Using Community-Based Research to Encourage Student Engagement with Local Government
By Tim Meinke, University of Lynchburg
The case study in this article explores the use of a community-based research assignment to promote civic engagement. The author argues that the lessons learned are relevant for any social science class in any sized public or private institution interested in increasing civic engagement. Groups of students were attached to a local government partner in order to complete best practices research needed by the city to find improvements in three policy areas. This study provides actionable insights for enhancing community-based research pedagogies to improve the skills identified by past scholarship as important for increasing civic engagement among our students.
The Journal of Political Science Education is an intellectually rigorous, path-breaking, agenda-setting journal that publishes the highest quality scholarship on teaching and pedagogical issues in political science. The journal aims to represent the full range of questions, issues and approaches regarding political science education, including teaching-related issues, methods and techniques, learning/teaching activities and devices, educational assessment in political science, graduate education, and curriculum development.