Raising Students’ Awareness of Social Justice through Civic Literacy

Abstract

This research study measured the impact of Project Citizen on Moroccan students’ civic literacy. Project Citizen (PC) is a community problem-solving curriculum which has been implemented in more than 80 countries worldwide. Using mixed methodology, the authors examined the extent to which students’ participation in PC had an impact on developing their civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and whether it fostered a commitment to social justice in them. Results indicated that participation in PC increased perceptions of efficacy regarding students’ impact on policy as well as their ability to think critically about important local issues. Students also reported a heightened sense of responsibility to address societal problems as well as a need to respect divergent opinions. In regards to issues of social justice, participants indicated that participation increased their commitment to addressing issues of injustice as well as contributing to positive societal change