Abstract
The implications of civic engagement for child and adolescent well-being are explored conceptually and empirically. To establish a foundation for this chapter, the meaning of well-being for individuals and societies is first considered. Flourishing is distinguished from pleasure and conventional success, and we argue that flourishing is (1) the essence of well-being, and (2) requires civic participation for its attainment. The evidence for dynamic relations among civic engagement in childhood and adolescence and individual and societal flourishing is reviewed and evaluated. We conclude that research to date supports the conclusion that fostering civic engagement among children and adolescents can promote well-being.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Allen, J. P., Philliber, S., Herrling, S., & Kuperminc, G. P. (1997). Preventing teen pregnancy and academic failure: Experimental evaluation of a developmentally based approach. Child Development, 68(4), 729–742.
Atkins, R., Hart, D., & Donnelly, T. (2005). The association of childhood personality type with volunteering during adolescence. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 51, 145–162.
Amadeo, J. A., Torney-Purta, J., Lehmann, R., Husfeldt, V., & Nikolova, R. (2002). Civic knowledge and engagement: An IEA study of upper secondary students in sixteen countries. Amsterdam: The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
Billig, S. H. (2000). Research on K-12 school-based service-learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 81(9), 658–664.
Block, J., & Block, J. H. (2006). Nursery school personality and political orientation two decades later. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(5), 734–749.
Dishion, T. J., McCord, J., & Poulin, F. (1999). When interventions harm: Peer groups and problem behavior. American Psychologist, 54(9), 755.
Duvall, T., & Dotson, P. (1998). Political participation and eudaimonia in Aristotle’s politics. History of Political Thought, 19(1), 21–34.
Fletcher, A. C., Glen, Jr., H., & Mekos, D. (2000). Parental influences on adolescent involvement in community activities. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 10, 29–48.
Hart, D., Atkins, R., & Ford, D. (1998). Urban America as a context for the development of moral identity in adolescence. Journal of Social Issues, 54, 513–530.
Hart, D., Atkins, R., Markey, P., & Youniss, J. (2004). Youth bulges in communities: The effects of age structure on adolescent civic knowledge and civic participation. Psychological Science, 15, 591–597.
Hart, D., Donnelly, T. M., Youniss, J., & Atkins, R. (2007). High school predictors of adult civic engagement: The roles of volunteering, civic knowledge, extracurricular activities, and attitudes. American Educational Research Journal, 44, 197–219.
Hatcher, J. A., & Bringle, R. G. (1997). Reflection: Bridging the gap between service and learning. College Teaching, 45(4), 153–158.
Hursthouse, R. (2012). Virtue ethics. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2012.). Retrieved Sept 11, 2012, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2012/entries/ethics-virtue/
Kahne, J. E., & Sporte, S. E. (2008). Developing citizens: The impact of civic learning opportunities on students’ commitment to civic participation. American Educational Research Journal, 45(3), 738–766.
Kahne, J., & Westheimer, J. (2006). The limits of political efficacy: Educating citizens for a democratic society. PS-WASHINGTON, 39(2), 289.
Lijphart, A. (1997). Unequal participation: Democracy’s unresolved dilemma. American Political Science Review, 91(1), 1–14.
Markey, P., & Markey, C. (2011). Pornography-seeking behaviors following midterm political elections in the United States: A replication of the challenge hypothesis. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(3), 1262–1264.
Matsuba, M. K., Hart, D., & Atkins, R. (2007). Psychological and social-structural influences on commitment to volunteering. Journal of Research in Personality, 41(4), 889–907.
Melchior, A. (1998). National evaluation of learn and serve America school and community-based programs. Final Report. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=ED437575
Metz, E., McLellan, J., & Youniss, J. (2003). Types of voluntary service and adolescents’ civic development. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18, 188–203.
Mill, J. S. (1861). Representative Government. eBooks@Adelaide. Retrieved Sept 11, 2012, from http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/m/mill/john_stuart/m645r/
Moon, B. E., Birdsall, J. H., Ciesluk, S., Garlett, L. M., Hermias, J. J., Mendenhall, E., Schmid, P. D., et al. (2006). Voting counts: Participation in the measurement of democracy. Studies in Comparative International Development (SCID), 41(2), 3–32.
Putnam, R. D. (2007). E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and community in the twenty-first century. The 2006 Johan Skytte prize lecture. Scandinavian Political Studies, 30(2), 137–174.
Shields, C. (2012). Aristotle. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2012.). Retrieved Sept 11, 2012, from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2012/entries/aristotle/
Simon, C. A., & Wang, C. (2002). The impact of Americorps service on volunteer participants. Administration & Society, 34(5), 522–540.
Slavin, R. E. (2002). Evidence-based education policies: Transforming educational practice and research. Educational Researcher, 31(7), 15–21. doi:10.3102/0013189X031007015.
Smith, E. S. (1999). The effects of investments in the social capital of youth on political and civic behavior in young adulthood: A longitudinal analysis. Political Psychology, 20(3), 553–580.
Syvertsen, A. K., Wray-Lake, L., Flanagan, C. A., Wayne Osgood, D., & Briddell, L. (2011). Thirty-year trends in US adolescents’ civic engagement: A story of changing participation and educational differences. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(3), 586–594.
Torney-Purta, J., Amadeo, J. A., & Richardson, W. K. (2007). Civic service across the life course. In A. M. McBride & M. Sherraden (Eds.), Civic service worldwide: Impacts and inquiry (pp. 95–132). Armonk: M.E. Sharpe.
Wray-Lake, L., & Hart, D. (2012). Growing social inequalities in youth civic engagement? Evidence from the National Election Study. PS: Political Science & Politics, 45(3), 456–461.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hart, D., Matsuba, K., Atkins, R. (2014). Civic Engagement and Child and Adolescent Well-Being. In: Ben-Arieh, A., Casas, F., Frønes, I., Korbin, J. (eds) Handbook of Child Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_33
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_33
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-9062-1
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9063-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law