{"id":{"repo_id":"baylor","oai_identifier":"oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14113"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/baylor/oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/14113","repository":{"repo_id":"baylor","name":"Baylor University","base_url":"https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Perceptions of citizenship through civic action : a qualitative case study of personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship in 6th and 7th graders.","abstract":"Many adolescents in the United States lack meaningful opportunities to develop civic understanding because social studies instruction has been deprioritized in schools. National data show that most middle school students score below proficiency in civics, and research highlights how the lack of authentic civic learning experiences limits students’ ability to see themselves as contributors to their communities. This issue is especially visible in public schools where social studies is often reduced or removed from the curriculum. As a result, students are left without structured opportunities to explore local issues, participate in collaborative problem-solving, or reflect on systemic challenges affecting their communities’ lives. This qualitative case study examined how 6th and 7th grade students at a public charter school perceived personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship following their active involvement in a short-term, civic-focused take-action project. Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) typology of civic identity provided the theoretical framework for the study. I gathered data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and civics project planning documents. The analysis combined a priori coding with open coding, enabling both predetermined and emerging themes to be identified. Cross-referencing data from all three sources increased the trustworthiness of the findings and offered a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ perceptions. This study had three key findings related to the participants’ perceptions of personally responsible, participatory, and social-justice-oriented citizenship. The findings showed that students began to see their roles in the community through small, intentional acts of personal responsibility. They valued teamwork in addressing local issues and demonstrated a growing understanding of systemic barriers and the importance of sustainable solutions. These results indicated that even brief, structured civic learning experiences can foster student agency, empathy, and critical thinking in middle school settings with limited formal social studies instruction. The implications of this study highlight opportunities to integrate civic learning into literacy classes, establish platforms for student voice, and align school policies to promote civic engagement. These implications extend to charter middle school leaders, literacy teachers, and students. Future research might explore how ongoing civic projects contribute to adolescents’ long-term civic identity development.","abstract_html":"Many adolescents in the United States lack meaningful opportunities to develop civic understanding because social studies instruction has been deprioritized in schools. National data show that most middle school students score below proficiency in civics, and research highlights how the lack of authentic civic learning experiences limits students’ ability to see themselves as contributors to their communities. This issue is especially visible in public schools where social studies is often reduced or removed from the curriculum. As a result, students are left without structured opportunities to explore local issues, participate in collaborative problem-solving, or reflect on systemic challenges affecting their communities’ lives. This qualitative case study examined how 6th and 7th grade students at a public charter school perceived personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship following their active involvement in a short-term, civic-focused take-action project. Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) typology of civic identity provided the theoretical framework for the study. I gathered data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and civics project planning documents. The analysis combined a priori coding with open coding, enabling both predetermined and emerging themes to be identified. Cross-referencing data from all three sources increased the trustworthiness of the findings and offered a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ perceptions. This study had three key findings related to the participants’ perceptions of personally responsible, participatory, and social-justice-oriented citizenship. The findings showed that students began to see their roles in the community through small, intentional acts of personal responsibility. They valued teamwork in addressing local issues and demonstrated a growing understanding of systemic barriers and the importance of sustainable solutions. These results indicated that even brief, structured civic learning experiences can foster student agency, empathy, and critical thinking in middle school settings with limited formal social studies instruction. The implications of this study highlight opportunities to integrate civic learning into literacy classes, establish platforms for student voice, and align school policies to promote civic engagement. These implications extend to charter middle school leaders, literacy teachers, and students. Future research might explore how ongoing civic projects contribute to adolescents’ long-term civic identity development.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Tell, David A., 1980-"],"institution":"Baylor University.","degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Foster, Marquita D."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:08:00Z","subjects":["Civic identity.","Civic learning.","Charter schools.","Student agency.","Action civics.","Citizenship.","Civic engagement.","Middle school students."],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14113","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Foster, Marquita D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Tell, David A., 1980-"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-21T16:15:43Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Baylor University."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Civic identity.","Civic learning.","Charter schools.","Student agency.","Action civics.","Citizenship.","Civic engagement.","Middle school students."