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Li W, He QF, Lan JZ, Attiq-Ur-Rehman, Ge MW, Shen LT, Hu FH, Jia YJ, Chen HL. Empathy as a Mediator of the Relation between Peer Influence and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescence: A Meta-Analysis. J Youth Adolesc 2024:10.1007/s10964-024-02079-3. [PMID: 39302609 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-024-02079-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 09/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
During adolescence, empathy and prosocial behavior contribute to the establishment of positive interpersonal relationships and social connections, promoting holistic development in youth. A substantial amount of research has provided compelling evidence that there is a relationship between peer relationships and empathy and prosocial behavior. Empathy, as a key mediating factor, links the influence of peers with prosocial behavior in adolescents, yet there is currently a lack of robust meta-analytic evidence regarding this mediating role. This study employed a two-stage structural equation modeling approach to synthesize existing research on peer influence, empathy, and prosocial behavior during adolescence. Systematic searches were conducted across three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO), identifying a total of 49 studies, with a systematic assessment of study quality. The results indicated that empathy plays a mediating role between peer influence and prosocial behavior. Positive peer influence is positively correlated with empathy and prosocial behavior, while negative peer influence is negatively correlated with empathy and prosocial behavior, and empathy is positively correlated with prosocial behavior. This meta-analysis demonstrates that during adolescence, empathy mediates the connection between peer influence and prosocial behavior, representing a potential process that can explain the relationship between peer influence and prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Qi-Fan He
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Jian-Zeng Lan
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Attiq-Ur-Rehman
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
- Gulfreen Nursing College Avicenna Hospital Bedian, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Meng-Wei Ge
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Lu-Ting Shen
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Fei-Hong Hu
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yi-Jie Jia
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Hong-Lin Chen
- School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu, PR China.
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2
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Perkins DD, Sonn CC, Lenzi M, Xu Q, Carolissen R, Portillo N, Serrano-García I. The global development of community psychology as reflected in the American Journal of Community Psychology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 72:302-316. [PMID: 37526574 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
This commentary presents a virtual special issue on the global growth of community psychology (CP), particularly, but not exclusively, as reflected in the American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP). CP exists in at least 50 countries all over the world, in many of those for over 25 years. Yet, aside from several early Israeli articles, AJCP rarely published work from or about countries outside the US and Canada until the early 2000s, when the number of international articles began to rise sharply. The focus of CP developed differently in different continents. CP in Australia and New Zealand initially followed North America's emphasis on improving social service systems, but has since focused more on environmental and indigenous cultural and decolonial issues that are as salient in those countries as in North America, but have drawn much more attention. CP came later to most of Asia, where it also tended to follow the North American path, but starting in Japan, India, and Hong Kong and now in China and elsewhere, it is establishing its own way. The other two global hotspots for CP for over 40 years have been Europe and Latin America. The level and focus of CP in Europe varies in each country, with some focused on applied developmental psychology and/or community services and others advancing critical and liberation psychology. CP in Latin America evolved from social psychology, but like CP in Sub-Saharan Africa, is also more explicitly political due to a history of political oppression, social activism, and the limitations of individualistic psychology to focus on social change, overcoming poverty, and interventions by (not just for) community members. Despite those differences, CP literature over the past 23 years suggests an increasingly common interest in social justice, multinational collaborations, and decoloniality. There is still a need for more truly (bidirectional) cross-cultural, comparative work for mutual learning, sharing of ideas, methods, and intervention practices, and for CP to develop in countries and communities throughout the globe where it could have the greatest impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas D Perkins
- Human & Organizational Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA
| | - Christopher C Sonn
- Department of Psychology, College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Michela Lenzi
- Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Qingwen Xu
- Master of Social Work Program, New York University-Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Ronelle Carolissen
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Albarello F, Manganelli S, Cavicchiolo E, Lucidi F, Chirico A, Alivernini F. Addressing Adolescents' Prejudice toward Immigrants: The Role of the Classroom Context. J Youth Adolesc 2023; 52:951-966. [PMID: 36581777 PMCID: PMC9799707 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-022-01725-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
According to social learning theory, classrooms are essential socialization contexts for intergroup attitudes, but analyses of contextual factors net of the impact of individual variables affecting prejudice toward immigrants are very limited. This study was conducted on a large sample of Italian adolescents (N = 2904; Mage = 13.70; females = 48.5%; 168 classrooms). It examined the role of classroom contextual factors affecting adolescents' prejudice toward immigrants, relying on the combination of groups' warmth and competence, and their antecedents (i.e., competition and status). Multilevel structural equation analyses revealed that classroom contextual factors (i.e., classroom socio-economic status-SES; classroom open to discussion climate; classroom educational achievements) indirectly affected, at the class level, adolescents' perceived warmth and competence of immigrants through the mediating role of perceived competition (and status) of immigrants. These findings suggest that interventions targeting the classroom context can help to hinder prejudice in adolescence at the class level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Albarello
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Manganelli
- National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System (INVALSI), Rome, Italy.
