Becoming an Engaged Citizen

This text is concerned with how young people develop§their civic attitudes and behaviors toward their§political system. Currently, researchers in social§science are concerned about the potential future of§the American democracy and the decline in the quality§of democratic citizenship as well as political§participation. Theories of deliberative democracy may§help explain why young people are consistently less§interested in political participation and also§provide a heuristic model for improvement. Using§structural equation modeling, this study is to test§whether the relationship between civic education and§political participation is direct or mediated by§discursive variables (i.e., political discussion and§Internet use) and to detect how such a mediating§process might operate. This book is an excellent§resource for readers interested in social studies§education, education for democracy, and youth§political socialization, as well as a welcome§addition to any academic library. It can be also used§as a supplemental textbook for advanced undergraduate§and graduate courses on political communication and§media & politics, as found in departments of§communication and political science.