A positive climate means that teachers and students respect and listen to one another, that teachers set a high standard for their students, and that students feel supported by their teachers. Ten survey questions asked about these school qualities. On average, students agreed slightly (4.4 on a 6-point scale) that their schools fostered positive climates.… Read More »
Students rated their support for the freedom of expression with five questions about First Amendment rights: the rights to voice unpopular opinions, use offensive lyrics, deface the flag, criticize the government, and publish controversial content. They also indicated if they think First Amendment rights go too far. Most students endorsed at least four of the… Read More »
Students are more confident in their own ability to use the media as a tool of civic change when their journalism teachers exercise less direct control over their news publications and websites. To estimate the level of control, teachers reported how frequently they worried about their students publishing controversial content, discouraged their students from covering… Read More »
The civic payoff is greater for students who take more journalism classes and for those who contribute to a news publication. Students who have taken journalism for more than a year and those who contribute to a news publication are more likely than less experienced journalists and those who do not contribute to a news… Read More »
Journalists answered 15 questions about being civically engaged in adulthood. They rated how likely they will be to express their opinions using conventional and social media, contact elected officials, sign petitions, promote issues and candidates, and vote in elections. That’s why this study is meaningful: It shows that civic-media efficacy is related to — and… Read More »
Respondents came from 42 public and private high schools in metropolitan Kansas City (in Kansas and Missouri), and in Wichita. Surveys were administered online. Surveys were administered online. Student journalists and journalism teachers completed separate surveys. To measure media-civic efficacy, we first asked students to identify an issue they felt needed addressing in their schools… Read More »
Click here for a two-page summary of the study’s findings in PDF.