What the Sciences of Human Learning and Development Tell Us about Civic Reasoning and Discourse

• Published date: 01 January 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00027162231188575
• Author: Carol D. Lee,Na’ilah Suad Nasir,Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
• Date: 01 January 2023
• Subject Matter: The Complex Demands of Civic Reasoning and Discourse

54 ANNALS, AAPSS, 705, January 2023

DOI: 10.1177/00027162231188575

What the

Sciences of

Human

Learning and

Development

Tell Us about

Civic Reasoning

and Discourse

By

CAROL D. LEE,

NA’ILAH SUAD NASIR,

and

MARY HELEN

IMMORDINO-YANG

1188575ANN THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMYCIVIC REASONING AND DISCOURSE

research-article2023

There is perhaps no more important skill to cultivate in

today’s students than civic reasoning: the ability to think

about social issues in complex ways. Civic reasoning

involves the integration of knowledge, epistemological

orientations, and ethics, and this integration is influ-

enced by individuals’ perceptions of themselves and

others, and by the problems they seek to address in the

civic domain. We synthesize research from psychology,

learning science, human development, and brain devel-

opment to identify conditions that maximize opportuni-

ties for children, adolescents, and adults to learn to

engage in civic reasoning. We argue that a commitment

to democratic principles, and the development of the

reasoning skills and ethical dispositions that undergird

them, results in a more engaged populace that is willing

and able to understand multiple perspectives and to

make sound decisions for the collective good.

Keywords: civic reasoning; human development; civic

engagement; K–12 teaching and learning;

disciplinary learning

Social challenges are complex, and their

complexity makes them difficult to teach

Correspondence: cdlee@northwestern.edu

Carol D. Lee is Edwina S. Tarry Professor Emerita in

the School of Education at Northwestern University

and president of the National Academy of Education.

Her research focuses on cultural and ecological sup-

ports for learning, particularly in the area of discipli-

nary literacies.

Na’ilah Suad Nasir is president of the Spencer

Foundation, with prior appointments in education and

African American studies at the University of California,

Berkeley, where she also served as vice chancellor for

equity and inclusion. Nasir’s research examines the

racialized and cultural nature of learning, especially with

African American students in schools and communities.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang is Fahmy and Donna

Attallah Professor of Humanistic Psychology and pro-

fessor of education, psychology, and neuroscience at the

University of Southern California. She is founding

director of the USC Center for Affective Neuroscience,

Development, Learning and Education (candle.usc

.edu).

CIVIC REASONING AND DISCOURSE 55

and learn about, particularly in the current political moment, which is marked by

increasing polarization and tribalism. However, wrestling with complex social

challenges is critical to the development of civic reasoning for young people and,

thus, it is critical for schools to provide the spaces for this work to occur.

Reflecting the country’s deep political divisions, levels of trust in government are

the lowest ever recorded, and the greatest distrust is among people who self-

identify as conservative (Pew Research Center 2022a, 2022b; Rainie, Keeter, and

Perrin 2019). The most devastating example of this distrust is the attack on the

Capitol on January 6, 2021. But questions about the validity of the last presiden-

tial election, and even of recent state elections, persist to this day in several states.

The challenges of immigration, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and

the war in Ukraine impact American lives directly, yet the country is deeply

divided over how to address them. Vociferous disputes about what to teach in our

K–12 public schools have broken out in local schools, school districts, and state

legislatures (Pollock et al. 2022). These disputes center on the teaching of history

and on how to address issues of race and gender in classrooms. These fights have

resulted in book bans in some districts; bans on the teaching of critical perspec-

tives about identity and nondominant group histories in certain states; and per-

sonal and professional attacks on teachers, principals, and district leaders.

Whether the battles are about political divisions or about what to teach in our

schools, they are not new. However, the recent and intensifying conflicts are

pressing reminders of the need to prepare our young people to wrestle with con-

testation in ways that can sustain and advance the American democratic experi-

ment. In this article, we focus on the opportunities for public education to lead

in such efforts. As the only institution that requires the participation of the coun-

try’s children (the majority of whom are enrolled in public education), education

has a dual responsibility both to prepare young people for future participation in

the workforce and, equally important, for participation in citizenship. (Here, we

define the term citizenship as participation in the civic domain by all U.S. resi-

dents, including those without legal citizenship.)

The unique structure of governance and democratic decision-making pro-

cesses of the U.S. provide avenues through which we can peaceably and produc-

tively deliberate over differences. This structure allows for a nation-state that

presumes heterogeneity as a core value. Preparing young people for engagement

in civic life in a complex society like ours is no small feat, and it requires that we

deploy processes of learning and development in ways that allow them to make

sense of social and political issues. Our focus here is first to explore the founda-

tional understandings of how human learning unfolds and develops over time and

then to understand what that process means for supporting systemic efforts to

prepare young people for civic reasoning, discourse, and participation. Ultimately,

the more we support this work, the more our young people will mature into citi-

zens adept at participating in democratic practices and making decisions in the

interest of the public good.

In this article, our arguments are informed by syntheses of research from

across the behavioral and social sciences: cognitive, social, and cultural psychol-

ogy; human development; the learning sciences; and the neurosciences. From