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Adolescents' Participation in Service Activities and Its Impact on Academic, Behavioral, and Civic Outcomes

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Abstract

The National Household Education Survey, a nationally representative data set (N=4,306 high school students and one parent of each), was analyzed to describe characteristics of adolescents, the nature of their service activities, and academic, behavioral and civic outcomes associated with service (voluntary compared to school-required and by type of service). Participation in any service is associated with positive outcomes whether service is voluntary or required. Adolescents who worked directly with individuals in need had better academic adjustment; those who worked for organizations had better civic outcomes than adolescents who performed other types of service. Findings are discussed in terms of their significance for adolescent development, educational policy, and the use of large national data sets to examine service participation.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the College of Education Scholarship Fund at Northern Illinois University. We are grateful for the helpful feedback of anonymous reviewers and for the assistance of Saif Patel with manuscript preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LEPF Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA

    Jennifer A. Schmidt, Lee Shumow & Hayal Kackar

Authors
  1. Jennifer A. Schmidt
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  2. Lee Shumow
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  3. Hayal Kackar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer A. Schmidt.

Additional information

Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Northern Illinois University. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology: Human Development from the University of Chicago. Her research interests include motivation, resilience, and positive youth development.

Professor at Northern Illinois University. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include family, community, and out-of-school influences on child and adolescent educational adjustment.

Received her M.S. Ed. in Educational Psychology from Northern Illinois University, where she is currently pursuing her doctoral degree. Her current research interests involve the role of adolescents' family, community and school contexts in fostering their social, moral, and educational development.

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Schmidt, J.A., Shumow, L. & Kackar, H. Adolescents' Participation in Service Activities and Its Impact on Academic, Behavioral, and Civic Outcomes. J Youth Adolescence 36, 127–140 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9119-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9119-5

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