Teaching Citizens: Exploring the Relationships Between Teacher Professional Learning, Interactive Civics, and Student Achievement on NAEP Civics

Teaching Citizens: Exploring the Relationships between Teacher Professional Learning, Interactive Civics, and Student Achievement on NAEP Civics Joshua Littenberg-Tobias Dr. Laura O’Dwyer, Chair Youth civic participation is at alarmingly low levels. In 2014, nearly 80% of eligible 1829 year-olds did not vote in the midterm election (CIRCLE, 2014). Other forms of civic engagement are also at starkly low levels: less than one in ten 18-29 year-olds report contacting a public official, boycotting a product, or frequently expressing political opinions on the internet (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). Historically, schools have been tasked with preparing students with the knowledge and skills to be active democratic citizens. However, few studies have examined the role of teachers in fostering students’ civic knowledge and skills. This study used data from the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 8 grade civics assessment to analyze the relationships between teacher participation in professional learning, use of interactive instructional practices, and student achievement in civics. Participation in professional learning significantly predicted both interactive instruction and student achievement: a one standard deviation increase in professional learning was associated with a predicted . 32 standard deviation increase in interactive instructional practices, and a predicted . 045 standard deviation increase in student achievement. There was no significant difference between more traditional and communities of practice based forms of professional development in their relationships with interactive instructional practices and student civic achievement. Interactive instructional practices were also significantly associated with increases in student achievement on NAEP civics, but the effect size was small: a one standard deviation increase in interactive instruction was related to a predicted . 03 standard deviation increase in student achievement. Moreover, the relationship between interactive instruction and student achievement was curvilinear; high levels of interactive instruction were associated with decreases in student achievement. The study did not find any evidence that teacher participation in professional learning increased the effectiveness of interactive instructional practices. Acknowledgements This dissertation is about civics and the creation of this dissertation was a civic endeavor that required the participation of many different individuals. I would like to thank the many people who helped bring this dissertation to fruition. To my chair, Laura O’Dwyer, thank you for providing thoughtful feedback and advice throughout the dissertation process and for ensuring that I stayed focused on the end goal. To Lauren Saenz, thank you for serving on my committee and offering critical feedback when it was needed. To Larry Ludlow, thank you for reading over the early drafts of the dissertation and for always being a supportive department chair. To Peter Levine, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Felicia Sullivan, and the rest of the staff at CIRCLE, thank you for fostering my interest in civic engagement and for supporting me in my research. To Vincent Cho, thank you for being an incredible research advisor and mentor and for helping me develop as writer, researcher, and scholar. I would also like to thank my parents, Susan and David, and my brother Ethan. You have always supported me in my studies, even when you weren’t quite sure what it was I was studying in graduate school. I am so grateful to have such a loving and supportive family. This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Liza. Thank you for reading through the many drafts of this dissertation and always being supportive of my dissertation research, even when it meant that I had to spend hours holed up in my office. Thank you also for being an amazing, loving, and supportive partner―you always seems to know what I need, often before I even realize it! I am so thankful that I have been able to start a family with you and now that my dissertation has been completed I am looking forward to spending more time with you and our