Adolescents Developing Civic Identities: Sociocultural Perspectives on Simulations and Role-Play in a Civic Classroom

Abstract

While simulations and role-play have been staples in the civic classroom, little is known about how they work as best practices. This study explores the ways simulations and role-play may influence students’ civic identities. Drawing from sociocultural theories, the article seeks to understand how students’ practice-linked identities may be shaped by their experiences with simulations and role-play in the classroom. Specifically, this study follows 2 students of color in an effort to elucidate how political simulations and role-play may impact their practice-linked identities as citizens. Findings suggest simulations and role-play provide ways for students (who may initially feel disempowered) to engage with political processes that support their identities as active citizens who are empowered to change the system.

Keywords:

• civic education
• civic identity
• political engagement
• simulation and role-play

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the participants of this study for allowing me to glimpse into their worlds and perspectives as well as the Knowledge in Action team at the University of Washington for their data collection efforts. I would also like to thank Walter Parker and Carole Hahn for their substantive feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was funded by the Spencer Foundation and the George Lucas Educational Foundation. The former supported the analysis and writing of this work, while the latter supported data collection and previous iterations of the larger project.

Notes

1. ¹For example, students are not able to fully carry their political simulations into another class, even though many of them do discuss the simulations outside of class.

2. ²See Parker and Lo (2016b) for detailed descriptions of each of the simulations. This manuscript provides key components of the political simulations that differ from generic simulations.

3. ³Or what Bruner (1960) calls a spiral curriculum.

4. ⁴See Parker and Lo (2016a) for a detailed account of how curricular decisions were made to incorporate looping.

5. ⁵All names are pseudonyms.

6. ⁶The terms were used by Konah in interviews.

7. ⁷The term was used by Carlos in interviews.

8. ⁸These are Konah’s words of expression.

9. ⁹Beginning of the year survey showed neither Carlos nor Konah discussed politics very much outside of school.

10. ¹⁰A recent study has found historical empathy via historical simulations seems to be more difficult for students to grasp (Rantala, Manninen, & van den Berg, 2016).

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Spencer Foundation and the George Lucas Educational Foundation. The former supported the analysis and writing of this work, while the latter supported data collection and previous iterations of the larger project.