| The purpose of this study was to investigate Latina/o students' citizenship knowledge, specifically their knowledge about the procedures involved in becoming a naturalized citizen and the rights, duties, and responsibilities associated with American citizenship. Students' perceptions about citizenship, specifically the characteristics students associate with being a good citizen and the influences upon the development of their citizenship, and socio-cultural factors in the classroom, school, home and community were explored. The study also investigated students' perceptions about the civics curriculum and instruction in school including activities used the most and least often in their civics courses, activities students identified as their most and least favorite, and their preferences for specific activities that can be used in studying citizenship.; Surveys were used to collect data from 160 Latina/o students from a total of nine high schools in North Carolina in a purposeful convenient sample. Data analysis was conducted for 156 cases with descriptive statistics for frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Inferential statistics with one-way ANOVAs with Scheffe tests for multiple comparisons of means and Pearson's correlation were conducted to explore relationships between citizenship knowledge and other factors including student demographics, immigration related attributes, academic backgrounds, perceptions about the concept of citizenship, perceptions about school and schooling, and perceptions about community and home.; Based upon the findings, recommendations were made to social studies teachers, high school teachers, and school administrators in order to meet Latina/o students' specific academic interests and needs. Recommendations include incorporating the citizenship activities and other classroom activities preferred by Latina/o students, establishment of a mentoring or advisory program that facilitates high school completion and students' postsecondary goals, and modifying extracurricular activities so that more Latina/o students can participate. Recommendations for further research are also given. |
