ERIC Number: EJ1492341
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-6102
EISSN: EISSN-2164-8212
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Authoring Civic Identities in Figured Worlds: A Case Study of a Curricular Community Engagement Program
Lalita Kaligotla
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, v29 n4 p3-26 2025
Civic identity is of scholarly import given ongoing investments in community engagement in higher education. Despite extensive scholarship, gaps remain in our understanding of students' civic identity development. This case study explicates the ways in which a curricular community engagement program influenced the development of baccalaureate students' civic identity. Leveraging theoretical borderlands (Abes, 2009), and bringing to bear two theories in identity development--self-authorship (Baxter Magolda, 1999) and figured worlds (Holland et al., 1998)--the study offers a new perspective about the impact of curricular community engagement in shaping students' civic identity. Findings revealed that early experiences influenced students' college choices and subsequent civic work in college. Furthermore, curricular community engagement played a critical role in the evolution of students' identities as civic agents and engaged citizens, highlighting that such experiences are crucial to fulfilling the civic mission of higher education institutions. Findings have important implications for pedagogy, policy, and praxis.
Descriptors: Civics, Self Concept, Undergraduate Students, Early Experience, College Choice, Service Learning, School Community Programs, Citizen Participation
Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia and the Institute of Higher Education. Treanor House, 1234 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602. Tel: 706-542-6167; Fax: 706-542-6124; e-mail: jheoe@uga.edu; Web site: http://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

Peer reviewed
