CivicXcellence
Posted on Monday, July 24th, 2023
This design-research project is a collaboration of Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program and Elections Canada. Elections Canada is an independent and non-partisan agency responsible for administering federal elections and referendums in Canada. In a team of four with diverse backgrounds, we collaboratively worked with a multidisciplinary approach to address issues from various perspectives. Elections Canada presented us with the challenge of conducting research to explore Canadians’ perceptions of civic responsibility and their level of civic literacy. To explore this issue in depth we did extensive literature research, including examining more than 40 sources. Our insights indicated a continuous decline in youth voter turnout which revealed an alarming lack of Civic Education in Canada.
With this in mind, our study specifically focused on the Education system in Canada. We choose High School Educators (Grades 9th – 12th) as our target demographic, as they play a crucial role in imparting knowledge to young individuals within a school setting. To gain a more profound understanding of this matter, we divided our research question into four sub-questions.
1. What role do educators play in youth civic engagement and literacy in Canada?
2. Does the educational background of an educator play a role in shaping students’ civic responsibility?
3. What are the perceptions of High school educators’ regarding the civic education curricula provided by the Ministry of Education?
4. What are the thoughts of High school educators on external organizations playing a role in shaping students’ civic literacy and responsibility?
Having discovered that Educators play a role in shaping students, we further our research to understand our participant’s perceptions. We conducted a mixed-method study that combined an online survey and semi-structured interviews. With a user-centered approach, we designed our questionnaire to know their views. Our survey was categorized into civic educators and non-civic educators to compare their views on current civic education. We received 14 survey responses which helped us to reach 6 High-school Educators for the semi-structured interviews. We also interview 7 Subject Matter Experts to gain a deeper understanding of this research domain.
After data collection, we analyzed our data through affinity mapping and thematic coding techniques. The primary finding of our analysis suggests that enhancing the skills of educators in teaching civics is essential. It also highlights the need for external organizations to increase their efforts in supporting educators in this regard. In addition, providing tailored teaching materials, resources, and upskilling modules will motivate and empower them to engage in teaching.
We developed a solution that aims to address the challenges encountered by our users by leveraging respective experience principles. Our solution comprises two main components. This first component of the course involves an in-person workshop, after which they can learn the course at their own pace. Upon completion, they will receive a certificate that not only adds value to their professional growth but also enables them to influence the development of young minds positively. The second component entails establishing a knowledge-sharing community on the Elections Canada website. Through this community, participants will be able to exchange insights, tips, tricks, and feedback, fostering a collaborative and interactive communication approach.
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