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Article
Examining developmental transitions in civic engagement across adolescence: Evidence from a national U.S. sample.
USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications
  • Laura Wray-Lake
  • Wendy M. Rote, University of South Florida St. Petersburg
  • Celina M. Benavides
  • Christine Victorino
SelectedWorks Author Profiles:

Wendy Rote

Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
Disciplines
Abstract

Describing how much and what type(s) of change are evident in civic engagement across adolescence is a fundamental starting point for advancing developmental theory in the civic domain. Using five annual waves of data from a large national U.S. sample spanning 8th–12th grades, our study describes civic engagement typologies and transitions in and out of typologies across adolescence. Four distinct civic typologies were identified across indicators of civic values, behaviors, and future expectations. Two-thirds of youth demonstrated ipsative continuity, i.e., within-class stability over time. Transitions indicated gradual stepwise change in both upward and downward directions and thus provided only modest support for age-related gains. Our study has the potential to spur theoretical progress regarding civic development by documenting developmental change as a series of transitions that vary across people. Results help to clarify the diverse civic pathways that youth experience across adolescence.

Language
en_US
Publisher
I O S Press
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0
Citation Information
Wray-Lake, L., Rote, W. M., Victorino, C. A., & Benavides, C. (2014). Examining developmental transitions in civic engagement across adolescence: Evidence from a national U.S. sample. International Journal of Developmental Science, 8, 95-104. doi: 10.3233/DEV-14142