The Effect of a Campaign Internship on Political Efficacy and Trust

Service-learning and political engagement, efficacy, and apathy: A case study at Sam Houston State University

“…Some studies have found positive impacts on political efficacy, but these studies usually involve courses that are either about politics and policy or tie the service-learning component back to government (Button, 1973;Hamilton and Zeldin, 1987;Morgan and Streb, 2001;Sylvester, 2010;Wilson, 1974). Others have found little to no impact on political efficacy, even among courses about politics (Corbett, 1977;Kahne and Westheimer, 2006;Mariani and Klinkner, 2009;Newmann and Rutter, 1983). Kahne and Westheimer's (2006) research on service-learning and political efficacy actually suggests that some forms of service-learning, such as those that challenge the status quo and fail to achieve change, can lower levels of political efficacy.…”

Simulations Build Efficacy: Empirical Results from a Four-Week Congressional Simulation

“…Active-learning activities take many forms, including service-learning exercises and internships, mock-trials, classroom debates, and simulations (see Archer and Miller 2011;Mariani and Klinkner 2009;Shellman and Turan 2006, 19-20), and promote the development of civic engagement in a variety of ways. Firstly, active learning helps students learn more effectively (Bonwell and Elison 1991;Raymond and Sorenson 2008;Shellman 2001), as studies indicate that active-learning techniques help students better understand political concepts (Baranowski 2006;Stice 1987) and complex political ideas (Cammarano and Fowler 1997;Smith and Boyer 1996), and are of particular benefit to students who start out with low levels of political awareness (Beaumont et al 2006).…”

“…Research indicates that internships and service-learning projects can promote student learning and political engagement (Elder, Seligsohn, and Hofrenning 2007;Eyler et al 2001;Freie 1997;Mariani and Klinkner 2009;Morgan and Streb 2001). However, these types of active-learning exercises have a downside in that they require a considerable investment of time and resources on the part of instructors and students.…”

Promoting a Deliberative and Active Citizenry: Developing Traditional First Year College Student Political Engagement

“…Some specific interventions purposefully designed to develop college student political engagement include promoting "civic talk" in dormitories and residential life spaces (Klofstad 2010), building community-based discussions in general education courses (Schamber & Mahoney 2008), connecting volunteering activities more closely with voting experiences through campaign internships (Mariani & Klinker 2009), and designing multi-class global decision making simulations (Levintova, Johnson et al 2011).…”