ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: FUELING THE FIRE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN DEMOCRATIC CIVIC EDUCATION Donna T. Paoletti Phillips, Doctor of Philosophy 2006 Dissertation directed by: Professor Francine Hultgren Department of Education Policy and Leadership This study explores the lived experience of civic education for middle school students. It is grounded in the tradition of hermeneutic phenomenology as guided by Heidegger (1962), Gadamer (1960/2003), Casey (1993), and Levinas (1961/2004), among others. I use van Manen’s (2003) framework for conducting research for action sensitive pedagogy in which I follow six tenets including turning to the nature of lived experience, investigating experience as we live it, hermeneutic phenomenological reflection and writing, maintaining a strong and oriented relation and balancing the research context by considering parts to whole. By calling forth the philosophical and methodological tenets of hermeneutic phenomenology, I endeavor to uncover the lived experience of civic education as well as what it means to be a teacher as civic education. A class of twenty-nine students are taped as they engage in discussions, debates, a Simulated Congressional Hearing, and other lessons related to civic education in a social studies class. Their reflective writing about their learning is used as well. Twelve students self-select to engage in conversations about their experiences. These conversations along with the taped class sessions are transcribed and used to uncover themes essential to their experience of civic education in the social studies classroom. Two central existential themes of lived body and lived relation emerge from this inquiry. The importance of embodying one’s learning, as well as connecting to one’s society, are apparent. When they are face-to-face with the Other in group activities, debates, games, and simulations, students are afforded the opportunity to experience what is fundamental in a democracy, including their ethical and moral obligation to the Other. The students’ learning through their corporeal and relational experience create the civil body politic of the classroom and inform their behavior outside in society. These insights from this study may inform curriculum theorists and developers, policy-makers, and social studies teachers. Recommendations are made to reconceptualize social studies in order for students to capitalize on their bodily and relational experiences within the classroom so that they may grow in their role as citizen. Students may then embody the ideals essential in civic education and democratic societies. FUELING THE FIRE: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN DEMOCRATIC CIVIC EDUCATION by Donna T. Paoletti Phillips Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2006 Advisory Committee: Dr. Francine Hultgren, Chair/Advisor Dr. Randy McGinnis Dr. Jo Paoletti Dr. Steven Selden Dr. Thomas Weible ©Copyright by Donna T. Paoletti Phillips 2006 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As I come to the close of this journey, I turn to Maxine Greene who states, “Education…like democracy, is always in the making, forever incomplete, founded in possibilities.” Although the pages contained in this “vinyl binder” represent a complete work, it is but a beginning. I heartfully thank the following people who have enabled this possibility. Thank you Francine. It was in your class, in the basement of the Benjamin building where the seeds of hermeneutic phenomenology were planted in me, forever changing the way I think and act; forever altering my being. Your careful attention to not only my learning, but to my lifeworld as well, made this journey one of profound transformation. Thank you Jo, Randy, Steve, and Tom, my committee, for your thoughtful and thorough attention to my work. Thank you Dr. Bruce Van Sledright for your comments on my research proposal. Long live the social studies! Thank you Dr. Chris Garran for your insightful suggestions. As a fellow teacher with a hermeneutic phenomenological orientation I valued your input as a special guest reviewer of this research study. Thank you, my period four class of 2004-2005. I will never forget you and the time we shared together, in class, in conversation, always learning from one another. You will always be my period four. It was hard fun. Your voices remain with me. Thank you, my husband Kris and our son Tyler. Your unwavering confidence, support, and love are immeasurable and truly carried me through this work. Thank iii you, my parents, family, and friends who have patiently stood by me, waiting for the day when I no longer “had to work on my dissertation.” Let’s play! Thank you, my