THE FIRST AMENDMENT: HAVE COLLEGE STUDENTS RETAINED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE FIRST AMENDMENT?

Abstract

The goal of the research was to ponder a theory that college students did not know their First Amendment rights due to ignorance and lack of learning of the First Amendment from pre-college life. The research question to be answered was Have college students retained knowledge about the first amendment? As it turns out, the results show that college students do not know their First Amendment rights. The method used was a journalistic conversational approach. Through conversations with thirty-seven other college students it was concluded the confirmation of the theory. Most students were only able to list one right provided by the First Amendment being Freedom of Speech. Only a couple were able to answer all five correct rights with exactness. All the while very few people had exposure to the First Amendment before their college career. This sad prospect needs to change. The gap in the literature proved that there are no studies within this subject area pertaining to college students and First Amendment knowledge. Keywords: First Amendment, college students, US Constitution