*This study is actively recruiting participants! If interested, please email the research team at dice@tufts.edu*
What is the Purpose of this Study?
Civic engagement – defined as thinking about, caring about, and taking action to address issues of broad public concern (Carpini & Keeter, 1996) – is important for societies (especially democracies) to function. Despite an accumulating body of research on civic engagement (e.g., Wray-Lake & Ballard, 2023) there remain major weaknesses in the field’s theoretical frameworks that keep us from deeply understanding how to promote different forms of civic engagement. The purpose of the proposed study is to begin developing an improved theoretical framework of youth civic engagement. This qualitative study will utilize grounded-theory methodology (Charmaz, 2014), which will involve conducting and analyzing in-depth interviews with adolescents to inductively generate theory.
What Will Participants Do?
Youth will be interviewed about civic engagement either on Zoom or in-person at a local school or youth center. Interviews will cover topics such as civic engagement they have done, civic engagement they have not done, motivations for civic engagement, and thoughts on social issues. Interviews will take about 60 minutes, and those who participate will receive a $40 Amazon electronic gift card.
Who is Eligible to Participate?
Participants are eligible if they are:
- 13-18 years old
- Based in Massachusetts
- Proficient in English
- Accessible for correspondence via email
- Comfortable having their voice recorded for the interview
The research team seeks to interview youth who engage in different ways and at different levels of commitment (e.g., from those who regularly volunteer, to those who engage in social media activism now and then, to those who care about social issues but have not taken action).
How do I Participate?
If you would like to participate in the study, please email the research team at dice@tufts.edu for the interest and eligibility survey. If you are part of a community partner organization, and you think that youth in your program would be interested in participating, please reach out to the research team!