Becoming “Effective” Citizens? Change-Oriented Service in a Teacher Education Program

• Published in: Innovative higher education 2010-02, Vol.35 (1), p.19-35
• Main Authors: Iverson, Susan V., James, Jennifer H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activism; Beginning teachers; Citizen Participation; Citizenship; Citizenship Education; Citizenship Responsibility; College Administration; College Role; College Students; Community Needs; Community Relations; Democracy; Education; Higher Education; Instructional Effectiveness; Meetings; Political Power; Preservice Teacher Education; Preservice Teachers; Role of Education; Service Learning; Sex Fairness; Social Justice; Social Studies; State Schools; State Universities; Student Empowerment; Student teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher education; Teacher Education Programs; Teacher Improvement; Teacher Role; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0742-5627; 1573-1758
• DOI: 10.1007/s10755-009-9127-y

The authors investigated the impact of 22 pre-service teachers’ participation in a change-oriented service-learning project on their conceptions of citizenship as civic actors and civic educators. The goal of this project was to push students toward adopting more critically conscious and activist conceptions of citizenship as aligned with the needs of a democratic society. Using Eyler and Giles’ (1999) typology of effective citizenship as an analytic framework, we describe how students’ participation in this project led to demonstrated growth along all five dimensions of effective citizenship. Yet, analysis revealed that, despite the project’s change-orientation, students’ conceptions of citizenship failed to move beyond personal responsibility to include enhanced social consciousness and the importance of collective action. Thus, we raise critical questions about what constitutes “effective citizenship” in a democratic society and the role of higher education in preparing teachers to embody and enact such a vision.