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

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 influenced 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 development to identify conditions that maximize opportunities 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.