Active and Engaged Citizenship: Multi-group and Longitudinal Factorial Analysis of an Integrated Construct of Civic Engagement

Abstract

Civic participation does not necessarily equate to civic engagement. However, to date, integrated measures of civic engagement that go beyond civic behaviors have not been developed. In this article, we propose an integrated construct of civic engagement, active and engaged citizenship (AEC), that includes behavioral, cognitive, and socioemotional constructs. Using data from 909 adolescents (62.4% girls) who took part in the Grades 8-10 assessments of the longitudinal 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), we assessed the structure and measurement invariance of AEC. AEC was proposed as a second-order latent construct that encompasses four first-order latent factors: Civic Duty, Civic Skills, Neighborhood Social Connection, and Civic Participation. Measurement invariance was tested over time (from Grade 8 to Grade 10) and between boys and girls. The results supported strong invariance of AEC over time and between sexes. Implications of AEC for future research and practice are discussed.

Special Section Introduction: Thriving in Context: Findings from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development

“…Lerner et al in press;Lerner 2009). In addition, research has identified the individual and ecological bases of the development of these characteristics and theoretically expected outcomes of the PYD process, e.g., youth community contribution or active and engaged citizenship (e.g., Zaff et al 2010). …”

Civic Purpose: An Integrated Construct for Understanding Civic Development in Adolescence

“…Most commonly, civic engagement refers to civic action or activities [Hart et al, 2007;Obradović & Masten, 2007;Pancer, Pratt, Hunsberger, & Alisat, 2007;Stepick, Stepick, & Labissiere, 2008] directed toward one's community or society. Sometimes, civic engagement is measured through civic attitudes [Flanagan et al, 2007;Henderson, Brown, Pancer, & Ellis-Hale, 2007;Schmidt, Shumow, & Kackar, 2007], or in terms of intentions or goals for the future [Metz, McLellan, & Youniss, 2003], or includes skills and capacities [Flanagan & Faison, 2001;Zaff, Boyd, Li, Lerner, & Lerner, 2010]. Further, the concept of civic engagement is used to refer to community-oriented activities such as volunteerism or overtly political activities such as voting or campaigning [e.g., Adler & Goggin, 2005;Ekman & Amnå, 2012].…”

Diverging Paths: Understanding Racial Differences in Civic Engagement Among White, African American, and Latina/o Adolescents Using Structural Equation Modeling

“…Self-efficacy can be defined as an individuals' sense of control and agency over events in their lives (Bandura, 1997). Civic self-efficacy describes the belief that one's individual civic actions will lead to change (Shuler, 2010;Zaff, Boyd, Li, Lerner & Lerner, 2010). A number of studies have demonstrated a relationship between interactive civic experiences and increased civic self-efficacy (Astin, Vogelgesang, Ikeda & Yee, 2000;Barr, 2010;Moely, MacFarland, Miron, Mercer & Ilustre, 2002).…”