How Deliberating Controversial Issues in High School Courses Influences Civic Learning and Participation

Teaching young people how to deliberate about important domestic and international controversial issues is often recommended as a promising approach to civic education. Current research data about the effectiveness of such instruction, however, is inadequate, and some findings are contradictory. This study investigates whether deliberating controversial issues as a form of democracy education may effectively advance high school students' civic learning engagement while they are high school and after graduation.