Niemi co-authors civic education book

Niemi

A new civic education book by College professor Richard Niemi and co-author Jane Junn finds mixed results about what high school students know about politics.

"There is some subject matter that students know a good deal about along with aspects they know little about," said Niemi, professor of political science. When studying the U.S. political system, for instance, students have a competent grasp of national and local politics--or at least which government does what, Niemi and Junn found. On the topic of individual rights particularly, students are well informed.

But high school students know very little about political parties and lobbying. And they are less informed when political issues touch on questions of race and gender.

The new book, Civic Education: What Makes Students Learn, documents how much students know about a wide range of political and civic topics as well as demonstrates differences in civic knowledge when students are grouped by race, gender, and other factors. The book also explains the cognitive process by which students learn about politics. It emphasizes that, contrary to a belief widely held in some quarters, civics and government classes play an important role in teaching about politics.

The authors analyzed the results of the 1988 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Civics Assessment with its 150 multiple-choice items and one essay question. It's considered the most extensive assessment of civic knowledge among American youth. Niemi and Junn, assistant professor of political science at Rutgers University, used test results from more than 4,200 students in 12th grade. Their analyses also set the stage for the new Civics Assessment, which will be made public this year.

A long-standing interest of Niemi's is how and what young people learn about politics. "We've got to give students a good deal of knowledge, including what politics is really like," Niemi said. "Students should know how it operates and that they should be a part of it. We want people who are able and willing to participate because they know why politics exists."