Assessing the Effects of Voluntary Youth Service: The Case of Teach for America

Autor/inn/en	McAdam, Doug; Brandt, Cynthia
Titel	Assessing the Effects of Voluntary Youth Service: The Case of Teach for America
Quelle	In: Social Forces, 88 (2009) 2, S.945-970 (26 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0037-7732
Schlagwörter	Youth Programs; Volunteers; Political Attitudes; Citizen Participation; Job Applicants; Activism; Service Learning; Mail Surveys; Case Studies; Comparative Analysis; Cohort Analysis; Program Effectiveness; Social Attitudes + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Jugendsofortprogramm; Freiwilliger; Political attitude; Politische Einstellung; 'Citizen participation; Citizens'' participation'; Bürgerbeteiligung; Bewerber; Aktivismus; Politischer Protest; Service-Learning; Erhebungsinstrument; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Kohortenanalyse; Social attidude; Soziale Einstellung
Abstract	We use survey data from all accepted applicants to Teach for America 1993-98 to assess the longer-term effect of youth service on participants' current civic attitudes and behaviors. While TFA "graduates" score higher than the two comparison groups--"drop-outs" and "non-matriculants"--on a broad range of attitudinal items measuring civic commitment, these differences appear to be less a byproduct of the TFA experience than a reflection of current involvement with the TFA organization. Moreover, the attitudinal differences are not reflected in actual civic behavior. Specifically, graduates lag behind non-matriculants in current service activity and generally trail both non-matriculants and drop-outs in self-reported participation in five other forms of civic/political activity measured in the study. Graduates also vote at lower rates than the other two groups. Finally, fewer graduates report employment in "pro social" jobs than either non-matriculants or drop-outs. We close by speculating on what mechanisms may help explain variation in the long-term effects of youth service or activist experiences. (Contains 2 notes and 8 tables.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of North Carolina Press. 116 South Boundary Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. Tel: 800-848-6224; Tel: 919-966-7449; Fax: 919-962-2704; e-mail: uncpress@unc.edu; Web site: http://uncpress.unc.edu/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10