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ERIC Number: EJ1310601
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1551-2169
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Use of Debates in Political Science Courses
Abernathy, Claire; Forestal, Jennifer
Journal of Political Science Education, v17 n3 p343-355 2021
Structured in-class debates are a valuable addition to courses that seek to foster students' development as citizens. In this study, we examine how different debate formats can impact their effectiveness as a pedagogical tool for advancing students' civic learning outcomes. We consider "moderated dualistic" debates that ask students to bring empirical evidence to bear on a yes/no question about a particular policy issue and "unmoderated pluralistic" debates that ask students to engage with multiple perspectives about essential political values. We find that both debate formats contribute to students' civic education: Moderated dualistic debates cultivated some political skills while unmoderated pluralistic debates deepened--and complicated--students' thinking about democratic values. From these results, we conclude that students' civic development benefits from experience with a variety of different debate formats that can prepare students for effective citizenship in distinct ways.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A