Learning to Participate through Role-Play: Understanding Political Simulations in the High School Government Course

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2015This dissertation investigates simulations and role-play as best practices of democratic education. It asks: Do students' situational interest and frequency of simulations and role-play uniquely contribute to students' commitment to vote in the future? And how do simulations and role-play help create an authentic learning environment that supports the development of students' situational interest? The study utilizes mixed methods to: quantitatively explore the relationship(s) between frequency of simulations and role-play, situational interest, and students' commitment to vote in the future; and qualitatively investigate how simulations and role-play work. Findings suggest simulations and role-play can help students engage with political knowledge and processes in important ways. By understanding how simulations and role-play influence students' motivations towards and interests in politics, the dissertation hopes to shed light on how simulations may impact youth political engagement