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How the Research can Help You

Key Research Findings for Teachers

The Research at a Glance

National Youth Survey

  • Largest survey to date on democratic participation of young Canadians
  • Conducted following the May 2011 federal election
  • Included 2,665 youth aged 18–34 from across the country

Student Vote Evaluation

  • Conducted following the May 2011 federal election
  • Included surveys with students, teachers and parents who participated in the program, as well as a control

Elections Canada is pleased to share with you this Research Action Digest, which summarizes key findings of the National Youth Survey and Student Vote Evaluation and how they might be of use to you.

As a teacher, you know the importance of experiential learning. In fact, our studies found that experiential learning increases political knowledge and interest among students and political discussion at home, and that these are important factors linked to voting. There are several activities that can provide a hands-on learning experience for students.

You can:

  • Organize simulations and political debates. Parliamentary simulations and political debates can help students learn about politics while creating an atmosphere of excitement in the school as a whole. Visit www.parl.gc.ca for information on the Model Parliament Unit and other great classroom resources.
  • Invite elected officials to the classroom. Inviting your local MPs, MPPs/MLAs or municipal officials to come speak to students is a great way to help students understand what our elected representatives do, and can help those officials hear and understand the issues youth care about (visit www.parl.gc.ca or the website for your provincial/territorial legislative assembly). The Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians can also help you connect with former MPs to invite them to the classroom (www.exparl.ca).
  • Organize an in-class town hall. Next time there is an important political issue being discussed in your city or town, organize an in-class town hall to encourage students to think about the issue and to exchange viewpoints.
  • Use Student Vote resources. The Student Vote website provides many useful tools and resources to conduct experiential activities at any time: www.studentvote.ca.

During an election, you can also:

  • Invite parties and candidates to meet with your students.
    Our survey found that turnout was 15 percentage points higher for those who were directly contacted by a candidate or party than for those who were not contacted. Inviting parties and candidates at all levels of government to the classroom can facilitate these types of interactions. They also provide parties and candidates with the opportunity to reach out to youth, listen to their views, and learn about those issues that are most important to them.

  • Participate in the next Student Vote Program!
    Student Vote regularly organizes parallel elections coinciding with provincial and federal elections (and increasingly municipal elections, too). These parallel elections provide students with the opportunity to vote, perform the role of candidates, interview electoral candidates in their riding, and act as election officials. Contact Student Vote to see if they are hosting a parallel election next time there is an election in your area.

The activities listed above can be incorporated into different classroom settings to complement the official civics curriculum and to help build students’ knowledge of politics. The Student Vote Evaluation and the National Youth Survey also provided several recommendations to help reach students and make politics relevant to their everyday lives. These include:

  • Encourage students to consult multiple sources of information.
    The youth survey found that individuals who rely mostly on television for their election information are less likely to vote than those who obtain election information online or through newspapers and magazines. Encouraging students to consult multiple information sources can help build the interest and knowledge that lead to participation.

  • Encourage discussion on politics to increase political interest.
    Another way to increase interest in politics is by encouraging political discussion and helping students identify issues that are important to them. Discussing issues and exploring how candidates and parties propose to address them can help make politics more relevant and interesting. It may be helpful to connect voting to the larger context of international struggles for democracy (like in Egypt) and positive change; this can lead to greater appreciation of and interest in politics.

As we all know, parents also play a key role. For youth who discussed politics with their family, turnout was 31 percentage points higher than for youth who did not. Possible ways to engage parents include:

  • Make discussion with parents part of class assignments.
    Encouraging students to discuss politics with their parents through assignments could help reinforce the habit of political discussion in the home (and the Student Vote Evaluation found it can have positive impacts on parents voting as well!).

  • Encourage parents to vote with their children.
    Research shows that voting is a learned behaviour that is likely to continue for the remainder of an individual’s life. Encouraging parents to take their children voting can help instil this habit early on. The Student Vote Program includes a component that encourages parents to take their children with them when they go to vote on election day.

Finally, teachers can play an important role as civic education advocates. The survey showed that turnout was 14 percentage points higher for those who had taken civic education courses compared to those who had not. Although there are different ways to encourage youth to vote, civic education – with the right approach – remains essential for fostering democratic participation and preparing young people to assume their roles as citizens.

Spark interest in voting in your classroom!

Elections Canada provides the educational resources and tools

For free materials to help you in the classroom, visit our web page for teachers, where you can access directly – or find information on how to access – the following resources:

  • Choosing Our Mascot Election Simulation Kit (Kindergarten – Grade 4 levels)
  • Canada at the Polls Election Simulation Kit and Student Council Election Kit (Grade 5 – Secondary levels)
  • Voting Rules! Civic Education Program (Elementaryand Secondary levels). Please contact our partner, Elections Ontario, to order supplementary copies at info@elections.on.ca.
  • Democracy Week in Canada Lesson Plans (online only)
  • A History of the Vote in Canada
  • The Electoral System of Canada
  • Maps Corner
  • List of Registered Political Parties
  • Backgrounders on the Electoral Process

info@elections.ca
1-800-463-6868
TTY: 1-800-361-8935