Becoming an Engaged Citizen

This text is concerned with how young people developtheir civic attitudes and behaviors toward theirpolitical system. Currently, researchers in socialscience are concerned about the potential future ofthe American democracy and the decline in the qualityof democratic citizenship as well as politicalparticipation. Theories of deliberative democracy mayhelp explain why young people are consistently lessinterested in political participation and alsoprovide a heuristic model for improvement. Usingstructural equation modeling, this study is to testwhether the relationship between civic education andpolitical participation is direct or mediated bydiscursive variables (i.e., political discussion andInternet use) and to detect how such a mediatingprocess might operate. This book is an excellentresource for readers interested in social studieseducation, education for democracy, and youthpolitical socialization, as well as a welcomeaddition to any academic library. It can be also usedas a supplemental textbook for advanced undergraduateand graduate courses on political communication andmedia & politics, as found in departments ofcommunication and political science.... Mehr