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14113"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Many adolescents in the United States lack meaningful opportunities to develop civic understanding because social studies instruction has been deprioritized in schools. National data show that most middle school students score below proficiency in civics, and research highlights how the lack of authentic civic learning experiences limits students’ ability to see themselves as contributors to their communities. This issue is especially visible in public schools where social studies is often reduced or removed from the curriculum. As a result, students are left without structured opportunities to explore local issues, participate in collaborative problem-solving, or reflect on systemic challenges affecting their communities’ lives. This qualitative case study examined how 6th and 7th grade students at a public charter school perceived personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship following their active involvement in a short-term, civic-focused take-action project. Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) typology of civic identity provided the theoretical framework for the study. I gathered data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and civics project planning documents. The analysis combined a priori coding with open coding, enabling both predetermined and emerging themes to be identified. Cross-referencing data from all three sources increased the trustworthiness of the findings and offered a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ perceptions. This study had three key findings related to the participants’ perceptions of personally responsible, participatory, and social-justice-oriented citizenship. The findings showed that students began to see their roles in the community through small, intentional acts of personal responsibility. They valued teamwork in addressing local issues and demonstrated a growing understanding of systemic barriers and the importance of sustainable solutions. These results indicated that even brief, structured civic learning experiences can foster student agency, empathy, and critical thinking in middle school settings with limited formal social studies instruction. The implications of this study highlight opportunities to integrate civic learning into literacy classes, establish platforms for student voice, and align school policies to promote civic engagement. These implications extend to charter middle school leaders, literacy teachers, and students. Future research might explore how ongoing civic projects contribute to adolescents’ long-term civic identity development."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Perceptions of citizenship through civic action : a qualitative case study of personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship in 6th and 7th graders."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Foster, Marquita D."],"dc:creator":["Tell, David A., 1980-"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-21T16:15:43Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12"],"dc:description.abstract":["Many adolescents in the United States lack meaningful opportunities to develop civic understanding because social studies instruction has been deprioritized in schools. National data show that most middle school students score below proficiency in civics, and research highlights how the lack of authentic civic learning experiences limits students’ ability to see themselves as contributors to their communities. This issue is especially visible in public schools where social studies is often reduced or removed from the curriculum. As a result, students are left without structured opportunities to explore local issues, participate in collaborative problem-solving, or reflect on systemic challenges affecting their communities’ lives. This qualitative case study examined how 6th and 7th grade students at a public charter school perceived personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship following their active involvement in a short-term, civic-focused take-action project. Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) typology of civic identity provided the theoretical framework for the study. I gathered data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and civics project planning documents. The analysis combined a priori coding with open coding, enabling both predetermined and emerging themes to be identified. Cross-referencing data from all three sources increased the trustworthiness of the findings and offered a comprehensive understanding of the participants’ perceptions. This study had three key findings related to the participants’ perceptions of personally responsible, participatory, and social-justice-oriented citizenship. The findings showed that students began to see their roles in the community through small, intentional acts of personal responsibility. They valued teamwork in addressing local issues and demonstrated a growing understanding of systemic barriers and the importance of sustainable solutions. These results indicated that even brief, structured civic learning experiences can foster student agency, empathy, and critical thinking in middle school settings with limited formal social studies instruction. The implications of this study highlight opportunities to integrate civic learning into literacy classes, establish platforms for student voice, and align school policies to promote civic engagement. These implications extend to charter middle school leaders, literacy teachers, and students. Future research might explore how ongoing civic projects contribute to adolescents’ long-term civic identity development."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/2104/14113"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:rights":["Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission."],"dc:subject":["Civic identity.","Civic learning.","Charter schools.","Student agency.","Action civics.","Citizenship.","Civic engagement.","Middle school students."],"dc:title":["Perceptions of citizenship through civic action : a qualitative case study of personally responsible, participatory, and social justice-oriented citizenship in 6th and 7th graders."],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_level":["Doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["Baylor University."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:08:00Z"}