The role of adolescents’ morality and identity in volunteering. Age and gender differences in a process model

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explain adolescents' volunteering in terms of their morality and identity and to examine the moderation effect of gender and age in this process. Data were collected among 698 Dutch adolescents aged 12 to 20 (M = 15.19; SD = 1.43). Adolescents' moral reasoning was positively associated with understanding moral issues and thinking about public responsibility towards these issues. In turn, moral understanding, along with being personally committed to act upon moral issues, were positively associated with identity. Extending the number of identity contexts tended to be related to being more likely to volunteer and to more volunteering involvement. Adolescents' identity integration was not related to how likely they were to volunteer, and was negatively related to their volunteering involvement. Clearer effects were found when differentiating between adolescent gender and age groups. Future research could examine this process over time, along with additional factors that may further explain adolescents' volunteering, and examine their age and gender specific effects.

Gender differences in developmental assets profile of college going youth: a report from India

“…27,29 However, the findings is not conclusive as there are studies suggest that young females perform better in sense of purpose, which is a component of positive identity. 30 Gender differences was also found in the external asset of support where female participants reporting lower scores on this asset that the male participants, a finding contradictory to the existing literature. Studies have shown that women, in general, report higher levels of perceived support than males.…”

The Role of Reflection in the Effects of Community Service on Adolescent Development: A Meta‐Analysis

“…Community service, often also referred to as volunteering and service‐learning , can generally be defined as “(often) organized, unpaid activities that are intended to benefit the environment, individuals, groups of people or society” (cf. National Centre for Social Research and the Institute for Volunteering Research, ; van Goethem et al., ). Community service is required for adolescents in some countries (e.g., the Netherlands; Rijksoverheid, ‎) and states (e.g., Maryland; Maryland State Department of Education, n.d.), and is promoted by innumerable national and nongovernmental agencies.…”

Being Honest About Dishonesty: Correlating Self-Reports and Actual Lying

“…To further investigate the correlates of frequent lying, a sample of Study 1 participants was invited to the lab. To assess moral development, a Dutch version of Defining Issues Test (DIT‐2) was used (Rest, Narvaez, Thoma, & Bebeau, ; see van Goethem et al, for the Dutch version). This task is based on presenting subjects with moral dilemmas and asking them to rate and rank different statements as important or unimportant to the decision how to act in such a situation.…”