Pedagogical Value of Polling Place Observation By Students
Observing polling places as part of a multi-campus research project provided students with valuable experiential learning, increasing their knowledge and engagement with election science and democratic processes.
Why It Matters
The publication begins with a motivating question: Does observing polling locations on Election Day as part of a data-collection process produce pedagogical value for students?
Its central contribution is to show that observing polling places as part of a multi-campus research project provided students with valuable experiential learning, increasing their knowledge and engagement with election science and democratic processes.
It matters because the findings connect institutional choices to the way authority, public responsibility, and political behavior are experienced in practice.
Key Findings
- Students reported that observing polling places was a valuable learning experience.
- Participants felt more knowledgeable about election science, voting behavior, and research methods after the experience.
- Students expressed interest in participating in similar research in the future and would recommend the experience to others.
- The project fostered engagement and efficacy, important qualities for democratic citizenship.
Research Design
- Design
- Article
- Data
- Post-election survey responses from 479 students who participated in polling place observation.
- Geography
- United States (23 colleges and universities across the country)
- Time Period
- November 2016 (2016 General Election)
- Unit of Analysis
- Student participant
- Methods
- Post-election survey of student participants across 23 colleges and universities.; Survey measured self-assessed learning, perceived value, and interest in future research.; Word cloud analysis of open-ended survey responses.
Full Abstract
We report on an evaluation of the pedagogical value of a research project involving 23 colleges and universities across the country. Faculty trained and supervised students who observed polling places in the 2016 General Election. Our findings indicate that this was a valuable learning experience in both the short and long terms. Students found their experiences to be valuable and reported learning generally and specifically related to course material. Postelection, they also felt more knowledgeable about election science topics, voting behavior, and research methods. Students reported interest in participating in similar research in the future, would recommend other students to do so, and expressed interest in more learning and research about the topics central to their experience. Our results suggest that participants appreciated the importance of elections and their study. Collectively, the participating students are engaged and efficacious—essential qualities of citizens in a democracy.
Citation
PS: Political Science \& Politics 51 (4): 831-837.
- Venue
- PS: Political Science & Politics
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 831-837
- DOI
- 10.1017/S1049096518000550