colleagues at Robert Frost Middle School and all my students past, present and future. I have always said that Frost is a place where magic happens. I tried to capture some of that magic in these pages. I am blessed to be part of the finest middle school in the country. I hope I honor you with this effort. Thank you, Montgomery County Public Schools, for granting me the permission to conduct my research study. I have been forever changed through my research with my students. I will always value this opportunity. I also acknowledge Dr. Judy Sorum Brown’s permission to reprint her poem “Fire.” iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: FINDING THE FIRE WITHIN 1 What Makes a Fire Burn? 5 Voting—An Act of Devotion 6 Running—An Act of Sacrifice 8 Petitioning—An Act of Perseverance 10 Anarchy—Action in the Classroom 12 Civic Education: In and Out of the System, In and Out of the Classroom 16 Fueling the Flames 18 An Opening for Protest 20 Simulating Civic Education 24 My Pedagogy of Freedom 26 Exploring the Social Studies 28 Social Studies—The Written Curriculum 30 A Curriculum of Eagerness 30 A Curriculum of Strangers 32 A Curriculum of Unity 34 Curriculum as Fire 36 The Fire in Social Studies 40 The Fire of Civic Education 45 Civic Education in Place: Of, With, For, and As 45 A Social Study of Civic Education 46 Social Studies with Civic Education 47 Social Studies for Civic Education 48 In Social Studies for Civic Education 49 Social Studies as Civic Education 49 Emancipatory Civic Education 52 Persistence of a Poor Pedagogy 53 Towards a Pedagogy with Fire 54 Preparing for the Challenges 56 The Fire in Phenomenology 57 Building the Fire 57 Creating the Spaces in the Fire 58 The Call of the Fire 61 CHAPTER TWO: EXPLORING THE MAKING OF CITIZENS IN CIVIC EDUCATION 63 What is Education that is Civic? 63 On Democracy (and Republics) 64 Heeding a Early Call: Founding Civic Education 65 Civic Education as Written 66 An Education for Literacy and Participation 67 v An Education of Ideas 68 What Calls for a Civic Education? 70 An Historic Calling 70 A Current Calling 71 An Unlegislated Calling 71 A Subversive Calling 72 A Calling of Conflict 73 Opening Questions in Civic Education 74 Failure in the Public 74 Civic Education as Essential History 77 Civic Education United by Principles 80 An Education of Paradox 81 The Paradox of Civic Education 83 We the People… 84 Good Character=Good Citizens 85 Participation 86 Challenging the System 87 In Order to From a More Perfect Union… 87 A Coming Together 88 E Pluribus Unum 89 Creating Citizens 89 Establish Justice… 91 Sacred Rights 91 Recognizing the Oppressor 92 Ensure Domestic Tranquility… 93 Provide for the Common Defense… 94 An International Wrong 94 A True Patriot 95 Civic Education in War, Terror, and Peace 96 Promote the General Welfare… 97 The Obligation pf Civic Education 97 Citizenship as Public Achievement 98 Secure the Blessings of Liberty… 99 To Ourselves and Our Posterity… 100 Civic Education Releases Ego 101 Civic Education Sees Things As They Could Be Otherwise 103 Civic Education Deliberates 104 A Pedagogy of Light 105 The Curriculum of Light 105 Illuminating Possibilities in Civic Education 105 An Enlightened Experience 106 A Platonic Ideal 106 The Light of Freedom 107 Guided by the Light of the Lantern 108 vi CHAPTER THREE: EXPLORING CIVIC EDUCATION THROUGH HERMENEUTIC PHENOMENOLOGY 109 Seeking a Way to Understand 109 Understanding Lived Experience 109 Finding Phenomenology 110 Researching in the Dark 111 Correlations 111 Efficacy 112 Attitudes 113 Van Manen—Switching on the Light 114 Illuminating the Self in Research 114 Illuminating the Student in Research 115 Husserl and Bracketing 116 Connecting to the Ancient Greeks 117 Exploring My Own History 118 The (Im)possibility of the Pure Phenomenon 119 Continuing Toward the Horizon 120 Personal Politics 120 A Star in the World’s Sky 123 Truth in Dreams 124 Liberation in Waves 124 A Single Thought 125 Assembling a World in Civic Education 126 Towards, Yet Away, from Civic Education 126 Work in Civic Education 127 A Many Leveled Unity 128 Existentials in Civic Education 129 Worlding in Civic Education 131 Gadamer: Playing with Questions, Historicity, and Hermeneutics 132 Gadamer at Play in the Social Studies 133 Play in Civic Education as Art 136 Civic Education as Self-Presentation 136 Historicity 137 Significance in Civic Education 138 Civic Education as Decisions Made in Freedom 139 The Question and the Hermeneutic Circle 140 Civic Education as that which Happens above Our Wanting and Doing 142 Remembering, Placing, and Imagining 142 Re-Membering Civic Education 143 A Place for Civic Education 144 Imagining Civic Education 147 A Re-Turn to the Lantern 148 Turning (to)