Date of Award

5-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Education

First Advisor

Angela Mager

Second Advisor

Jason Lantzer

Abstract

This thesis examines the motivations for and barriers to voting for college students at a private, predominantly white institution in the Midwest that serves roughly 4500 students. Given that civic learning is essential and can actively increase civic engagement in the form of voting, civic education should be readily available to all citizens of all ages (Winthrop, 2020). However, civic education typically only widely occurs in high school, often before the age when individuals can vote. There are very few easily accessible and well-advertised post-high school opportunities for civic education. College is a formative time for the development of an individual’s political interest and civic engagement and accordingly, represents an ideal time for continued civic education. The findings from this research were used to create a scaffold for civic education programs for college students.

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