A syllabus that clearly connects service work to course content shows the strongest relationship with civic competence outcomes¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r1 · q2 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2013 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i3 A syllabus clearly connecting service work to course content correlated with civic competence at r = .569, the strongest pedagogical relationship found in this correlational survey analysis. → Stokamer 2013

Evidence¶

Stokamer 2013¶

Stokamer, S. (2013). Pedagogical Catalysts of Civic Competence: The Development of a Critical Epistemological Model for Community-Based Learning. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 17(1). https://www.proquest.com/docview/3468983

q2 · correlational analysis · i3 · r = .569 (i3 under r bins) · associational · r1

Pearson correlation analysis of pedagogical items with civic competence outcome mean scores from the five-year course evaluation dataset. The syllabus-service connection (r = .569) and diversity exploration (r = .552) were the two strongest associations reported.

"The pedagogical practices with the strongest relationships to civic competence were exploration of diversity (r = .552) and a syllabus that clearly connects service work to course content ( r = .569)."

Studies bearing on this claim¶

Which course features go with better outcomes: an explicit link to course concepts, diversity, structured reflection? This table gathers the studies behind this claim and the 3 narrower claims that bear on it: 3 distinct studies (1 associational, 1 causal, 1 qualitative), q1–q2, 1 of 3 with an effect size coded. One row per study, codes as each entry records them; no effect is averaged and no verdict is drawn. Built by scripts/synthesize_claim.py from eval/synthesis/; a row that looks wrong is fixed on the claim it comes from.

Discussion¶

One correlational analysis of a five-year course-evaluation dataset is recorded. "Strongest" means strongest among the pedagogical items in that dataset, and only narrowly: exploration of diversity correlated at r = .552 against the syllabus item's .569. A correlation does not show that writing such a syllabus raises civic competence. (Impact code corrected 2026-10-05 from i2: r = .569 is i3 under r bins.)

Learner Variables¶

• Civic Mindedness — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Civic competence items cluster into four epistemological components (knowledge, skills, attitudes, actions) in community-based learning course surveys — related
• A specific civic education subject provides valuable knowledge but is insufficient on its own to develop civic competence — related
• Exploration of diversity is associated with all civic competence outcomes in community-based learning courses — related
• Community projects need conceptual framing to avoid narrowing the learning object — related