| | - Elisa Cavicchiolo
- Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Lucidi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Chirico
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Alivernini
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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4
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Le TU, Johnson SK, Lerner JV. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: Longitudinal associations among American adolescents’ civic engagement and family and school characteristics. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2023.2195183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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5
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Gee MN, Johnson SK. Why do young people engage in some civic actions and not others? Exploring the roles of individual and collective civic efficacy. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/casp.2661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew N. Gee
- Department of Child Study and Human Development Tufts University Medford Massachusetts USA
| | - Sara K. Johnson
- Department of Child Study and Human Development Tufts University Medford Massachusetts USA
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Tzankova I, Albanesi C, Prati G, Cicognani E. Development of civic and political engagement in schools: A structural equation model of democratic school characteristics’ influence on different types of participation. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2022.2094362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Iana Tzankova
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Cinzia Albanesi
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Gabriele Prati
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
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7
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Bohman A, Kudrnáč A. Like the cool kids? The role of popular classmates in the development of anti-immigrant attitudes in adolescence. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/13684302221099444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
While classmates have been identified as important socializing agents in relation to adolescents’ prejudice, there is limited understanding of how popularity status plays into classroom transmission of prejudicial attitudes. Drawing on theories of social influence, we used a three-wave panel of Swedish adolescents ( N = 941, aged 13–15) to examine the role of sociometric and prestige popular classmates in the development of adolescents’ anti-immigrant attitudes. Multilevel repeated measurement models revealed positive relationships between popular and individual prejudice; between sociometric prejudice and the level and rate of change; and between prestige prejudice and wave-to-wave shifts in individual prejudice. Overall, we found sociometrically popular classmates to be more influential in relation to adolescents’ prejudice. Additionally, we found the effect of sociometric prejudice to be more pronounced if political issues were frequently discussed in the classroom.
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8
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Dang L, Seemann A, Lindenmeier J, Saliterer I. Explaining civic engagement: The role of neighborhood ties, place attachment, and civic responsibility. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2022; 50:1736-1755. [PMID: 34807467 PMCID: PMC9298745 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study examines whether neighborhood ties (comprising neighborhood trust and neighborhood friendship), place attachment, and civic responsibility influence a person's decision to engage in neighborly civic activities. Three personality traits were added to the model as potential moderators: egoism, altruism, and fear of negative evaluation. Using data from a survey of German citizens (n = 610), the structural equation model adopted revealed that place attachment and civic responsibility (partially) mediate the effect of neighborhood trust (neighborhood friendship) on local civic engagement intention. Furthermore, egoism negatively moderates the relationship between civic responsibility and engagement intention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Dang
- Institute of Tourism and Mobility ITM—The Mobility Competence CentreLucerne University of Applied Sciences and ArtsLucerneSwitzerland
| | - Ann‐Kathrin Seemann
- Institute of Tourism and Mobility ITM—The Mobility Competence CentreLucerne University of Applied Sciences and ArtsLucerneSwitzerland
| | - Jörg Lindenmeier
- Public and Non‐Profit Management—Corporate Governance and EthicsUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Iris Saliterer
- Public and Non‐Profit Management—Local GovernmentUniversity of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
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9
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Wegemer CM. Service, Activism, and Friendships in High School: A Longitudinal Social Network Analysis of Peer Influence and Critical Beliefs. J Youth Adolesc 2022; 51:1-15. [PMID: 34894343 PMCID: PMC8665712 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-021-01549-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Scholars acknowledge that friends shape youth civic engagement, but the relative contribution of peer influence and critical beliefs to civic behaviors has yet to be disaggregated. Informed by sociopolitical development and critical consciousness theories, the present study used longitudinal social network analysis to examine peer socialization and adolescents' awareness of systemic inequities in relation to participation in service and activist activities at a high school serving primarily low-income Latinx youth. Students were surveyed in May 2019 and May 2020 (N = 354; 51% female; in 2019, Mage = 15.9, age range 14.4 to 18.5). The results yielded evidence of peer influence on service activities, but not activism or perceptions of inequities. In contrast, adolescents' perception of inequities predicted their activist behavior, but not service, after controlling for network effects and individual covariates. The school provided scaffolding for service activities, but not activist activities, potentially explaining the salience of service participation in youth friendship networks.
