ABSTRACT

We explore student attitudes toward freedom of speech on campus using a think-aloud method, in which students are exposed to source material on a subject and “think aloud” as they work through the controversies. We gain an in-depth picture of how students understand and make judgments about who should and should not be allowed to speak on campus. Utilizing the think-aloud method to examine various cases of invited speakers on campus, we learn that students have difficult times differentiating legal and political reasons for preventing certain campus speakers. We also find that students tend to be more restrictive than a civil libertarian might like, albeit in (usually) internally consistent and sympathetic ways. We conclude by suggesting interventions that could help students better understand the way First Amendment rights are typically adjudicated and balanced against other lofty goals.

摘要

我们通过大声思考来探索学生对校园言论自由的态度方法，在这种方法中，学生接触有关某个主题的原始材料，并在解决争议时“大声思考”。我们深入了解学生如何理解和判断谁应该和不应该被允许在校园里发言。利用大声思考的方法检查校园受邀演讲者的各种案例，我们了解到学生很难区分阻止某些校园演讲者的法律和政治原因。我们还发现，学生往往比公民自由主义者可能喜欢的限制更多，尽管（通常）以内在一致和同情的方式。最后，我们提出了一些干预措施，以帮助学生更好地理解第一修正案权利通常是如何裁决的，并与其他崇高目标相平衡。