Developmental trajectories of civic engagement across adolescence: disaggregation of an integrated construct.

Using longitudinal data from Grades 8 to 11 of the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, a longitudinal study involving U.S. adolescents, we examined the developmental trajectories of multiple components of civic engagement, and the effects of youth development program participation and participation in another major domain of youth engagement (religious activity) on these trajectories. A set of two-level, hierarchical linear models (time-varying measures of civic engagement at level 1 and covariates at level 2) were conducted. Results indicated that the components of civic engagement have different starting points and growth rates during adolescence and that the contextual factors have differing effects dependent on the civic engagement component. By understanding how the components of civic engagement develop during adolescence, and the contextual factors that affect those trajectories, practitioners can gain more nuanced insights into how and when to effectively encourage youth civic engagement.

Advances in civic engagement research: issues of civic measures and civic context.

Civic engagement has gained prominence over the past two decades as an important topic in developmental science. Much has been learned about what civic engagement means, how it is measured, and how young people develop civic engagement. In this chapter, we discuss emerging areas of research for civic engagement and core questions that we believe need to be explored. In particular, we focus on a broader conceptualization of civic engagement beyond behavioral measures, consider the relevance of cultural and political contexts on the development of civic engagement among under-served populations, and discuss the implications of advancing the civic engagement field on the civic participation of youth in the United States and throughout the world.