research can provide impor-

tant insights for the development of theory and method. In addition, socialization researchers should use their special knowledge of the political ways of young people to help develop effective programs of service learning that will create future generations of involved citizens.

Notes

* I would like to thank Anneli Werner for her invaluable research assistance.

1. For example, Georgetown University's Communication, Culture, and Technology

Program is exploring the possibilities of developing a service learning program with the experimental Edgenet community. Students

would assist children and adults in creating an online political community with the ultimate goal of promoting real-world activism.

References

Alwin, Duane F., Ronald L. Cohen, and Theodore M. Newcomb. 1991. Political Attitudes Over the Life Span: The Benning- ton Women after Fifty Years. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

Ball, Terence. 1995. "An Ambivalent Alli- ance: Political Science and American Democracy." In Political Science in History: Research Programs and Political Traditions, ed. James Farr, John S. Dryzek, and Stephen T. Leo- nard. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Benitez, Helena Simone Nranian. 1995. "Of Patriotism and Partisanship: The Socializ- ing Effect of Secondary, U.S. History Cur- ricula." Ph.D. diss., Georgetown Univer- sity, Washington, DC.

Brody, Richard A. 1994. "Secondary Educa- tion and Political Attitudes: Examining the Effects on Political Tolerance of the We the People ... Curriculum." Calabasas, CA: Center for Civic Education.

Cook, Timothy E. 1985. "The Bear Market in Political Socialization and the Costs of Misunderstood Psychological Theories."

American Political Science Review 79(De- cember): 1079-93.

Craig, Stephen C., and Stephen Earl Bennett, eds. 1997. After the Boom: The Politics of Generation X. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Cutbirth, Joe. 2000. "Net Journalism Has Chance to Lure Back Young Voters." San Francisco Chronicle, February 20.

McDevitt, Michael, and Stephen H. Chaffee. 1998. "Second Chance Political Socializa- tion: 'Trickle-Up' Effects of Children on Parents." In Engaging the Public, ed. Thomas J. Johnson, Carol E. Hays, and Scott P. Hays. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Merelman, Richard M. 1986. "Revitalizing Political Socialization." In Handbook of Political Psychology, ed. Margaret G. Her- mann. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Merriam, Charles Edward. 1931. The Making of Citizens. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. 1934. Civic Education in the United

States. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Roberts, Donald F., Ulla G. Foehr, Victoria J. Rideout, and Mollyann Brodie. 1999. Kids & Media @ the New Millennium. Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

Sears, David 0. 1990. "Whither Political So- cialization Research: The Question of Per- sistence." In Political Socialization, Citizen- ship Education, and Democracy, ed. Orit Ichilov. New York: Teachers College Press.

Torney-Purta, Judith. 1999. "Creating Citizen- ship: Youth Development for Free and Democratic Society." Presented at the conference on Creating Citizenship: Youth Development for Free and Demo- cratic Society, Stanford University, Stan- ford, CA.

Wallas, Graham. 1908. Human Nature and Politics. London: London School of Eco- nomics.

Youniss, James, and Miranda Yates. 1997. Community Service and Social Responsibil- ity in Youth. Chicago: University of Chi- cago Press.

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Service Learning and Political Socialization