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Wui MGL, Zhang J, Relyea JE, Wong SS, Nam R. The intersection of perceptions of classroom openness with civic engagement among young urban adolescents in science classroom. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2021.2007769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Rosa Nam
- University of Houston
- Clark University
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11
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Hoyt LT, Chaku N, Barry K, Anderson G, Ballard PJ. Enacting maturity during adolescence: Extending theory, developing a measure, and considering implications for problem behaviors. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2021.1957892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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12
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Critical consciousness among rural adolescents: the roles of school connection and positive relationships with teachers. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11218-021-09613-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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13
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Deliberation in citizenship education: how the school context contributes to the development of an open classroom climate. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11218-018-9449-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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14
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Lenzi M, Sharkey J, Furlong MJ, Mayworm A, Hunnicutt K, Vieno A. School Sense of Community, Teacher Support, and Students' School Safety Perceptions. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 60:527-537. [PMID: 29115661 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the association between two characteristics of school climate (sense of community and teacher support, measured both at the individual and at the school level) and students' feelings of being unsafe at school. The study involved a sample of 49,638 students aged 10-18 years who participated in the 2010-2012 California Healthy Kids Survey. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), our findings revealed that, at the individual level, students perceiving higher levels of sense of community and teacher support at school were less likely to feel unsafe within the school environment. At the school level, sense of community was negatively associated with unsafe feelings, whereas there was no association between school-level teacher support and feelings of being unsafe at school.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Lenzi
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Jill Sharkey
- Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Furlong
- Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Ashley Mayworm
- Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Kayleigh Hunnicutt
- Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Alessio Vieno
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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Jagers RJ, Lozada FT, Rivas-Drake D, Guillaume C. Classroom and School Predictors of Civic Engagement Among Black and Latino Middle School Youth. Child Dev 2017; 88:1125-1138. [PMID: 28608919 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study used short-term longitudinal data to examine the contributions of democratic teaching practices (e.g., the Developmental Designs approach) and equitable school climate to civic engagement attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors among 515 Black and Latino middle school students (47.9% male). Concurrent experiences of democratic homeroom and classroom practices, and equitable school climate were associated with higher scores on each civic engagement component. The relation between classroom practices and civic attitudes was more robust when school climate was seen as more equitable. Longitudinally, homeroom practices and equitable school climate predicted higher civic attitudes 1 year later. Discussion focuses on civic attitudes and future research on school experiences that support civic engagement among youth of color.
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16
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17
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Quinn BP. The beyond-the-self dimension of adolescent purpose: Absence and change. THE JOURNAL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2016.1209543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brandy P. Quinn
- College of Education, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, USA
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18
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Bayram Özdemir S, Stattin H, Özdemir M. Youth's Initiations of Civic and Political Discussions in Class: Do Youth's Perceptions of Teachers' Behaviors Matter and Why? J Youth Adolesc 2016; 45:2233-2245. [PMID: 27339367 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-016-0525-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Teachers are thought to play an important role in fostering youth civic engagement; however, the current literature is limited with regard to providing concrete suggestions as to what teachers can do to promote youth civic engagement and why teachers have an impact on youth. To address these limitations, we simultaneously tested three alternative explanations to identify the critical way(s) in which perceived teachers' behaviors might contribute to youth civic engagement in school. We also investigated the underlying processes that may explain why youth's perceptions of teachers' behaviors matter, by focusing on the mediating roles of young people's feelings about politics and their political efficacy beliefs. The sample included 7th (n = 876, M age = 13.42, SD = .71; 51 % girls) and 10th grade students (n = 857, M age = 16.62, SD = .71; 51 % girls) residing in Sweden. Among the different aspects of perceived teacher behaviors, only an engaged and inspiring teaching style fostered youth's initiations of civic and political discussions in class over time among both early and late adolescents. Moreover, youth's feelings about politics significantly mediated the effect of perceived teachers' behaviors on youth civic engagement in class. Contrary to our expectation, youth's political efficacy did not act as a mediator. The present study sheds light on what teachers can do to promote youth civic and political engagement in a school setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevgi Bayram Özdemir
- Center for Developmental Research, School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden.
