Using reflection to demonstrate development of active citizenship and critical consciousness through authentic and locally based projects

Concepts such as active citizenship and critical consciousness are increasingly relevant to enable students to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Additionally, self-reflection is a powerful tool to observe the development of abstract concepts such as these. This qualitative exploratory study examined the extent to which university students in Colombia enhanced their critical consciousness and a sense of active citizenship through projects focused on cases of violence against social leaders in their region. During the project, 93 students in four academic cohorts wrote a total of 155 reflections related to their experiences. These were analyzed using qualitative content analysis with the AtlasTi software. The results evidenced a shift in students' critical consciousness including a deeper understanding, a recognition of significance, an acknowledgement of privilege, and an awareness of the connection between local and global issues in relation to the topic of the project. In addition, traits of active citizenship were observed such as a sense of collective responsibility, a desire to contribute, a sense of empowerment, and growth in empathy. This research demonstrates the potential for authentic locally based project topics for developing active citizenship and enhancing critical consciousness as well as reinforcing the potential for reflections to demonstrate such development.