Can't Be What You Can't See: The Role of Citizen Role Models in Immigrant Students' Political Development

Purpose: As the population of immigrant-origin youth continues to increase in the school systems of the United States and Canada, this study examined the relationship between immigrant youths' feelings of belonging and their developing understanding of citizenship. Research Methods/Approach: Adopting an ecological framework, this qualitative, comparative case study explores immigrant students' experiences in two new immigrant destination school districts in Pennsylvania and Manitoba. Findings: Both districts had experienced rapid growth in immigrant students, which raised questions of belonging at both the community and individual levels. Students' feelings of belonging shaped their understanding of citizenship by influencing who they identified as their citizen role models. These citizen role models cultivated the students' feelings of belonging and their political development. Implications: The article concludes by proposing an ecological framework for understanding students' political development. It includes implications for both educators and policy makers.