Emily Euiyoung Noh

Emily Euiyoung Noh received her PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. Her main research interests are civic engagement, education, and public opinion.

 

She is currently working on a book project that investigates how education models shape the way that citizens perceive and engage with their political community. The project is motivated by the idea that schools shape citizens even when they are not teaching civics and civic skills. Individuals learn not only by being taught but also by observing and experiencing social interactions. Based on this premise, the book project develops a theory of the civic effects of education models distinguished in their nature of teacher-student and peer interactions.

 

Under teacher-centered models, with hierarchical ties between teachers and students, teachers dominate decision-making and deliver knowledge to students. Under student-centered models, with horizontal student-teacher relations, students participate in decision-making and collectively construct knowledge. The book project uses data from South Korea and other contexts to investigate whether such horizontal relations make individuals more active citizens, by forging self-concepts as efficacious members of a larger civic community.