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Journal of Education & Social Sciences - Volume 5, Issue 1 2017
By Derek Anderson, Joni Zyhowski
10.20547/jess0421705105
Keywords: Political socialization, Trump, Clinton, election.
This mixed-methods study examined the political typologies, perspectives, and presidential preferences of 115 8th-grade students both six weeks before and on Election Day 2016. Data from the Pew Research Center's Political Typology quiz, surveys, coursework, and classroom observations revealed the students political candidate preferences were stable, though their political ideologies were quite malleable, with more than half (55\%) of the students' political typologies changing over the six weeks. After the election, most students expressed disdain and fear, yet few were able to express actions they could take to engage in the political process.