| | - Håkan Stattin
- Center for Developmental Research, School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Metin Özdemir
- Center for Developmental Research, School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, 701 82, Örebro, Sweden
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19
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Littenberg-Tobias J, Cohen AK. Diverging Paths: Understanding Racial Differences in Civic Engagement Among White, African American, and Latina/o Adolescents Using Structural Equation Modeling. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 57:102-117. [PMID: 27217315 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing concern about the large civic engagement gap between Whites and Latina/o and African American youth. Some suggest this may be because traditional models and measures of civic engagement may not be as applicable for youth from historically marginalized groups. With an urban sample of middle and high school-age youth (n = 903, 52% female), we used structural equation modeling to identify differences in civic pathways between youth from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. We found significant differences between groups including much stronger relationships between exposure to democratic practices and civic self-efficacy and knowledge for African American and Latina/o youth than for White youth and a stronger relationship between civic knowledge and future civic engagement for Whites and Latina/os than for African Americans. These findings suggest that educators and researchers interested need to take into account the diversity of youths' racial experiences when examining youth civic development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alison K Cohen
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Division of Epidemiology, 101 Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720
- Generation Citizen, 152 Second Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105
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20
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Lynch AD, Ferris KA, Burkhard B, Wang J, Hershberg RM, Lerner RM. Character Development within Youth Development Programs: Exploring Multiple Dimensions of Activity Involvement. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 57:73-86. [PMID: 27217313 DOI: 10.1002/ajcp.12035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
We examined links among three dimensions of youth involvement (intensity, duration, and engagement) in Boy Scouts of America (BSA), an international out-of-school time (OST) youth development program designed to promote moral and performance character in boys. Using data from 737 youth and their parents who participated in one of 40 BSA program sites (commonly referred to as "packs"), we first considered how individual- and pack-level measures of program involvement were differentially linked with character development. Next, we examined whether pack-level involvement characteristics moderate individual-level involvement characteristics, hypothesizing that highly involved packs would serve to further enhance the positive effects of high levels of individual involvement. Results indicated engagement was the strongest, most frequent predictor of increases in both moral and performance character. Although there were no direct effects of pack-level intensity, duration, or engagement, the effects of individual-level engagement were moderated by pack-level engagement, suggesting that the largest increases in moral and performance character occurred among highly engaged youth who were enrolled in highly engaged packs. These results highlight the need to examine multiple dimensions of OST program involvement simultaneously, and suggest that strengthening youth engagement in programming may provide a means for enhancing the positive effects of high-quality youth programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Doyle Lynch
- Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Kaitlyn A Ferris
- Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Brian Burkhard
- Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Jun Wang
- Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Rachel M Hershberg
- Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
| | - Richard M Lerner
- Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
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21
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Guillaume C, Jagers R, Rivas-Drake D. Middle School as a Developmental Niche for Civic Engagement. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2015; 56:321-331. [PMID: 26424735 DOI: 10.1007/s10464-015-9759-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated how school climate, school connectedness and academic efficacy beliefs inform emergent civic engagement behaviors among middle school youth of color. These associations were examined both concurrently and longitudinally using a developmentally appropriate measure of civic engagement. Data were drawn from two subsamples of a larger study of social/emotional development in middle school (cross-sectional sample n = 324; longitudinal sample n = 232), M = 12 years old, 46 % female, 53 % male. Forty-two percent (42.2 %) of the sample self-identified as African American, 19.8 % as Multiracial or Mixed, 19.4 % as Latino, 11.6 % as Asian American or Pacific Islander, 11.6 % identified as Other, and 5.2 % as Native American. The study tested and found support for a latent mediation model in which more positive perceptions of school climate were positively related to school connectedness, and this in turn, was positively associated with civic engagement; school climate was also positively associated with academic-self-efficacy beliefs, but such beliefs did not mediate the climate-civic engagement association. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casta Guillaume
- University of Michigan, 200 E. SEB, E. University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA.
| | - Robert Jagers
- University of Michigan, 200 E. SEB, E. University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA
| | - Deborah Rivas-Drake
- University of Michigan, 200 E. SEB, E. University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA
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