Explicating Factors that Foster Civic Engagement among Students Masami Nishishiba, Hal T.Nelson, and Craig W Shinn Portland State University ABSTRACf TIlis paper investigates many facets of civic engagement by analyzing how college undergraduate students conceptualize civic engagement and by examining factors that predict greater student involvement in political, social, and community affairs. We administered a survey to college students at the beginning of fall, winter, and spring terms, 2001-Q2.We analyzed survey respons- es using a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The analysis examines how expectations of community and politi- cal efficacy, attitudes regarding citizen con- trol of government, and attitudes toward diversity relate to the students' civic engage- ment behaviors such as monthly volunteer hours, organizational participation, advoca- cy, voting, direct political action, and action to promote diversity and social justice in the community. The result of the SEManaly- sis indicates that expectations of efficacy significantly predict students' direct political action, monthly volunteer hours, organiza- tional participation, advocacy, and voting attitude. Students' sense of control over public affairs significantly predicts organiza- tional participation, advocacy, and voting attitude. The implications of these results are discussed in rela tion to curriculum design to foster civic engagement. J-PAE 11 (2005):4:269-285 Citizen participation and engagement in public life are essential ele- ments of democracy. Successful democratic society requires citizens to actively engage in community development and participate in community problem-solving. Many argue that democracy requires a culture that fosters a strong sense of civic responsibility among citizens. (Battistoni, 1997; Boyte and Farr, 1997). Consequently, the decrease in civic engagement among U.S.citizens during recent decades is a concern. Both the academic and popular press (Barber, 1999; Skocpol apd Fiorina, 1999; New York Times, 2000; Putnam, 2000; Skocpol, 2003) have warned that the decline in civic engagement, left unchecked, can pose a major threat to a democratic society. During the last decade, postsecondary educators began taking this con- cern seriously. The notion that one of the responsibilities of higher educa- tion is to prepare students for citizenship prompted educators to look into ways to strengthen civic education. Universities across the nation devel- oped curricula specifically designed to cultivate good citizenship and to promote civic engagement (Checkoway, 2001; Ehrlich, 2000; Morgan et aI., 2002). They began experimenting with service learning, an approach that combines community experience with classroom instruction and reflec- tion. Under the service learning curricular model, students participate in variety of community activities, while instructors guide the students to put their experience into some larger academic context. The service learning movement has gained momentum, and now universities, community col- leges, and high schools incorporate service learning into their curriculum and encourage civic engagement among students. The assumption underlying the pedagogy of service learning is that good citizenship not only consists of participating in the formal political process but also involves participating in various voluntary organizations that con- tribute to the civic good of the community. Active participation in the community is a way to cultivate good citizenship and democracy. For this reason, it is not surprising to see heightened interest among public affairs educators in service learning. Dicke, Dowden, and Torres (2004) note the increase in service learning courses in the public affairs curriculum because Journal of Public Affairs Education 269