Thesis advisor: Michael Malec / American universities provide undergraduate students with seemingly endless opportunities for civic engagement. According to a recent report released by Boston College, students volunteer more than 444,000 hours of community service throughout the year (Community Benefits and Service Programs). This honors thesis offers a critical exploration of students’ attitudes towards civic engagement and how they make meaning of the change-making processes in which they choose to engage. The research was designed to explore how students feel about civic engagement divided into two main categories: service and politics. Declining political participation has become a characteristic identifier of young adults today. How, then, does this generational trend fit into the civic engagement story of Boston College? By exploring students’ civic and political attitudes, one can make sense of the decisions students make regarding how they can best produce social change in a democratic society, namely whether they select a service-oriented or political path. First, this research aims to highlight the crucial intersections and interdependencies between involvement in both service and politics. In other words, the change-making capacity of either service or politics is limited when the two are considered mutually exclusive. Second, this research aims to assess whether students draw parallels Boston College undergraduates between service and politics. Ultimately, this research aims to inspire undergraduates at Boston College and elsewhere to develop civic identities, which incorporate service-oriented and political ideals. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

This research is aimed at finding the classroom environment indicators that lead young preschoolers, three and four years of age, learn civic efficacy to bring a change in the lives of others a member of the classroom community. The sample comprises of six female preschool teachers at a preschool in a University in Southern America. The data collected from; lesson plans, teachers’ portfolio notes, classroom observations, and semi structured interviews. The qualitative analysis tool, NVivo pro was used to analyze the data. For a clear picture of an obscure contextual phenomenon, charts showing emerging civic efficacy themes are added. Findings reveal that inquiry based, collaboratively orchestrated, and meaningfully engaged classrooms have significant potentials to develop civic efficacy in preschoolers. A systematic, well-thought and wisely planned, children’s life relevant, developmentally challenging activities embedded in social context significantly develop civic efficacy in children. The children hone multiple skills such as; inquiry, research, and problem-solving; collective action, reciprocity, and friendship; responsibility, independence, and community building. The limitations and implications are discussed.