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A Multi-Method Dispositional Study of the Intersection of Democratic Citizenship and Education Policy from the Unique Perspectives of Twenty State-level Policymakers

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2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, ED Policy and Leadership.

While much attention is given to the extent to which P-12 students are sufficiently prepared to pass requisite standardized tests and accountability measures, far fewer questions have been asked about how well P-12 education prepares those same students to step into their roles as adult citizens in a democratic society. In the same vein, while there are myriad discussions about democracy, there is little conversation about what constitutes a democratic citizen. In an attempt to explore both the phenomenon of democratic citizenship, this multi-method study attempted to explore how state-level policymakers from the Ohio Senate, the Ohio House of Representatives, and the State Board of Education conceptualize democratic citizenship. Further, the study sought to investigate the extent to which the policymakers believed that there is or should be an intersection between democratic citizenship and state education policy. In particular, the study addressed policy that governs state-mandated accountability measures, such as the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT), curriculum standards, such as the Ohio Academic Content (OAC) standards, and school and classroom learning experiences where students can learn and develop democratic behaviors and characteristics.

The study explored policymakers’ perspectives on democratic citizenship through the use of Q-methodology, which is designed for use in the study of subjectivity by forcing the P-set (study participants) to rank order descriptors of the phenomenon under consideration. In this case, the P-set was asked to rank order the 18 behaviors and characteristics of democratic citizenship as described by Westheimer and Kahne (2004). In an attempt to understand the reasons and motivations behind their rankings, the qualitative aspect of the study asked participants to articulate their reasons for ranking those items that they identified as the behaviors and/or characteristics that were the three most important and the three least important to democratic citizenship. The final aspect of the study was quantitative. The purpose of this section was to investigate where, how, and to what extent policymakers’ perspectives on democratic citizenship were reflected in the education policy that they set.

Results of the study indicated that the policymakers who took part in the study conceptualize democratic citizenship on the basis of character, law abiding behavior, and personal responsibility. The findings also indicated that policymakers generally agreed that each of the policy areas (accountability, standards, and classroom practices) should be aligned with and/or include the behaviors and characteristics of democratic citizenship. However, an element of disagreement concerning the alignment of accountability measures with the behaviors and characteristics of democratic citizenship was also quite strong.

Robert Hite, PhD (Advisor)
Philip Smith, PhD (Advisor)
Bryan Warnick, PhD (Committee Member)
257 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Greene, P. L. (2009). A Multi-Method Dispositional Study of the Intersection of Democratic Citizenship and Education Policy from the Unique Perspectives of Twenty State-level Policymakers [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1259743242

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Greene, Pamela. A Multi-Method Dispositional Study of the Intersection of Democratic Citizenship and Education Policy from the Unique Perspectives of Twenty State-level Policymakers. 2009. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1259743242.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Greene, Pamela. "A Multi-Method Dispositional Study of the Intersection of Democratic Citizenship and Education Policy from the Unique Perspectives of Twenty State-level Policymakers." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1259743242

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)